2013 Versado Reserva
The colour is a rich, opaque, dark ruby, still sporting some purple hints. The nose is an incredibly intense, complex mélange of licorice all-sorts and enticing black fruit. True to classic old vineyards on the higher altitudes of the ancient Mendoza River bed, with each swirl, captivating aromatics of earth and stone boulders emerge. These nuances of terroir continue on the palate, framing full-bodied expressions of late summer mulberries and black raspberry coulis, and extending into a long, rich, plush finish. ~ Ann Sperling
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Score: 95."Another hit from Versado! Owner and winemaking consultant Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling, and chief winemaker Roberto de la Mota have created a blockbuster Argentine red for the 2013 vintage. Made from the iconic Malbec grape, this wine underwent a spontaneous fermentation, rather than one induced by the winemaker with specific yeasts. The wine was aged in oak barrels. This is another gorgeous red wine from Versado - this wine and these winemakers perform consistently well every year. Aromas of fleshy black fruit, dried herbs, spices and pepper. Pair with grilled lamb or braised beef. Drink: 2018-2024." ~ Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com
Score: 94. "All the wines now grown at the estate are organic and wild fermented in 100% concrete fermenters. This is such a thrilling and gorgeous wine that has the potential to get even better in the cellar (even though it is released in a very nice place already). If you want to taste Malbec at its peak of performance, this is the wine for you. The nose is just beautiful with ripe black currants, plums, summer flowers, blackberries, savoury and vanilla spices with just a hint of eucalypt and pencil shavings. In the mouth it is pure pleasure with deep, rich dark fruits, melt-in-your-mouth tannins, elegant spice notes, hints of cocoa and plenty of acidity to keep this popping through the finish. It’s a contemplative and wonderfully full-bodied red wine that will reward now right out of the bottle or deliver pleasure 5+ years down the road (maybe more)." ~ Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com
Score: 92. "Versado's 2013 takes the Canadian winemaking team of Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling into a next vintage swoon with a malbec that will wake you up from out of a coma. The Ancient may refer to near century aged vines that are planted at the peaks of foothills to the Andes mountains. These are not just any vineyards but dry ones, in which the aridity of soil prays for water while inlaid stones gather heat or keep things cool, depending on necessity. This '13 is not as chewy as the previous stunner but it demands to be noticed with its equal amount of ecumenical character and off the charts acidity. Low yields, extraction and concentration remain in light while fruit is marked by berries with a pretty sour edge. The tannins are as limber as ever and this vintage comes to you with more ease than the last. If structure is compromised a split hair you should not worry because the electric acidity more than makes up for the compromise. Pair it well today with marbled protein or wait three years for more diverse unions. This is the next bomb, albeit one with a touch less shock and bang. Drink 2021-2028." ~ Michael Godel, winealign.com
Score: 92. "Dense purple colour; plum bouquet with a barnyard note lifted with vanilla oak aromas; medium to full-bodied, richly extracted plum flavour and nicely balanced." ~ Tony Aspler, tonyaspler.com
"Versado is Ann Sperling’s (and partners) Argentinian project produced from old vine Malbec, and as it happens the vineyard they purchased falls within very first sub-appellation to be designated in all of the Americas (Lujan de Cuyo). I find a lot of Malbec from Argentina to be a bit one dimensional but this wine is anything but. In the core black/blue fruits you will find notes of figs, fresh cut hay and spice with an enticing floral note. Lamb and game meat would be the way to go here." ~ Geoff Last, Calgary Herald
A year in the vineyard
The 2013 season was 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
Alberta
Ontario
- LCBO Vintages: November 9, 2019 #316984 SOLD OUT
- CRU Wine Merchants, Charles Baker, 905.401.1806