2008 Trapiche Varietal, Bodegas Trapiche

Mendoza, Argentina

Color: Red
Name: Trapiche Varietal
Vineyard: Bodegas Trapiche
Type: Pinot Noir
Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Year: 2008
Price: $9.00
Rating: 4.5
Review: Dark ruby color. Cherries, raspberries, a hint of oak and a vegetable component on the nose. Nice velvety texture, medium body on the palate. It's like eating a cherry and vanilla yogurt. Quite tannic for a Pinot. Smooth wine with a slightly ruby color. Floral aroma of wild roses and raspberry jam. Soft, light and fresh taste with a velvety texture.
Comments: Established in 1883, Trapiche is the most widely recognized Argentinean wine producer in the world. Located in Mendoza at the foothills of the Andes mountains, Trapiche has some of the most extensive landholdings in the area, with over 2,500 acres of its own vineyards. Under the guidance of Chief Winemaker, Daniel Pi, Trapiche has consolidated all of its winemaking and viticulture, creating a synergy between winemaking and agriculture. Along with his team of winemakers and Marcelo Belmonte, Director of Viticulture, Daniel Pi’s vision for Trapiche is to express the richness of diversity of the terroir in Argentina. An innovative and forward thinking winery, Trapiche is always looking for new ways to for their wines to express their passion for the land and its people. Realizing that Argentina is the best place in the world to grow Malbec, Trapiche embarked on a project to showcase what they consider to be the three best malbecs of any given year. The project pays homage to the grape growers and features their names prominently on the label. With the first vintage, 2003, the three single vineyard Malbecs have already won worldwide acclaim. All Trapiche wines are hand-harvested, hand-sorted and vinified at their winery. The wines have a new international style, fruit-driven and consumer friendly, and representing the best of what Argentina has to offer. Trapiche’s goal is to exceed expectations at every level. The grapes are selected from vineyards in the High Area of the Mendoza River and the East Region of the Province of Mendoza. All the fruit is hand harvested and transported back to the winery in small plastic crates to avoid damage. The fruit is destemmed and permitted a cold maceration on the skins for three days; the musts then undergo thermoregulated (23°C) maceration and fermentation for 15 days. The musts are then gently pressed pneumatically. Malolactic is permitted to occur naturally, but is controlled; for some lots the malolactic occurs in older oak barrels. After being racked and the various lots blended, the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for a brief period and lightly filtered before bottling. 2007 Harvest Notes: "In Mendoza, we need to speak of two different periods. During the early part of the growing season, all the whites, Syrah, Merlot and part of the Malbec were ripening earlier compared to 2006, but this year had cooler nights, and as a result, we had very good color and tannins without high alcohol levels. 2007 was almost a perfect growing season. Very heavy hailstorms in the San Rafael area meant massive losses, but fortunately these didn’t affect Trapiche vineyards. All hailstorm damage was under the statistical average. In mid-March, we experienced a lot of rain, thus we had some dilution. Some grapes crushed from late March to beginning of April were diluted and displayed a lack of concentration; however, the grapes harvested after Easter were excellent, displaying high concentration, soft tannins and incredibly high color, especially from Uco Valley. Late Malbecs appeared excellent, as usual, with very good tannic structure, and fruit flavors that were fresh and soft. Similarly, Cabernet Sauvignon had very good color, fruit concentration and very low vegetal characters. The Shiraz from cooler areas, harvested after Malbec, looked exceptional, with concentrated fruit showing plenty of spice. In general, the vintage was very good and for some wines it was excellent. I’m very happy with how we managed the weather in order to obtain the quality for our consumers. The 2007 vintage has softer tannins, rich fruit and lower alcohol levels, and I’m very happy with both whites and reds." Chief Winemaker, Trapiche Tasting Notes: Smooth wine with a slightly ruby color. Floral aroma of wild roses and raspberry jam. Soft, light and fresh taste with a velvety texture. Food Match: white meats, turkey, salmon, pasta in meat sauce, grilled vegetables, duck, chicken.

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2008 Trapiche Varietal, Bodegas Trapiche