2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtMalbecNapaUSAYountville

Laird

Malbec 2018
Flat Rock Vineyard
Napa Valley

2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

A showstopper at our recent tasting, Laird’s 2018 Flat Rock Vineyard Malbec captures the rare moment when power and precision meet in perfect harmony. Drawn from the volcanic soils of Yountville’s eastern edge, this wine channels its pristine origins. It’s a wine that reflects not only the essence of place but also the discipline of a family that’s been perfecting the art of balance for generations.

From vineyard to cellar, every step of this wine’s creation reflects intent. The fruit was harvested at optimal ripeness, then aged for 21 months in French oak. What emerges is Malbec reimagined through a Napa lens: concentrated and full-bodied, yet balanced by refinement and lift. It’s the kind of craftsmanship that transforms a varietal curiosity into something enduring.

Now fully realized after five years in bottle, the 2018 Flat Rock Vineyard Malbec shows the seamless integration of time and terroir. The structure is commanding, yet the fruit remains luminous and pure, framed by fine French oak and a finish that lingers with mineral precision. Every element is in perfect balance, as if the wine has settled into its natural rhythm after years of quiet evolution.

Laird
Malbec 2018
Flat Rock Vineyard
Napa Valley
Retails at: $65

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“The 2018 Laird Flat Rock Ranch Malbec from Napa Valley is a beautiful domestic Malbec, showing excellent concentration and balance. The nose reveals aromas of wild berry cobbler, English rose petals, Chambord liqueur, and dried herbs. On the palate, it delivers juicy, sweet black raspberries and cassis, supported by satiny tannins and black tea on the back-end. The finish is long and mouth-quenching, with bright acidity. The intense fruit and balanced structure will allow this wine to evolve well over the next decade, though it’s approachable now.”

94 points

2022 Aniello 006 Malbec Patagonia Argentina

2022 Aniello 006 Malbec Patagonia Argentina

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

Aniello

‘006’ Malbec 2022
Patagonia, Argentina

2022 Aniello 006 Malbec Patagonia Argentina

Bodega Aniello’s 006 Malbec is a vibrant expression of Patagonia’s unique terroir, a captivating interplay of perfectly ripened fruit, silky textures, and intriguing savory notes. This stunning Malbec, a remarkable value at $20, showcases the rising brilliance of Río Negro, where elegance and wild beauty converge in every sip.

The winery’s story is as rich as its wines. Founded in 1927 by an Italian family with a centuries-old winemaking heritage, Bodega Aniello embodies a harmonious blend of Old World craftsmanship and the untamed potential of Patagonia. Nestled amidst pristine, alluvial soils of sand, silt, and gravel in the celebrated Río Negro region, the estate is perfectly positioned to capture the magic of this emerging wine region.

Grown in the winery’s Manique vineyards in the Upper Río Negro Valley, where Malbec thrives in the cool climate, the 2022 006 Malbec is crafted with meticulous care. Fermented in small concrete tanks and aged for 12 months in oak barrels, the wine achieves a harmonious balance of vibrant freshness and subtle complexity. Enjoy its delightful approachability now, or savor the promise of added depth with careful cellaring.

Aniello
‘006’ Malbec 2022
Patagonia, Argentina

Your Price: $19.99

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“The 2022 Malbec 006, from Mainqué, Patagonia, underwent aging in 30% American oak. Purple in color, it boasts aromas of plum and herb-tinged cherry. Rich and taut, with reactive tannins, the 2022 delivers a lasting, ripe-fruited finish-the embodiment of a sun-kissed Malbec.”

90 Points

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecUco Valley

TAPIZ

BLACK TEARS MALBEC
MENDOZA 2018

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza
The state-of-the-art Tapiz Winery sits in a prime region of Mendoza’s Uco Valley at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, where their vineyards are some of the highest in the world. Their estate vines are carved into slopes as high as 4,600 feet elevation, producing some of the region’s most stunning wines due to the altitude and intense sunlight, ensuring fresh acidity and deep color.
 
Jean Claude Berrouet produced 44 historical vintages at Petrus and today works with Fabian Valenzuela, who has over 20 years of winemaking experience in Mendoza, creating wines that are an intricate tapestry (tapiz) of the Uco Valley terroir. The 2018 Black Tears Malbec comes from 20-year-old estate vines that were hand-harvested and aged 24 months in new French oak, giving a refined integration of oak spice with delicious ripe fruit flavors of the country’s most prized variety.
 
