The Acordeon Malbec is sourced from high altitude (4,165 feet) estate vineyards in the Tupungato section of the Uco Valley inside the larger Mendoza region in Argentina. The Uco Valley is in the Southwest corner of Mendoza and the Tupungato section is in the northern part of the Uco Valley. This is an under $10 Malbec, I found it for $8.99, normally in this price range the wines are simply designated Mendoza, meaning the grapes come from various regions inside Mendoza, but here you get a Malbec sourced from a 773 acre section in a sub region of a sub region of Mendoza. That is what the French call “terrior,” no not terror, this means of the earth, and it refers to wine that tastes of a very specific patch of ground. You don’t get “terrior “in an $8.99 wine very often. The grapes for the Acordeon Malbec were picked by hand. The production notes for this Malbec do not mention oak barrel aging, but they do say that grape to glass is 24 months, so this Malbec was aged for almost 2 years, again something you do not see in 10 buck wines. The alcohol content is 13.9%.
The color is a burgundy red that turns clear as it reaches the edge of the glass. The nose is plum, dark chocolate, raisin spice and cold coffee. This is Malbec has a silky mouthfeel (well, until the mid palate) and the flavors have a nice bit of depth to them. It starts is blackberry, licorice, sharp, tart cranberry and 75% cocoa chocolate. The mid palate brings a tug from the tannins, some blueberry and a soft touch of curry spice. The acidity is well balanced and the finish is full and lengthy.
The 2011 Acordeon Malbec is a real deal, adult Malbec, it has not been neutered to appeal to what some Marketing guy thinks Millennials want. This is a Restaurant quality bottle of wine, it would do justice to an aged steak or some roasted pork. Don’t worry about the price, this is a solid Malbec.
