2017 La Garde Primeras Vinas Gualtallary
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Tasting notes
I found the 2017 Primeras Viñas Malbec Luján de Cuyo too oaky for my taste, smoky and with notes of toasted sesame seed, spices and sawed oak. Of course, this is a wine designed for the long haul, but it made a big contrast with the bottling from Gualtallary under the same brand, which was very fruit driven. This has classical proportions and plenty of tannins and hopefully will come into balance with more time in bottle. For now, it remains a bit of a question mark in my book. 3,000 bottles were filled in January 2019.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Bright medium ruby. High-pitched scents of briary black fruits, licorice and violet; one smells the wine's mineral-driven acidity (6.15 grams per liter). Densely packed and juicy on the palate, conveying terrific energy and grip to its flavors of dark fruits, salty minerality, crushed rock and herbs. Classic Gualtallary wine in its tightly coiled spring, this impressive young Malbec really demands a couple years of patience. (aged in new and once-used Taransaud barrels for 16 months)
Aromas of cassis and blackberries are laced with wild mountain-herb notes. The palate has a smooth feel and attractive tannins grip gently at the finish. Drink or hold.