Not a grape but a winery. Trapiche was established in 1883 and has been producing wine ever since. They have had a good run of plaudits and awards in that time and have been included by Drinks International in their '50 Most Admired Wine Brands' five times between 2014-2019. They have a dozen or so sub-brands and this week we have one of them:
The Oak Cask brand comprises seven wines, five of them red, and I am intrigued to find and try the Oak Cask Pinot Grigio on another occasion. The other white is Chardonnay which is a more usual candidate for maturation in oak.
This week we have the Malbec. Known now as the Argentinian red Malbec began its life in Cahors, in the South West of France, and was a traditional component in the Bordeaux blend. It is still permitted, but lost out to Merlot in the mid-20th century as the lending partner that can be used to soften the more tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. So, it packed its bags and headed off for sunnier climes (ah, happy days) and found fame and fortune on the other side of the Atlantic.
Trapiche make other wines from Malbec and a little research reveals that their Gran Medalla wine costs around three times as much as this one, so we are dealing with a more modest offering here. That is not a criticism, I am just wanting to taste it in the correct context.
I think I have tasted this before. Some months back, possibly more than a year ago, I read an article somewhere (apologies to the author and publisher, as I cannot remember where) that recommended a Malbec available in Tesco. I bought some, liked it and even forwarded the recommendation to a friend who had enjoyed a previous recommendation. That was for Colome's Estate Blend retailing at ~£20 and made from grapes grown in four different vineyards all at different altitudes, up to those from Altura Maxima at 3,111m, one of the highest vineyards in the world. The problem is, as I get older, I can't remember if the previously recommended wine was from Trapiche or Trivento which is also available at Tesco for about the same price.
It doesn't matter, because this is the one we have and I can't believe that the Trivento can be much better. It is a big soft, damsons and violets wine with some subtle spice. The oak is evident but not unpleasantly so, it just reinforces the smooth comforting feel of the black fruits. It is reasonably lengthy and easy to drink.
The grapes were grown between 750-1,110 m above sea level and that indicates how high Altura Maxima is, if that was needed, and allows the heat of the Mendoza plains to be moderated by the reduced temperatures at that height, avoiding the result becoming 'jammy'. Once fermented it rested in a combination of French and American Oak barrels for a year before being bottled and released.
I like it and at the price I will certainly buy it again.
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