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Made from Argentina’s flagship grape variety, the Graffigna Centenario Malbec is one of my favourite weekend drinks.
Graffigna wines have a tradition that date back 140 years and the vineyard, which is high up in the Pedernal and Tulum Valley of San Juan, is Argentina’s second oldest. Today, it is part of the Pernod Ricard family, or more specifically, Pernord Ricard Winemakers, which also owns Jacob’s Creek, Campo Viejo and the new kid on the block, the Chinese Helan Mountains. Has anyone tried the Chinese wine? I’m very curious.
The grapes are grown in vineyards that range from 2 300 – 4 500 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains creating a more concentrated fruit, producing a wine that is not only rich in flavour but also perfectly ripe and velvety.
The wine is fermented for seven days, at which point, half the wine is aged for 12 months and the other half is blended with the aged wine.
I’ve only been able to get my hands on the 2011 and as mentioned, it’s certainly another one of our favourites, its dark bottle is reflected in the colour of the wine itself – deep red, almost opaque with definite violet hues.
Nose: a little imposing, very fruity, with obvious cherry aroma.
Palate: a fairly robust wine but not quite as strong as some Malbecs, I would say medium bodied, so for those of you who find Argentinian wines a little too intimidating for you, this might be a good one to dip your toes in, well, not literally, of course, unless you like that sort of thing! The fruity aroma carries on in the taste, which is fairly smooth with discernible spicy, peppery notes.
A very affordable wine, selling at £9.99 locally, so another table wine and perfect for a casual meal with friends, whether you’re serving Latin American food or not. Perfect with beef (of course, it’s from Argentina!), lamb and needless to say, empanadas!
I like to serve this slightly chilled, about 18˚