2013 Bodegas Poesia Mendoza

(15% alcohol; aged in 100% new French oak for 18 months; these ungrafted Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1935): Full, bright medium ruby. Musky, reticent scents of black raspberry, kirsch , menthol, medicinal herbs, mocha and licorice pastille. Very suave, fine-grained but backward wine with a medicinal reserve to its dense dark berry, dark chocolate and licorice pastille flavors, lifted by herbs, spices and flowers. Wonderfully savory, penetrating wine with suave tannins and sneaky rising length. A superb vintage for this very distinctive bottling.

Blackberries, blueberries and wet earth. Medium body, firm and silky tannins and a complete finish. Excellent all the way. Drink now.

The 2013 Poesía is a blend of Malbec with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the percentage of varieties found in the vineyard, from 13 hectares of ungrafted vines planted 85 years ago at some 900 meters altitude. It fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts and extended maceration. It matured in new French oak barriques for two years before being bottled. I think this is the most beautiful wine I've tasted from Poesía, still a very young and undeveloped wine with subtle aromas of violets and fine spices, still young and lively, but subtle and elegant, nuanced and insinuating. It developed some more balsamic nuances, with hints of camphor. But, it's the palate where the wine shows its true colors, classically proportioned, elegant, balanced, with symmetry and a fine texture. The two varieties are nicely integrated; they believe in blends, which for them is the best way to achieve complexity. I'd love to see this wine in ten years, as I believe it will age beautifully. It can be drunk now, but it should improve in bottle. 8,000 bottles produced.