2013 Versado Malbec
"Fascinating layered aromas of ripe blackberry, fig, dark cherry, cloves, and smoke. Big and chunky yet quite smooth - like a block of carved marble. Lush, dark, spiced fruit lingers on the lengthy finish. Bravo. Savour with marinated steaks or beef stews." ~ VINTAGES panel
;)
Score: 91. "The rocks beneath the earth precede the rich, dark fruit. After the berries and the candy beets and the spices subside the flowers grow and take over the room. The vintage brings more layers than before. Malbec of character and belief, even a touch of good VA, a coat that only the Southern Hemisphere can provide. It is not usually present in Mendozan Malbec so it’s really a breath of fresh paint here in the Versado. Great purity. Protracted length. Most expansive and intriguing vintage to date." ~ Michael Godel, godello.ca and WineAlign
Score: 91. "Hard to call this 'entry level' but it is the junior partner in the modest Versado lineup. It’s wild fermented in concrete vats and made using 'very little' manipulation before aging in older French oak barrels. It has a beautiful nose of rich black currants, plums, raspberry, blueberry, kirsch and smoky/spicy notes. It’s a full-bodied Malbec on the palate with layers of dark fruits, sweet oak spices and touches of integrated herbs, licorice and savoury notes through a long finish that’s supported by fine tannins, structure and bright acidity." ~ Rick VanSickle, Wines in Niagara
Score: 91. "Deep ruby colour; floral, spicy, blackberry and blackcurrant nose with cedary and vanilla oak notes; full-bodied, roasted note, fleshy black fruit flavours with a savoury , licorice note." ~ Tony Aspler, tonyaspler.com
****1/2 "Made by Canadian winemaker Ann Sperling, this is a terrific Malbec that delivers all the fruit you expect from Argentine Malbec, but in a style that’s more restrained than most. The grapes are harvested earlier than others, so that they have more acidity, but that gain is not at the expense of fruit or ripeness. Here the flavours are ripe and concentrated, with good layering and focus. The acidity is clean and bright and it contributes freshness verging on juiciness to the texture – something you rarely find in Mendoza Malbec. It’s drinking very well now and will hold to 2020 and beyond." ~ Rod Phillips, Vines Magazine
Score: 91 Versado Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza 2013 $19.95, 14% ABV, MVC/QPR: 91 ~ Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures
**** "Canada’s Ann Sperling and husband Peter Gamble are the magicians behind this big, bold Malbec. Inky, opaque, the basket of aromas includes a bevy of black fruits, sweet spice and notions of cedar. Dry, full bodied, the palate is awash with plush, velvety black fruit, while fine-grained underlying tannins and fine acidity create balance. There’s warmth on the finish and appealing notes of vanilla, toast, dried fruits and white pepper adding to the intensity of the wine. Savour and serve with rare grilled meats." ~ Susan Desjardins, winecurrent.com
"Score: 90. Black spice and dark plum with attractive pepper and smoke on the nose and palate of this full-bodied Argentine red wine...” ~ Natalie MacLean, NatalieMacLean.com
"Versado is the Argentine project by Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling of Niagara. It is a full bodied, dense red with a quite generous very herbal fruity nose with some currants, coffee grounds and graphite. It's full bodied, fairly dense, smooth yet hot on the palate, with the same herbal earthy finish. Very good to excellent length. Tasted November 2015." ~ David Lawrason, WineAlign
A year in the vineyard
The 2013 season has been warm-to-hot and long. The warm conditions in spring meant good flowering and full clusters, so despite our usual thinning regime, crop was slightly higher than normal. Early predictions were for an early harvest, however some cooling off took place after veraison to lengthen and normalize the ripening period. Quality was good to excellent with typical varietal flavours in full effect. The vineyard handling has resulted in three distinct batches meeting and exceeding our expectations for quality at each level. Since berry sorting was going so smoothly and with a very conscientious team, we included all levels for this treatment.
Availability
Ontario
- LCBO Vintages release: Feb. 18, 2017 #317008 SOLD OUT
- Cru Wine Merchants, Charles Baker, 905.401.1806 SOLD OUT
Quebec
- Delaney Vins & Spiriteux, Isaac Delaney, 514.575.6529 SOLD OUT