2017 Versado Malbec
Rich, expressive and fruit forward with complex black fruit notes and a savory, balanced structure. Finish is long and ripe with caressing tannins. ~ Ann Sperling
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Score: 91. “Following a very wet 2016 El Niño vintage, 2017 in Mendoza, Argentina, turned into a much more typically dry growing season. This junior partner in the tiny Versado lineup, a project by Canadian winemaking couple Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble, is wild fermented in concrete vats and made using 'very little' manipulation before aging in older French oak barrels. It has such an expressive nose of cassis, dark plums, some red berry and floral notes with subtle savoury spices. It’s plush and ripe on the palate with complex layers of dark fruits, licorice, loamy/earthy notes and length through a lifted finish. A lovely drop that can be aged for 5+ years. ~ Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com
Score: 90-91. “Dense purple-ruby in colour; lightly cedary, spicy, mulberry nose; full-bodied, dry, savoury, richly-extracted black fruit flavours carried on tangy acidity; firmly structured with ripe tannins. Great length. Will cellar well.” ~ Tony Aspler, tonyaspler.com
A year in the vineyard
Off the back of a very wet El Niño vintage in 2016, it was a relief to return to a more characteristic dry season. The only problem was spring frost. After field temperatures barely hit the critical -1°C, we consulted with our vineyard manager, Sergio Rinaldi, who felt that we had escaped any damage. However, as the season unfolded, we realized that there were fewer set berries and smaller clusters in our Malbec, resulting in a harvest of just over 12.5 T.
Good conditions persisted through late summer and our grapes ripened during warm, dry weather so an earlier harvest on April 6 was possible and, in fact, a blessing as mid-April weather brought a downpour of rain and several hailstorms. Thankfully Versado was snug and fermenting in concrete vats before the rains came.
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