2017 Corazon Del Sol Malbec Gran Reserva

100% Malbec. High-temperature fermentation in their typical style. Made from their eight best barrels of Malbec. All estate-grown fruit. Winemaking is overseen by consultant oenologist  Santiago Achával. Dark, velvety fruit draped in folds over and along a cool rod of freshness. Long from front to back of the tongue and then back to the front again. A kind of stoniness, although not stony. Mica-like minerality glinting underneath the fruit. The tannins feel like brocade, weighted but not sturdy, drawing with implacable presence, but resilient, not rigid. Plum and violets, dark berries and dark chocolate. Dramatic and ambitious, the spice and remarkable grip of the wine balanced by the freshness of the fruit. Don't broach this too early. (TC)

A Malbec from Los Chacayes, aged for 18 months in new and used French oak. Bright purple in hue. The nose starts out with red currant and violet notes kept in a cigar box before the subtle herbal aromas come into play. Concentrated and indulgent in the mouth, it has firm tannins brought out by the pleasant but moderate freshness. A textbook wine for the region, well executed.