Medium purple color; red plum, blackberry, cherry on the nose; plum, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, tobacco, vanilla on the palate.
Dry; medium body, medium tannin and acidity. On my palate, malbec falls between cabernet sauvignon and merlot. This is a poster wine for that proposition. Easy drinker, versatile. 13% ABV
Grapes harvest by hand between April and May. Grapes de-stemmed and spend up to six days maceration in temperature-controlled tanks. The fermentation for a week with selected yeasts. Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Up to 40% of the wine is aged for up to six months in French barrels with one or two years of use. The wine barrel-aged and stainless steel finished wine is blended in stainless steel and aged for up another four months in stainless steel prior to bottling.
The Viña Apaltagua story begins in 1995 when successful American businessman Edward Tutunjian vacationed in Chile. Tutunjian fell in love with Chile and Chilean wines and began acquiring vineyards. Eventually, that included estates in Palmilla (Colchagua) and the Manantiales estate the supplies grapes for this wine. Apaltagua now has a presence in all of the five major wine producing valleys in Chile.
Benjamin Mei is the winemaker. Alvaro Espinoza, one of Chile’s best regarded winemakers and a pioneer of biodynamic farming in Chile, is the consulting winemaker. The vineyards are in the Maule Valley. Many of the vines are 65 years old or older.
Apaltagua Reserva Malbec, Maule Valley Estate Grown 2021 is straightforward iteration of Chilean malbec. Easy drinker. Round and fun. Tasty, fruit-forward, clean malbec. Pair with lamb; beef; poultry; comfort food—burgers and sliders, pizza, meatloaf. spaghetti and meatballs. Cheese—hard cheeses that are not too salty; asiago, cheddar, colby, gouda; soft blue cheese. $13
Apaltagua Winery website, excellent interview with owner Edward Tutunjian