2007 Pulenta Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Malbec in youth can rich and almost too powerful, marrying Indian spices, liqueur de cassis and notes that remind one of dried fruits that have been macerated. All framed in a natural and entirely seductive sweetness, needless to say. Pulenta’s success resides in the fact that all this has been harnessed, but then enhanced by careful ageing for a year in French oak. The result is both textured and restrained, with notes of morello cherry, plum and soft earth to the fore and a structure that will be an ideal match some of the region’s famous beef dishes.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)