Medium purple color; plum, blackberry, tobacco on the nose; raspberry, blackberry, red plum, tart cherry, dried meat, chocolate on the palate.
Dry; medium, pleasant tannins and acidity. Medium-plus body. Juicy with a bit of attitude from blackberry and tart cherry in the mid-palate. Blend of 60% malbec, 20% bonarda, 20% syrah. The combination means this does not taste like a standard Argentine malbec, which likely is the point of this effort. This has more layers of flavors and surprises, some will be fascinated, maybe others will prefer more straightforward Argentine malbec. 13.8% ABV
Vines hand-picked. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Maceration (juice contact with the skins, seeds, stems to extract phenolics—tannin, color, flavor elements) for 15-20 days. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Forty percent of the wine aged for six months in French oak, followed by blending the elements. Stabilized and filtered prior to bottling. Jimena López is the winemaker.
The Funcke family from Funkenhausen, Germany, arrived in Mendoza in the late 1800s. To honor his maternal ancestors, Kurt Heinlein founded Funckenhausen Vineyards in the San Rafael appellation of South Mendoza. It is located at the foothills of the Andes mountains near the banks of the Diamante River where distinctive malbec, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and bonarda are grown.
The family-owned winery asserts it seeks to honor Kurt and Alejandro’s German ancestry while forging an Argentine tradition of winemaking for future generations. Kurt Heinlein and his grandson Alejandro Leirado Heinlein decided on a one-liter bottle “because to share you need more than 750 ml.”
Funckenhausen is part of Mendoza Family Wines. That is a group of five independently-owned family wineries that specialize in different terroirs in Mendoza and unite for distribution and marketing. Other members include Stocco de Viani, Viamonte, Salvador Patti, and Cuartofincas. Malbec is Argentina’s signature red wine; 75% of all the malbec acres in the world are in Argentina.
Funckenhausen Malbec Blend, Mendoza 2021 is intriguing Malbec-based blend. Bonarda and syrah contribute engaging elements. This is interesting wine rather than what you expect from a typical Argentine malbec. If you enjoy black fruits and adventure, consider this. Oh! A bonus—it comes in a one-liter bottle rather than the standard 750 ml container. Great QPR. Pair with lamb; beef, especially leaner cuts; poultry; empanadas; pizza; pasta dishes; mushrooms. Cheese—gouda, cheddar, pecorino-style sheep’s and goat’s cheese, blue cheese, aged semi-hard and hard cheese in general. $15-16—1 liter bottle (this would be about $11-12 if 750 ml bottle).
