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Malbec is a black-skinned grape variety native to France, perhaps now better known as the main wine-grape of Argentina. Malbec is very susceptible to frost and coulure, which makes it less appealing to wine growers. However, these threats are mitigated in the high and dry climates of South America where the grape has performed admirably and has helped raise Argentina's profile as a winemaking country.
Malbec typically ripens midway through the growing-season and produces small, intensely colored grapes of varying skin thickness. As it is so sensitive to its growing environment the level of ripeness has a considerable effect on the structure of the eventual wine. Broadly speaking, the French Malbec is more inky and tannic than the juicy, flavorsome Malbec of Argentina.
In France, Malbec is one of the principal grape varieties of the Bordeaux Blend and must form at least 70% of AOC Cahors wine (where it is known locally as Cot). The importance of Malbec in Bordeaux has somewhat dwindled since the great frost of 1956, which killed off many old Malbec vines after which many winemakers replanted with the more reliable Merlot. In the Loire Valley, Malbec is blended with Cabernet Franc and Gamay, sometimes as part of a sparkling Saumur wine.
Argentinean Malbec produces a wide range of styles. At lower altitudes, the Malbec skins tend to be thinner and the resulting fruit soft and supple. Wine produced on these lower plains is often mass-produced or made into rose; carbonic maceration is sometimes used to create an approachable, summer-style, light red-wine. In the higher reaches of the Andes, the variety develops a thicker skin and a deeper concentration of flavor, and the wine widely regarded to be of higher quality. It generally receives more oak treatment to enhance the wine’s structure and aging potential.
Malbec forms part of the Meritage blend in the United States and has a strong presence in California. In Australia and New Zealand, it is frequently blended with the softer, less tannic Merlot, to produce bright, fruit-driven wines against a backbone of oak. Plums and violets are common flavor descriptors.
Popular blends include: Malbec – Merlot, Malbec – Shiraz, Bonarda – Malbec, Malbec – Merlot – Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec, Cabernet Franc - Malbec, Cabernet Franc - Gamay- Malbec
Synonyms include: Cot, Cahors, Malbeck (there are over 1000 synonyms for Malbec)
Homonym: Auxerrois
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