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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Altamana Grande Reserve Malbectext
89POINTS
16¼/20

Altamana Grande Reserve Malbec 2015

Valle del Maule, ChileAltamana was built on the premise of working with Chile's rare and ancient old vine malbec. Bordeaux Winemaker Didier Debono worked at Chateau Clinet, and La Croix du Casse in Pomerol, as well as Saint-Emilion's Chateau Sansonnet, the latter owned by the d’Aulan family. After a stint in Argentina, Debono and d’Aulan teamed up in Chile with Jose Manuel Donoso and Laurent Teillet, two well-established growers from the Maule region, to work with historic malbec vineyards. The combination of French winemaking and Chilean fruit again shows huge promise: note the perfect 13.3 percent alcohol. The Reserve is made with dry-farmed grapes from low-yielding 60 year old vines, grown on granitic soils mixed with clay and rocks. The wine eventually spends 12 months in new French oak. The nose is an enticing mix of spice and oak with intense raspberry and black cherry and dense, sweet tannins. It is not near ready to drink, but it has the balance and the demeanour to be consumed now with a rich piece of meat. Super value here, so stock up.Tasted: 27 November 2020Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:
BC$25.00750mlselect private retailers
AB$25.00750mlselect private retailers
Producer: AltamanaDistributors: Mas Vino Wine Broker Inc.
Grape: MalbecCSPC: 949767804651750009