Deep ruby color; cherry, red fruits, tobacco on the nose; cherry, raspberry, blackberry, red plum, prune, sage, oak, spice on the palate.
Dry; pure, fresh, smooth, sumptuous easy drinker. Polished tannins, snappy acidity. Some vanilla from toasted oak. Medium-plus body. Blend of 85% malbec, 5% merlot, 5% syrah, 5% cabernet sauvignon. Grapes hand-picked in the last weeks in April. Underwent 48-hour cold maceration, followed by 10-day fermentation using selected yeasts, then an additional two weeks of maceration and 100% malolactic fermentation. Aged in French oak for up to eight months. 14.5% ABV
Made with organically grown grapes. The winery is one of the world’s most-awarded fully organic operations. As their website states: “We are dedicated to farming organically while improving our land’s biodiversity. We believe that the healthier the vineyard, the better the fruit and of course the wine. In other words, by nourishing the land and treating it with respect, we know that the land will give us back its finest fruits.” And: “Organic crops are grown in harmony with nature without using any chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Organic agriculture uses natural fertilizers such as compost.”
The Bousquet family has four generations of winemaking experience. They arrived in Mendoza, Argentina, from France in 1990 and fell in love with the possibilities. They purchased land in the foothills of the Andes in 1997 in the Tupungato Valley, elevation 4,000 feet, one of the higher altitude vineyards in Argentina and the world. The climate is very dry, allowing Domaine Bousquet to have excellent water control through drip irrigation using meltwater from nearby Andes Mountains.
Domaine Bousquet Reserve Malbec, Tupungato, Mendoza 2018 is rich red with above-average weight and substance for a Mendoza malbec. Delightful tannins and balancing acidity. Pleasant throughout, including long finish. This is example of why Argentine malbec has taken its place as a world-class varietal wine. Pair with lamb; red meats; pork; fattier fish—salmon; poultry—dark meat. Cheese—asiago, cheddar, colby, gouda. $15-20
