Although
Malbec is still considered one of the five major varieties planted in Bordeaux
along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, acreage
planted to Malbec in Bordeaux has declined for three-quarters of a century. Today Malbec represents less than one percent
of Bordeaux’s red grape acreage. The
turning point was the devastating frost of 1956 that not just damaged the vines
but killed them. Malbec’s susceptibility to frost and Merlot’s ever growing popularity
are the most significant reasons for Malbec’s loss of favor in France. On the other hand, in Argentina Malbec has
flourished. Malbec is Argentina’s most
widely planted red variety (112,000 acres) more than twice that of Bonarda
(Charbono). Argentina grows more than
75% of the world’s Malbec. The
Argentines grow vast quantities of Malbec at altitude, between 2,800-5,000
feet, and they attribute the depth of flavors and intense color of their wines
to the grapes’ increased proximity to the sun, claiming that the reduced
atmospheric filtration of the sun’s rays deepens the pigments in the grape’s
skins. That is one of the reasons that in 2022, when fruit from the Fiddlehead
Vineyard in El Dorado’s Fairplay appellation became unavailable, we stayed in
that appellation and in 2023 established a relationship with Ken Buchert and
his Dorado Canyon Vineyard. Ken’s
vineyard is planted at 2,300 feet, and like Barbera, Malbec seems to blossom up
out of the heat of the central valley and away from the valley’s deep fertile
soils. In El Dorado County yields are
much reduced and the grapes develop a robust color and the resulting wines have
a tremendous depth of flavor.
