2019 Neyen Espíritu de Apaltá Edición Limitada Malbec

The showy 2019 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Malbec is a very limited cuvée from extremely old vines planted in Apalta in 1890. It fermented in small tanks with indigenous yeasts and was transferred to neutral barrels for malolactic and 12 months of aging. It has 13.5% alcohol, great balance and freshness, an elegant profile and a very perfumed nose that is floral, citrusy, evoking freshness and vibrant acid berry fruit, faintly balsamic, developing more layers and some minty undertones with time in the glass, really impressive. The palate reveals terrific balance, precision and cleanliness, very fine tannins and a pristine finish that is long and very tasty, almost salty. 1,512 bottles were filled in September 2020.

Neyen's Apalta estate has 106 hectares of vineyards, many of them very old, including a tiny block of malbec that barely covers a quarter hectare (there are eight hectares more of the variety, but they are younger plants). That selection gives rise to this limited edition, amounting to 1,512 bottles of a very particular malbec that may be more akin to malbec from warmer Mendoza zones such as Agrelo or perhaps Perdriel, especially for its ripe red fruit tones and broad, voluptuous palate. Here there are soft tannins and no edges—everything is creamy. The red fruit and herbal, not to mention floral, flavors are deep. It would be interesting to wait a few more years for this wine.