WINE REVIEW: Nieto Senetiner 2019 Malbec Villa Blanca Estate, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina ($73

by Andrew Chalk

Santiago Mayorga is fanatical about Malbec. A good trait to have as the winemaker at Nieto Senetiner, an Argentine winery that produces a handful of different expressions of Argentina’s top grape. The halo wine in the lineup is this Villa Blanca.

Winemaker Santiago Mayorga

Despite four years since harvest it is still so young it has a purple hue at the rim of the glass. Best to keep it for a decade or more before enjoying it the way the Argentines would, with ribeye steak cooked over an open flame.

Technical sheet on the wine.

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE

CLARITY: clear;

INTENSITY: deep;

COLOR: purple;

AROMA

CONDITION: clean;

INTENSITY: pronounced;

AROMA CHARACTERISTICS: blueberry, oak barrel, coffee, thyme, licorice, ripe fruit;

PALATE

SWEETNESS: dry;

ACIDITY: Medium-plus;

TANNIN: Level: high. Nature: Green;

ALCOHOL: Medium-plus;

BODY: full;

FLAVOR INTENSITY: pronounced;

FLAVOR CHARACTERISTICS: blackberry, oak, dark chocolate, coconut, coffee;

FINISH: Medium-plus;

CONCLUSIONS

QUALITY ASSESSMENT: Outstanding, but young. Keep this prodigious wine for a decade or longer, by which time the tannins will have softened and the whole entity become more resolved.

BOTTLE AGING: Suitable for aging. Estimate 15 years.

Sample.