Tony L’s Bin Ends – Inca Tree

This Malbec comes from Mendoza, Argentina, a very warm city in the arid lands east of the Andes. I remember it chiefly for the big, deep, open drains which line it’s streets…only because I once fell into one – empty at the time – it hurt but could’ve been worse…when the water comes from the mountain, from the melting snows, it comes with a vengeance, hence the channels. But without that copious water there would be no vineyards, just desert. 

The star of those vineyards is Malbec. Malbec was once the preeminent grape variety in my part of Bordeaux, where it was called – still is called – Pressac. Along with every other variety it was wiped out by phylloxera in the late 19th century. But whereas the others soon returned, Malbec/Pressac did not. But someone took cuttings to Argentina where it thrived. 

It thrived far too much. When I first tasted some in the ‘70’s it was pale watery stuff. Why? All that meltwater. They flooded their vineyards and boasted they were cropping at 200 hectolitres a hectare…about four times what is considered v adequate in Bordeaux. The locals liked it but not us. 

It was only when winemakers began to fly…early 1990’s…that Argentine viticulture grew up … reduced crops and made the divine Malbecs of today…like this. Grab the last bottles of the 2019 …our exclusive from the hugely successful Chakana Estate.

Interesting, less-well-known wines, from strange places, (this is #5, you can read about the first here) and offer you all six as a mixed case. Come with me…Fly By Wine. No airport chaos.

About Tony Laithwaite

Tony Laithwaite, founder of Laithwaite's, whose passion for wine is still going strong!

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