TAPIZ
BLACK TEARS MALBEC
MENDOZA 2018
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Deep blue and black fruit here, with floral, spicy and balsamic accents. Brooding and complex. You have to fathom the power of tannin on the palate, as the texture is so ultra-fine and polished. But don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of tannins here, only so seamless that they make it taste so effortless. Naturally concentrated, juicy and long. Delicious now, but you can hold for added complexity.”
96 Points
2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

ANIELLO

2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate
Vines have been growing in Patagonia for over 100 years, and today a large number of low-yielding, old vines are thriving and producing some of the most exciting wines in Argentina. The latitude in Patagonia ranges from 38 to 42 degrees South, providing one more hour of sunshine each day and lower temperatures during the vegetative cycle, slowly ripening the grapes and resulting in complex, elegant flavors, and profound aromatic intensity.
 
The grapes retain their natural acidity due to the wide diurnal temperature range in the region, and the windy, desert climate forces the development of thick skins that give more tannic structure, deeper colors, and more concentrated flavors. Destined to become a new favorite, Bodega Aniello’s 006 Malbec has intriguing aromas, juicy fruit, spicy undertones, and a refined finish that vastly over-delivers at its modest $20 price.
 
ANIELLO
2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“A rich, ripe wine that shows dried berries and hints of figs and spice. Medium body, medium-chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Juicy blackberry finish that’s really fresh and zesty.”
92 Points
 
“Grown at an estate vineyard in Mainque, this malbec fermented in concrete tanks and a third of it aged for 12 months in oak barrels. It needs air to settle down, the cinnamon spice taking a backseat to an orange zest volatility. Wild and meaty. Best Buy” 
91 Points
2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend

2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

D.V. CATENA 

TINTO HISTORICO RED
2017 MALBEC BLEND

2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend
The DV Catena wines are inspired by Nicolas Catena’s father’s legacy as a master of assemblage. They resulted from years of research identifying Argentina’s top terroir that would offer the greatest concentration of aroma and flavors. The Tinto Historico Red marries several of the winery’s historic high-elevation vineyards and does so with natural balance, concentration, and a distinct identity. At around $20, it’s as James Suckling writes, “A stunning wine for this price point.”
 
Arising from the family’s historic vineyards in the Valle de Ugo, which range 3 to 4 thousand feet elevation, the 2017 release is both concentrated, clean, and firmly balanced. 
 
Winemaker Alejandro Vigil believes that “Winemaking revolves around contact with nature, and you need to breathe the same air as the vine, suffer the cold and the heat, and feel a sense of belonging to that place.” You can feel that connection in the wine, and at $22, a single case may not be enough. 
 
D.V. CATENA 
TINTO HISTORICO RED
2017 MALBEC BLEND
 
Your Price: $22
 
 
“A stunning wine for this price point! Plenty of malbec violet character, but also delicate spices and great freshness. A wealth of drive and ripeness. The finish is long and polished. Drink or hold.” 
94 Points
 
“Bright ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, cassis and tobacco leaf are lifted by a violet topnote; higher-pitched and more pristine than the 2016 example. Then juicy and rather refined on the palate, showing a restrained sweetness and good energy to its purple fruit, violet and licorice flavors. Finishes firm and long, with substantial broad, dusty tannins. Perhaps the best vintage yet for this bottling, which was launched in 2014…”
91 Points
2016 Janicot Vignobles Cahors Malbec Lamagdelaine Noire

2016 Janicot Vignobles Cahors Malbec Lamagdelaine Noire

with No Comment $30 and underCahorsFranceKevin VogtMalbec

JANICOT VIGNOBLES

2016 CAHORS MALBEC
LAMAGDELAINE NOIRE

2016 Janicot Vignobles Cahors Malbec Lamagdelaine Noire
Malbec originates from France and thrives in the Cahors region in the South, where they’ve produced it since the late middle ages. In Cahors, the Mediterranean climate combines the cooling influences from the Atlantic with calcium-rich limestone soils to create a deeper, richer, meatier Malbec. Janicot Vignobles’ 96 Point Cahors Malbec from Château Lamagdelaine is a brilliant example of how profound they can be, and at less than thirty bucks, the value is real.
 
