2003 Stonehedge Winery “Terroir Select” Malbec

Mission Codename: What the heck? Malbec!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Respond to Operative requests for a killer Malbec, that often gigantic Bordeaux varietal. Find a great one, and procure a supply for our demanding Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Stonehedge Cellars

Wine Subject: 2003 Terroir Select Malbec

Winemaker: Dennis Patton

Backgrounder: One of the six component varietals that go into a true French Bordeaux wine, Malbec (named for the Hungarian peasant who first brought the grape to France) is a thin-skinned grape that requires more time to mature than its Bordeaux brethren, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In America, where very little Malbec is grown, the wine is often used as a minority component of Meritage blends. While Argentina is, perhaps, best-known for producing exceptional examples of the varietal, increasingly, California wineries are becoming more skilled in extracting a unique, and delicious, expression of the grape. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Intensely dark garnet with purple edges, fast-moving and thick legs and a viscous quality that hints at the depth of its flavors

Smell – This wine was a little difficult to approach right on opening, but be sure to decant for a few hours and you will be rewarded handsomly . After being allowed to air, the wine presents pronounced ripe jammy red cherries and sweet blackberries, youthful and bright plum and violet flavors complemented with a hint of mint and rosemary, licorice, oak with a slight herbaceousness. After some additional breathing time, a hint of nutty mocha emerges

Feel – Bright and light on the entry, then dry and grippy at the mid-palate with solid tannic structure with a full and chewy mouthfeel, plus a slight peppery minerality that lingers on the tongue

Taste – Concentrated big fruit flavors of dark mixed berries, plum and dark cherry, with solid but not overdone oak, followed by hints of leather and black pepper, mildest tobacco and subtle hint of bacon

Finish – Solid and long finish with tart fruit, lingering oak and spicy pepper

Conclusion – This is a very impressive Malbec that makes us stand up and take keen notice of this varietal in particular. This big and bold Malbec is made from fruit grown in Mendocino, where the coolness of the evenings requires that the grapes spend additional time on the vines to ripen. This, coupled with the amount of in-vineyard attention that is required of the grower to test and measure, makes Malbec, particularly Mendocino Malbec, a difficult wine to make.

On its serious side, this wine is rich, hearty, mouth coating and chewy. On the flip side, you find a wine that has a brightness of flavor and tenderness of feel that makes it fun to drink on its own or with food. Hold for up to 10 years for a softer wine.

Extended Decant Follow-on Report – I left this wine in the bottle overnight and revisited it the following day. With this extended decanting, the wine brightens significantly, and aromas and flavors of smoky plum and salty licorice emerge. The oak also softens and the wine takes on a more lively character. Decanting conclusion: Enjoy the wine after short and extended decanting for two unique experiences.

Previous Mission Recap:

When we really love a winery, we make it a point to sleuth out additional wines for our Operatives to enjoy. What follows is our original mission report, which describes our first encounter with Stonehedge Winery. Please note: The wine described below is not the one we are selling today. Enjoy this mission recap:

Today’s wine recently won a Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

The San Francisco International Wine Competition says this, about itself:

”The San Francisco International Wine Competition, the largest, most influential international wine competition in America, is judged by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized wine experts. Judging is based on a blind, consensual procedure, ensuring that its rigor and integrity remain the nation’s most respected competition.”

We have been asked, “What is the general The Wine Spies official position on wine competitions?” With so many competitions around the world, we don’t have a general position. We do, however, have a position on the S.F. International Wine Competition. It’s own self-description is one that we agreed with and endorse!

I have found that wines that are awarded medals in this competition deserve them. Today’s richly robust Petite Syrah certainly does.

Our mole at the competition, [CENSORED], was able to give us some early buzz on some of the wines that were raising eyebrows among the judges and while the mole would never breech competition rules or confidentiality, we did learn about a few wines to watch.

When the results were made final, immediately called upon Stonehedge. They happily poured for me and I found the wine to be Double Gold Worthy! The folks at the winery are very proud of their win and they should be; This is a wine of great quality and distinction.

Congratulations to Stonehedge on their win. Congratulations to you, dear Operative, if you manage to get your hands on a few bottles of today’s great wine.