Mendoza Argentina
Mendoza is the largest and best known of the regions in Argentina and is broken down into many regions and sub regions. In a small area called VistAlba within Luyan de Coyo, Stuart has found an amazing wine from one of the most distinguished winemakers in the country.
Carlos Pulenta has a long and distinguished history in Mendoza, being the former CEO of one the largest wineries in the area. He finished his ultra modern, gravity fed winery in 2005 and it is a thing of wonder; full of marble, slate, polished concrete and dark woods. Almost instantly, it became the flagship estate of Mendoza, where hefollows the Bordeaux model of creating sophisticated blends, using Malbec as the base. He chose this site with a lot of care, as his father planted the vineyard back in 1948.
He owns 53 hectares around the winery, 80% of which are the Malbec vines planted by his father (the rest is newly planted Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon). He also has a restaurant at the winery, La Bourgogne which is considered one of Argentina’s finest.
The 2012 Corte C is a blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged for 12 months in French, medium toasted oak (20% new) which is then stored in bottle for another 6 months before release. This is a ripe juicy wine, with dark fruits that almost leap out of the glass. The wine is in your face, but in a nice way. Oak is subtle, but it supports the fruit, which is what this wine is all about. The palate is full of dark fruits with enticing aromas of berries and black pepper. It finishes with soft and round tannins with great length and structure.
The winery also produces a Corte A and Corte B, which are considerably more expensive and well worth the effort to track down if you want to try one of Mendoza’s flagship wines, but for our money the Corte C is the one to drink. Amazing quality and value.