Wine of the week: Alamos, 2014 Mendoza Argentina Malbec

It’s the perch that makes Argentine Alamos a standout.

That’s according to Tatiana Nessier, international sommelier and brand ambassador for the winemaker based in Mendoza, Argentina.

“Our malbec is grown in the rugged high desert of the Uco Valley in Mendoza, in vineyards found at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet,” she said.

Nessier is behind our wine-of-the-week winner, the Alamos, 2014 Mendoza Argentina Malbec at $13. This malbec has tasty fruit - cherry, plum and blackberry - bright acidity and just the right dose of spice. It’s a surprising find because at this price point, you don’t expect to taste a wine that is as layered as this one.

“Here in these high-altitude vineyards, our days are filled with intense, warm sunlight that enhances the aromas and flavors of the malbec, while our nights are very cold, with clean, fresh air that cools the vineyards and allows fruit to retain its natural acidity,” Nessier said. “These daily temperature swings are what gives our malbec its wonderful balance of acid, tannin and fruit character.”

While Mother Nature can be generous, she can also be implusive, and Nessier said that’s what makes it the most challenging to make malbec.

“We cannot control what she has waiting for us each year,” she said. “In 2014, we had a cooler growing season, which required us to be patient and careful in the vineyards. Though our yields were reduced, our 2014 Malbec has excellent acidity and really vibrant color and flavor concentration.”

Malbec is Argentina’s most famous grape and its flagship wine.

“Malbec is the wine that has helped the world discover the incredible beauty of South American wines,” Nessier said. “This is a wine that thrives in higher elevations with large diurnal temperature shifts, which makes it an ideal match with Mendoza’s high desert valleys. Malbec is richly flavored while not being overwhelming.”

Nessier said that she is a long-time fan of malbec.

“It’s so much a part of our Argentine culture, and pairs incredibly well with many of our traditional foods,” Nessier said.

“I love cooking up empanadas or asado, our traditional BBQ, and serving them to family and friends with a glass of Alamos malbec.”

Nessier became fascinated with wine while she was studying International Relations at Congreso University in Mendoza.

Fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese, she transferred into sommelier studies and spent two years at the Escuela Argentina de Sommeliers. “That’s where I learned so much about wine regions, varieties and tasting methods,” she said.

“I fell in love with wine when I was at University in Argentina. It wasn’t really a single moment in time or a particular wine that made me fall in love. It was just slowly discovering how much there is to know about wine.”