2021 Mendel Finca Remota Malbec (Mendoza)

Full bottle 1,528 g. Fruit from the very remote region of Paraje Altamira at 1,100 m. Vines planted in 1950, ungrafted. Macerated in small stainless-steel tanks for four weeks, manual pigeage, 16 months in new French oak barrels. 6,788 bottles produced.
Heavy bottle! The wine inside is the very opposite of the brute bottle. It’s vibrant, graceful, supple. The throaty, black-cherry fruit is fragrant with iris. The tannins soar, glossy and flowing, like a murmuration of starlings. It is intense, but not in the sense of extraction or gruffness. The minerality on the finish is like being given a tiny, shiny black stone dipped in electric-thunderstorm rain to suck on. 17.5 points

Among the most multifaceted expressions from Mendel is the 2021 Finca Remota, which comes from vines planted in 1947 on calcareous soils in Altamira. It opens with a composed, nuanced and refined bouquet of inky dark fruits, purple flowers and fresh herbs, followed by an elegantly creamy, rich and seductive palate delivered with admirable precision. It concludes with an intense yet controlled, layered and grippy finish supported by a robust core of mineral presence. Among the stellar offerings at Mendel, I found this to display an additional layer of staying power and ethereal nuance. 96 points

The 2021 Malbec Finca Remota, sourced from a 1947 vineyard in Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, spent nearly a year in French oak barrels. Heavily influenced by Bordeaux style, it features prominent notes of plum, bay leaf, cedar, balsamic and earthy mushroom flavors. Plush tannins and delicate jammy undertones create a complex, multi-layered red that, while slightly diluted, remains elegant. This is a classic, delicious Malbec from a cool vintage. 95 points