2015 Bodega Piedra Negra (François Lurton) Malbec Chacayes
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Tasting notes
Organic viticulture and winemaking certified by LETIS. 50% Malbec, 50% Cot (apparently there is a difference in clonal material). Malbec is fermented in barrel and Cot is fermented in concrete. Aged in 10% amphora, 90% new barrel. Black plum, a touch of charcuterie, dried lavender. Not as herbal or lovely a nose as the 2002, perhaps because of the 13-year age difference, but also the blend has changed a lot. Orange peel, no evidence of age. Quite monstrous, chewy tannin. Lots of extraction, mouth-drying, fresh acidity. Good finish. A bit of vanilla from oak. Doesn't show its age at all, needs more time! (SCJ)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A 50/50 blend of Malbec and Côt from Los Chacayes, aged for 18 months in new French oak. In the glass, it is a dense, concentrated purple. The alluring nose offers notes of violet, plum, country and medicinal herbs and elderflower. Concentrated on the palate, it has an accomplished maturity and breathtaking intensity. All this is achieved from tightly packed plants – 20,000 per hectare – in a sunny, cool region. Powerful, with a structure enhanced by the oak.
The youthful 2015 Chacayes was still marked by its élevage in new French oak barrels for two years. This is a blend of 90% Malbec (they say 50% Malbec and 40% Côt) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has good ripeness and concentration, with good fruit, but it's excessively oaky for my taste. Wait and see. 4,000 bottles were filled in December 2017.