Writer's Block Malbec 2009

Malbec is popularly what Argentina has made it. Its viticultural history is closely associated with the Bordeaux area of France (Cahors as well) and the politics of international relations that brought it to Argentina as a gift of political goodwill. Having spent two harvests at Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza, I was afforded the opportunity to experience Malbec in its various forms and morphs there, from easy drinking juicy wines to wines made with the intent of ageability. Malbec itself is an experience in Argentina, grown throughout the country, though most significantly in the high elevation viticultural region of Mendoza, where Catena Zapata is found. In Bordeaux a small percentage of it may find its way into claret blends consisting of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, although Argentina is the country and Mendoza the region where its potential as a varietal bottling has been explored with much success. Here in Lake County, a higher elevation growing region of California, Andy Beckstoffer decided to plant some as part of a prodigious vineyard planting in the Red Hills Appellation in the lee of Mount Konocti. Grafted from Cabernet Franc vines in 2002, the varietal shows itself here as having a good future as a minor grape of the area.   

VINEYARD

Andy Beckstoffer is a very well known and successful wine-grape grower in California. The Beckstoffer organization represents the high-tier of professional and scientific approach to wine-grape growing that has no doubt made any vineyards planted by the Beckstoffer group something to appreciate. Located in the Red Hills appellation of Lake County, this enormous vineyard consisting of mostly Bordeaux varietals was planted with the intent to produce ultra-premium varietal wines. While many of the grapes are purchased by wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties, a small percentage of these grapes find there way into Lake County wineries. Grafted in 2002 to what were previously Cabernet Franc vines, this first vintage of Malbec at Steele shows much promise from this vineyard site. Named Red Hills because of the color of the volcanic soil it is planted in, the vineyard follows a dramatic slope toward Clearlake, and after the retirement of Frank Anderson, is now looked after by the grower of the Writer’s Block Roussanne source, Randy Krag.

WINEMAKING

Cooler fermentations were maintained throughout primary fermentation (max 88 degrees Fahrenheit); while a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, approximately 10% total volume was cofermented with this Malbec to improve its structure. An immodest 5 punch downs per day were preformed with the intention to extract a little more from the Malbec than less, and skin contact lasted three weeks. We fermented a small percentage of pressed Chardonnay skins to further concentrate the wine, and to add complexity to the aromatic expression. The wine was pressed and racked to barrel to undergo complete malolactic fermentation with controlled temperatures.

The wine was aged on fine lees in French, Hungarian, and American (25% new total) barrels for approximately 10 months after initially being racked to barrels after primary fermentation. The aging period was carried out with an extended period on the fine lees to both soften and protect the young wine. A fairly low level of SO2 was maintained throughout this period to aid in the development of secondary and tertiary aromatic and flavor components. After 10 months the wine was clean racked to tank, where small quantity of Cabernet Franc (5%) and Merlot (5%) were blended before aging another 10 months in barrel prior to bottling. At only 20 months aging, we bottled this wine; it is ready to drink now and will continue to develop in bottle for some time to come.

The 2006 Malbec is a reverse-Bordeaux blend, using Malbec as the base (80%), a small percent of Cabernet Sauvignon (Beckstoffer Vineyard) was cofermented with the Malbec (early blending) followed by equal parts (5%) Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The reason for this blending was based on my experience at Catena, and the want to make a Malbec that was both varietal in characteristic, but different in some fundamental ways from what I experienced there. The cofermenting of Cabernet gave the wine a distinct structure and stability, while the Cabernet Franc and Merlot afforded a sensory balance of fruit and, being non-tannic varietals, balanced the overall expression of the wine on palate. I found the Malbec I worked with in Argentina had particularly juicy fruit of dark berries, and when malolactic fermentation had been completed a distinct characteristic of ‘yogurt’ on the nose. I find this in the Malbec we produced equally so, along with some pleasant brambly characteristics. Finally this Malbec was bottled, in part due to blending, with a fairly low pH and very bright acidity. I expect this Malbec, which should be classified as a modern style Claret using an inherently fruity varietal as the base, to be very long lived in bottle that should improve over the next decade.

HARVEST

The 2006 harvest was busy at times, with some varietals ripening simultaneously, though in regards to this Malbec its harvest date was chosen deliberately. There were no notable problems of the harvest, and so the wait and watch posture was taken before the grapes were harvested in late September with good maturity and a favorable acidic balance with which to begin. As I am not convinced Malbec is such a tannic wine in general, we harvested a small bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, approximately 10% by volume, to coferment with this wine in the effort to give the wine some complexity, while hinting at the reverse Bordeaux blend I intended to make.

TASTING NOTES (8/21/08 Quincy Steele)

            AROMATICS/FLAVORS:

                        toasted American oak

                        fleshiness

                        floral

                        citrus peel

                        blackberry

                        yogurt

                        black cherry

                        caramel (oak)

                        candied fruit

A full bodied red wine showing its youth with tightly held perfume-like aromatics that are approachable as it opens quickly in glass. The aromatics are complex, and move from fleshy dark fruit to floral and some kind bramble, toasted oak, to lactic like yogurt, to citrus transitions occur fairly quickly. A weighty, tight nose on approach that opens with increasing complexity with time and swirl. A supple mouth-feel shows a depth of fruit flavor transitioning into an accentuated finish with bright acidity. Fairly opulent in the front of the mouth, the transition to finish and acidity is fairly smooth. Significant tannins on the finish, textually good but young, prolonged after-taste increasing as wine continues to breathe.