Malbec: One grape, two worlds
Who is king of Malbec? Mendoza or Cahors?
When many of us think of Malbec, we think of Argentina. This ancient grape has a story that predates its existence in Argentina and it is a story worth telling. Malbec might be one grape, but the French and Argentine expressions could not be more different. Let’s explore!
French Malbec
Geography and history
First off; did you know that Malbec is just a nickname given to the grape by the people of Southwest France? The grape’s real name is Côt or Côt Noir. The French words “mal” (bad) and “bouche” (mouth) gave the grape its nickname, because the wine snobs of Southwestern France didn’t always have the highest opinion of this grape. In order to understand why, let’s jump into a little history lesson.
Côt is an ancient grape that is believed to be planted two thousand years ago by the Romans around what’s now Northern Burgundy. It found a home in Southwest France around 1300’s and was produced as a single varietal wine in the region of Cahors in Southwest France, just outside of Bordeaux. Malbec was also used as a blending grape in Bordeaux varietals, especially in poor vintages to beef up the wine. In fact, during the famous 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, many of the classified wines were in fact almost 50/50 blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. (Funny that they still adhere to that classification 165 years later, where Malbec is now less than 5% of Bordeaux blends, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc playing much larger roles).
Up until the French Revolution, Bordeaux trade merchants had full control of the waterways in Southwest France: anyone who wanted to use the rivers that opened up to the ports on the Atlantic Ocean were subject to harsh tariffs. In addition, all the Bordeaux wine from current vintage had to be completely sold before any other wines of nearby regions could be shipped out, which hurt the marketing of Cahors Côt’s and the sorts. With little opportunity for self-marketing and the ability to attract investment, Southwest France wines were eclipsed by their mighty neighbor Bordeaux for centuries to come (hence the mean nickname that stuck, Mal-bec).
Malbec’s story in France is a sad one. First, it was the Bordeaux based tariffs until 1789 French revolution that deemed it an undesirable grape. Then in 1877, phylloxera* wiped out the majority of European vineyards. When grafting** was discovered as a method to replant vitis vinifera*** again, vineyard owners preferred not to plant Malbec due to its thin skin (fickle nature) and proneness to frost and rot, and replaced Malbec with easier to maintain Merlot instead. The little Malbec that was planted in the region post-phylloxera got destroyed in a deep freeze in 1956. No wonder why no one knows Malbec as a French wine!
Interestingly enough, SW France can make as good wine as any ordinary Bordeaux, if not even better. The region is a bit warmer than Bordeaux, giving the vines an opportunity to ripen more than their neighbors north (ie. fuller wines with bolder expressions of red fruit). In fact, certain Southwest France growing regions that are very close to the Right Bank of Bordeaux are referred to as “Bordeaux Satellites”, as they produce wines very similar in style and quality. Takeaway for readers looking for value wines: prefer Cotes de Bergerac wines over 4th/5th growth Bordeaux at a similar or even less price point.
*Phylloxera: an insect that latches onto grape plant roots and destroys crop. Phylloxera wiped out all of European vineyards in late 1800s.
**Grafting: It was discovered that American grape plant rootstock was phylloxera resistent. After phylloxera devastation, European vineyards replanted their grapes by grafting them onto American woodstock.
**Vitis vinifera: European grape vine that produces common, small berried wine grapes we all know like cabarnet sauvignon, pinot noir, riesling, malbec, etc. Compare that to Vitis Labrusca that makes table grapes, such as the Concord grape used to make jams.
Taste profile & food pairing
- Inky black, highly tannic, tart, refreshing acidity. Underripe black fruit, black plum, leather, iron, barnyard.
- Fermentation in neutral oak. Benefits from aging. Served at room temperature, open 2+ hours prior to consumption
- Pair with: Cassoulet, steak, hard and salty cheeses.
Sante!
Argentine Malbec
Geography and history
There are no indigenous grapes in Latin America. So how did Malbec, this quirky French grape, came to be known more as an Argentine wine? To me, its the story of a successful immigrant!
Wine making in Argentina started in the 16th century with European settlers bringing seeds and cuttings of vines. While always being a big wine producer (currently the 5th largest producer in the world), Argentina did not export wine until the 1990’s due to various reasons like political instability, economic crises and until recently, good wine making quality.
Wine doesn’t grow everywhere in Argentina, which is the second largest country in South America. The three growing regions are The Northwest (warmest region, includes Salta), Cuyo (the largest region, includes Mendoza) and Patagonia (the farthest south, coolest and smallest). Without exception, Argentine vineyards are some of the world’s highest at above 4,000 ft of elevation! With the exception of Patagonia, Argentine wine regions are desert-like dry and are subject to intense, year-round sunlight. What allows wine growing in these places are 1) large intra-day temperature swings and 2) altitude.
Without getting too dorky,
1. Large intra-day temperature swings allows the vines to take advantage of sunshine and heat during the day to ripen, but stop growing as the afternoon fog rolls in and temperature drops drastically at night. This way, grapes fully develop without giving up any acidity.
2. High altitude wines are subject to intense luminosity including UV, which softens tannins, leading to a Malbec with more plush and soft tannins.
Now, we had already talked about how Malbec is a thin skinned, fickle grape. How is it able to survive (and even thrive!) at 4,000 ft of elevation? There are two reasons:
1. Clonal difference: Argentine Malbec is a different clone than what’s found in France. Fun fact: It’s probably the most pure clone of Malbec found these days, since French vineyards were wiped out with phylloxera in late 1800’s and Malbec came before then to Argentina. Argentina was never subject to phylloxera, so the Malbec vines mostly grow on their own rootstock.
2. Genetic adaptation: Over time, the grapes grown in Argentina have changed to adapt to environment it is in. For instance, Argentine Malbec is a smaller berry with much thicker skins. Thickness in skins protects against the heat during the day and also the cool of the night, which produces wines with more flavor, acidity and body.
As a result of this unique growing environment, Malbec from Argentina is much more fruit forward, rich, fuller bodied, with softer tannins and velvety mouth-feel. With the help of some foreign investment via joint-ventures and wine-making tips of famous oenologists like Robert Mondavi and Paul Hobbs, Argentina now makes world class Malbecs.
Taste profile & food pairing
- Plum and red fruit, velvety texture, soft and round tannins, lower in acidity.
- Common use of new oak imparting cinnamon, vanilla notes. Served at room temperature, aging appropriate, open 1-2 hours prior to consumption
- Paired best with beef: Any kind of steak.
Salud!
Somm’s picks: Below are my picks of Cahors and Argentine Malbecs at three different price points
Cahors, France:
$$$ - Chateau Lagrezette “Le Pigeonnier”
$$ - Chateau Eugenie Haute Collection
$ - Chateau du Cedre AOC Cahors
Argentina:
$$$ - Vina Cobos Volturno, Cuyo, Mendoza
$$ - Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza
$ - Catena Zapata Malbec, Mendoza
Note: It’s not always easy to get your hands on Cahors wines!
