2011 Mendel Finca ReMota Mendoza

Glorious malbec with lead pencil, dark fruit and hints of hazelnuts. Some tar. Full-bodied, layered, and a balanced complex finish. Drink or hold.

The single- vineyard 2011 Finca Remota refers to a vineyard in Altamira in the Valle de Uco, where the soils are rich in calcium carbonate and chalk. 2011 was fresher than 2012, but warmer than 2013. The particularity of this vintage was that the wines started off pretty closed and took time, but now they seem to have blossomed. The grapes fermented in 50-hectoliter tanks for four weeks and part of the juice was fermented in barrel. Malo was in barrel for 100% of the wine, which then aged in new French barriques for some 16 to 18 months. The nose is really showy, aromatic and floral and has a very fresh and spicy edge but with nicely integrated oak. The palate is full-bodied, has superb balance plus a fine thread of acidity and very intense flavors. This is a great Malbec, with a long life ahead. I tasted 2007 and 2010, both fresh vintages, that can have some similarities with 2011 and they are aging slowly.

Bright medium ruby. High-toned aromas of black cherry, licorice and violet. Juicy and intense but a bit locked up today by its bitter chocolate oak component. Showing less sweetness than the Unus bottling but then this is still an infant. Finishes with firm-edged, oak-driven tannins that call for four or five years of patience.

The grapes for this impressive Malbec all come from a 65-year-old parcel in Altamira. The result is suitably fresh, aromatic and vibrant, with a delicious interplay between fruit, oak and acidity, a very mineral finish and effortless balance. The 2010 and 2012 releases are equally good. Drink: 2014-20.