About this WINE
Ambrosia
In 2002 a group of friends decided that the price of vineyard land in Argentina would never be lower, following the currency crash. The land which they bought was located in the Gualtallary zone of the Uco valley circa 75 Km south of the city of Mendoza. It is now considered the finest area for premium wine in the Mendoza Province. Having enlisted the help of a local wine maker to process their fruit, the only way they could pay him was in bottles of the resulting wine.
One such bottle came to the attention of Robert Parker who awarded 95 points - remarkable for a first vintage. The wines are now marketed under the Ambrosia label, and Berry Bros & Rudd are delighted to offer them on an exclusive basis in the UK. As ever, it is quality of the fruit that defines the concentration and finish on these wines.
Malbec
Known as Auxerrois in Cahors, Cot in the Loire and Malbeck in Argentina, this grape has undergone a mini renaissance in the last decade, largely fuelled by its success in South America. It used to be a staple component of the Bordeaux Blend, but it never recovered fully from the 1956 frosts and its plantings there have fallen by 75% as growers have replaced it with more fashionable, and crucially, more durable grapes.
It is still grown successfully in South West France where its most famous wine is Cahors. This wine used to be black as coal and tough as leather but improvements in viticultural and vinification techniques have led to riper, softer, more approachable wines that are now amongst the best of the region.
In Argentina it is widely grown and produces deep coloured wines with generous black fruit characteristics, balanced acidity and smooth tannins. It is either bottled on its own or as part of a Bordeaux blend. In Chile it is the 3rd most widely planted grape after Pais and Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce firmer, more tannic wines than its Argentinian neighbours. In Chile it is often blended with Merlot and Petit Verdot.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
We were fortunate enough to be visited by Daniel Pi (winemaker), Dr Pedro Parra (viticulturalist) and Antonio Castro (part owner) of Ambrosia at our London Shop in early December. Tasting the wines again that day reminded me just why Ambrosia are so good at what they do. The vines grow at 1300m altitude in the premium growing region of Gualtallery (referred to as ‘the Grand Cru of Argentina’) in the Uco Valley, Mendoza. The soil here has a high limestone content which is a key factor for these wines having an elegance and mineral note to them alongside the overt fruit that you would expect from Argentina. This Cabernet Sauvignon tastes absolutely superb at the moment with dense, pure blackcurrant fruit and a beautiful seam of stony minerality running through its core. It is exceptionally well balanced, with the Argentine warmth held in check, and is a very rewarding wine.
Catriona Felstead MW - Wine Buyer
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