Château Lamagdelaine’s 16 hectares of vines that reside on both sides of the Gallo-Roman aqueduct have thrived there for nearly 2000 years. This wine’s remarkable complexity results from the three distinct soil types within the Estate, which include; limestone scree cone, gravel, and siderolithic clays.  
 
The vineyard produces deep, black, intense, aromatic Malbec fruit that carries a freshness from the Southwest facing rows. Their vines average 40 years and reach deep into the thin topsoil, which results in a more concentrated wine with depth and complexity. 
 
JANICOT VIGNOBLES
2016 CAHORS MALBEC
LAMAGDELAINE NOIRE
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
96 Points
 
Gold Medal
 
Decanter World Wine Awards 2019
 
“Beautiful dark color, complex aromas mingling with very ripe red fruits. Mouth of beautiful substance where the tannins are round and well melted, the wine blends harmoniously with the wood, a finish with toasted notes.”
2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecProprietary Red

ENZO BIANCHI 

2017 GRAN CORTE
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

 
Valentine Bianchi’s top wine Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte might be minuscule in production, but it’s absolutely massive in body and extract. They only produce this wine in exceptional years, and it comes from an incredible, high-elevation vineyard in Las Paredes. There, Valentine’s son Enzo has sourced Cabernet and Malbec for 50 years. They achieve a quality level that is extraordinarily high in every vintage produced, and the 2017 version is no exception. 
 
The winery gains concentration from cold maceration, a technique where they soak the grape juice with the skins at cold temps, extracting deeper color and bold flavors before the fermentation. Next, the wine spends 14 months developing in Oak barrels, and a full year in the bottle before release. 
 
It emerges from a vineyard perched at 2400 feet in elevation, where the vines were planted in alluvial soils with excellent drainage. The 2017 vintage has an intriguing minerality induced by layers of medium-sized rocks coated with light calcareous that blankets the site. If you love deep, full-bodied, layered reds, this wine should top your list. 
 
ENZO BIANCHI 
2017 GRAN CORTE
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
 
“An intense blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot that offers rich, brambly aromas of red berries, mulberries and plums. Drink now.”  90 Points
 
 
 
“The Bordeaux-blend 2017 Enzo Bianchi is 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec, 15% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot from San Rafael. It was produced in a traditional way with an élevage in new French barriques that has added a patina of aromas reminiscent of cocoa, roasted coffee and smoke intermixed with the herbal and ripe fruit notes. The palate is full-bodied, soft and polished with moderate acidity…” 90 Points
2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Argentina Malbec

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecSouth America

MATIAS RICCITELLI  2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

 
Every great winemaker has at least one mentor that helped guide them in their career.  When  your father is the head-winemaker at Bodegas Norton, and the first South American to ever be named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine, it can come with a few advantages… Matias Riccitelli had both the connections and the drive to spend a decade working 2 harvests each year, one in Argentina, and the others in New Zealand, Napa Valley, Europe and Australia.  During that time he soaked up every bit of winemaking knowledge in order to achieve his goal of creating a brand of that could express the full potential of Argentine terroir.
 
Carved from exceptional vines ranging 20-80 years in age and grown in Perdriel and Vistalba in the Lujan de Cuyo and El Cepillo in La Consulta,  Riccitelli’s 2013 Vineyard Selection Malbec is stunningly complex and loaded with hedonistic aromas of dark black fruits, scorched earth, blue violets, licorice and hints of wild game.  Many of you tasted and loved Riccitelli’s The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree Malbec that we introduced last year, and with the Vineyard Selection Malbec, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours…
 
MATIAS RICCITELLI
2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at: $55/btl
 
 
From Vinous: “(made from three small vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley): Bright medium ruby. Showing more balsamic cedar and herbs on the nose than the 2014 The Apple . . . Malbec; plenty ripe but less dark-fruity and chocolatey and more minty and herbal… this intensely flavored wine is much less sweet than The Apple, with its currant and blackberry flavors complemented by a saline quality and nicely framed by healthy acidity. A bit less forthcoming, drier and more classic on the end, showing suaver tannins.“
2014 Chateau de Haute-Serre Malbec

