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The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 is a wine available at Costco for $11.99 and around that price elsewhere. The single vineyard mentioned on the label is the estate Alto vineyard in the Lujan de Cuyo region inside the Mendoza Valley of Argentina.
The Story
Santa Rita Estates of Chile owns Doña Paula winery. Doña Paula roughly translates to women of status and was used to honor the women of Argentina.
Malbec had been a blending grape in Bordeaux, but pests that fed on vines and a lack of resistance to cold weather repeatedly caused crops to fail. After a time, the vineyard owners in Bordeaux decided enough was enough and quit planting the grapevines.
In the early 1800s, a French vineyard specialist who somehow got on Napoleon’s bad side fled to Argentina, bringing grapevines.
The Malbec grape thrives in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The vineyards are above the line where wine pests and diseases can live, solving a major issue. Plus, the intense sunlight at higher altitudes and warm days and cool nights help ensure a long, full growing season.
The Alto vineyard is 3,445 feet above sea level and has a variety of soil conditions.
The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 used vinification and maceration in cement vats for 21 days, here is a link that explains maceration in wine.
Maceration leaves the stems and seeds in with the juice and is thought to give added flavor and texture to the wine.
The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 was aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. 20% of the barrels were new/first use, and the other 805 were a mix of barrels with varied use times. The alcohol content is 14%.
The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 Tasting Notes
The color is raspberry jam with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, molasses, pepper, herbs, plum, and lightly floral. The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 is smooth on the palate, with rich flavors and spice.
This Malbec tastes like blackberry, slightly sweet blueberry, and a little vanilla, followed by herbs, spice, and sour cherry.
The tannins are soft, and the acidity is well-balanced. It is rare to find a value-priced wine that does not have controlled tannins and good acidity.
The Summary
- The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 is a tasty, well-made Malbec.
- Typically, the smaller the area where the grapes are sourced, the higher the price, but not here.
- The is a hearty Red wine, excellent for sipping or paired with beef or pork roasts.
