Varietal Focus: Malbec

By Craig Suveg

Malbec traces its origin to northern Burgundy and although once popular in France, it has become increasingly marginal in its original home. French ambivalence toward the grape is evident in the name which translates to “bad beak.”

At one time, Malbec was popular for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon to produce the famous Bordeaux wines. While traditionally considered one of the six original Bordeaux varietals, it has been largely replaced by Merlot.

However, probably the most ideal region for Malbec in France is in the southwest region of Cahors where it is known by the synonyms Cot and Auxerrois and yields a medium-body inky wine. There, it is sometimes blended with Tannat, a very tannic grape variety as well as Merlot.

Presently, Malbec has reclaimed its glory in Argentina where it serves as the country’s most important and impressive red grape and produces wines of surprising grip, depth and velvety texture.

Of the four major wine regions in Argentina, the most important is the centrally located Mendoza followed by San Juan, La Rioja and the most northerly region of Salta. All of Argentina’s wine regions have a semi-desert like climate with copious amounts of sunlight and rainfall that rarely exceeds 8-10 inches a year. The bone-dry air means that the vineyards are mostly free of fungal diseases eliminating the need for preventative chemicals and, like Chile, Argentina has never been the victim of the plant aphid phylloxera which devastated many of the world’s vineyards in the late 19th century. 

The vineyards in Mendoza lie in the foothills of the Andes Mountains and are the highest in the country. Malbec grown here produces a wine with structure and density rarely found in French Malbec. At times, it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. In Argentina, unlike in most countries, all varietal wines must be 100% of the grape named on the label.

Suveg Cellars first vintage of Malbec was recently released this past September. The 2016 vintage was sourced from Valley View Vineyard located in Santa Barbara County. 1.5 tons of fruit was carefully hand sorted and destemmed on October 2, 2016 in Yucaipa, CA at the winery’s historic original location on Ironwood Drive. Field numbers yielded: Brix 22.6 – 24.0 (R), pH 3.6, TA 0.55. Primary fermentation was completed in open top field bins in 13 days followed by an extended maceration of 10 days. The wine was pressed on October 26 and gross lees racked off on October 29. O bacteria was pitched on November 2 and secondary fermentation was completed by November 19 at 0.09 g/L. The finished wine was then barreled down on December 5 in neutral 3/5 114 liter French oak barrels and 2/5 114 liter Hungarian oak barrels. The wine was bottled completely unfiltered on June 12, 2019. 

Always friendship inspired. Suveg Cellars invites you to share our 2016 Malbec and the essence of our continuing journey with true friends.

Craig Suveg

Winemaker