2014 Château De Haute-Serre Malbec

with No Comment $30 and underCahorsFranceKevin VogtMalbec

CHÂTEAU DE HAUTE-SERRE 2014 Chateau de Haute-Serre Malbec

2014 MALBEC
CAHORS, FRANCE

 
Did you know the Malbec grape originates in France, and thrives in the Cahors region in the South of France, but today, around 70% of the Malbec planted worldwide is in Argentina… However, Château de Haute-Serre’s Vineyards in Cahors, France date back to middle ages… In 2009, Haute-Serre got a little help from the Master of Malbec Paul Hobbs, who’s been pushing the boundaries of Malbec on multiple continents for decades.  With Paul  as consulting winemaker, their 2010 went on to earn a place on the Spectator Top 100.  Most are familiar with the style of Argentine Malbecs, which are known for their fruit-forward, plummy/blackberry and velvety texture. For those looking for a more densely packed, concentrated Malbec with savory undertones, firm tannins and meaty character, Old-World Malbec from Cahors may be just what they’re looking for. 
 
Malbec is a thick-skinned grape that needs more sun than Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to mature and Château de Haute-Serre’s parcel has excellent Southwest and Southeast exposure allowing the grapes to reach optimum maturity.  They’ve been making news long before earning a spot on the WS Top 100 list…  Back in 1889 their Malbec was honored by being placed on a Gala menu in line with the famous Château Margaux and Pommard wines.  I strongly recommend trying a case… you’ll be really glad you did.  
 
CHÂTEAU DE HAUTE-SERRE
2014 MALBEC
CAHORS, FRANCE
 
Your Price: $25/btl 
 
 

  
 
“On some of the highest vineyards in Cahors, this estate has a history reaching back to the Middle Ages. This latest vintage from this major estate has a firm structure and cool texture. Allied to acidity and dark tannins, the rich black fruits are going to need time to mature. Drink from 2020.” 90 Points

 
 “A concentrated red, building ripe cherry, plum pudding and licorice drop flavors that are detailed with floral, cocoa powder and raspberry accents. Fresh acidity and mineral elements give focus through the orange peel-tinged finish. Drink now through 2022...” 90 Points

 

 

Customers who enjoy Chateau De Haute-Serre Malbec may also enjoy these two outstanding Reds…
RICCITELLIhttp://bit.ly/2014RiccitelliMalbec
2014 MALBEC
THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL 
FAR FROM THE TREE
Retails at:  $30.00/btl
 
Your Price: $19.99/btl 

Click to Order

 
Winery Notes: “Deep purple in color, with beautiful aromas of wild dark fruits, vanilla and chocolate in the nose. This is a complex and rich vine with smooth ripe tannins and a long finish…”  95 Points, Decanter
CATENA
2014 CABERNET FRANC
SAN CARLOS
APPELLATION SERIES
Retails at:  $30.00/btl
 
Your Price: $22.99/btl 

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From Vinous: “Enticing aromatic lift to the aromas of purple fruits, violet and brown spices. Suaver than the Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon, offering exhilarating cut and penetration and an ideal balance between sweetness and suppleness of fruit and acidity. Savory, plush and ripe for all its energy…”  91 Points

Inventory Reduction ~ All Red Other Than Cabs & Cab Blends

with No Comment BaroloBordeauxBrunelloCarménèreChiantiGrenacheMalbecMeritageMerlotNebbioloOld Vine ZinfandelPetite SirahPinot NoirRed BurgandySyrahZinfandel
 
We have an absolutely spectacular array of reds that don’t fit into the Cabernet realm, from plush and juicy Merlots to rich and spicy Syrahs, firm and gripping Barolo to silky and complex red Burgundies and everything in between. Helping to clear room for next year’s new releases, our 2018 Inventory Reduction is the biggest ever. 
 
With thousands of bottles of wine that have to move, this is the last of 3 days of dramatic discounts, making this a wonderful opportunity to try out some new amazing wines and re-stock your cellar for 2019. 
 
Each day we’ve focused on a specific area of the warehouse, and today is all the reds of the world that don’t include Cabernet and Cab blends…  
 
Offer valid through 12-31-18 at 12:00PM PST and only while supplies last.