Deep ruby-purple color; plum, blackberry, cherry, subtle notes of oak, vanilla, black pepper on the nose and palate.
Dry; supple tannins and acidity. Very easy drinker—blend of 70% malbec, 15% bonarda, 15% syrah. Very much red wine easy drinker territory. Fruit forward. Grapes fermented in small, temperature-controlled stainless steal tanks. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation/conversion; 40% of the blend aged in French oak. 13.5% ABV
The vineyard and winery’s founders immigrated from Funckenhausen, Germany, to Mendoza, Argentina in the late 1800s. Several years later, 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. He named the winery to honor his maternal ancestors—the Funke family—and the town from which they came. Alejandro Leirado Heilein—Kurt’s grandson—runs the operation today, aided by other family members.
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 and Alejandro decided on a one-liter bottle “because to share you need more than 750 ml,” as the label proclaims.
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, Argentina 2022 is vibrant, juicy full-bodied malbec-led blend. Argentine wine with hint of German heritage. Fruit forward with subtle oak influence. Easy drinking with excellent QPR (quality-price ratio). Pair with red meats, particularly leaner cuts; lamb; wild game—venison, bison, ostrich; roasted pork; dark meat poultry—duck, turkey; pizza; pasta with tomato; empanadas. Cheese—Blue cheese, stilton, gorgonzola; aged cheddar, manchego, gouda, taleggio. $12-16 (1-liter bottle, about $9-12 if it was a 750 ml bottle)
