Grape Background

Origins

​DNA analysis has shown that Malbec is a cross between Magdeleine Noire des Charentes, the same female parent as Merlot, and Prunelard, an old and endangered cultivar from southwest France.1 Using this knowledge, it has been deduced that Malbec’s origins are in the Lot Valley of Cahors France.2

• France
• Argentina
• California 

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The popularity of Malbec is traced to Elenor of Aquitaine (b. 1122 - d. 1204) who championed the grape. Pope John XXII (b. 1244 d. 1334), who was born in Cahors, and moved the papacy to Avignon, used the grape for sacramental wine. In the thirteenth century, Cahors Cot also became popular with the British. Malbec’s popularity grew throughout the century and resulted in 1308-1309 being a record year with 850,000 hectolitres of Malbec wine being imported. This growth came to an end with the start of the Hundred Years War between Britain and France in 1337. Other notable champions of the grape were Francis I (b. 1494 -- d. 1547), who referred to Malbec as les plantes du roi (“the king’s plants”) and Peter the Great (b.1672 -- d. 1725).3

Malbec was a significant grape in Bordeaux prior to the 19th century. At that point, 40-60% of the first growth wines had Malbec as part of the blend.4 However, in the 19th century, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot became popular due to the Malbec crop being impacted by several years of bad weather; furthermore, a naval blockade during the Napoleonic Wars (~1811) caused a switch from the milder Baltic oak barrels which were commonly used for the popular Malbec- Verdot blends to barrels made of French oak, which were commonly used for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends.5 Malbec production was further reduced in the region with the 19th century phylloxera epidemic and most recently when a 1956 killer frost reduced acreage in the southwest of France.6​

After the 1956 frost, Cahors became France’s main producer of Malbec. However, it was not until 1971 that Cahors was awarded full Appellation Contrôlee status. Appellation rules in Cahors require Malbec, known there as Auxerrois or Cot, to compose 70% of the wine, blended with Tannat or Merlot. The clones contained within the vineyards of Cahors were selected for their resistance to shattering and date from the 1970’s. 7​​
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Argentina’s stocks are older as they were brought into the country before phylloxera, and continued to thrive as phylloxera did not pose a threat to the country's vineyards. Ian Mount’s book, The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec, provides an insightful guide to the origins of Malbec in Argentina. In the book, Mount traces the vine’s arrival in Argentina to around 1853, which was when Michel Aimé Pouget, a French agricultural engineer, moved to the Mendoza area to operate a government model farm and planted Malbec along the desert region of western Argentina.8 Here the vine thrives in Mendoza’s hot sun which creates high vigor and dense leaf cover. Furthermore, its warm evening temperatures help reduce grape acids so that Malbec in Argentina is not as acidic as its counterpart in France. Argentina ultimately created a more suitable growing environment for the thin-skinned grape that is susceptible to cold and disease.

Later in his book, Mount follows Malbec's history to the 1970’s when acreage in Argentina peaked at 120,000 acres and then declined to 25,000 acres between 1970 and 1990 as it fell out of favor and was replaced by other varietals.

ln the mid-1990’s, a Malbec revolution occurred. According to the Argentinian wine revolution’s founding house Catena Zapata (catenawines.com), the revolution initiated in the early1980’s when an Argentinian grower/winemaker known as Nicolás Catena Zapata, who held a PhD in Economy, was a visiting scholar at the University of California Berkeley. While at Berkeley, Nicolás learned about the Napa Valley wine revolution and the story of the Judgement of Paris, inspiring him to follow suit in Argentina. Thus, Nicolás sold his table-wine-producing company, keeping only Bodegas Esmeralda, the fine-wine branch of the family's winery. Nicolás then set-out to discover the best growing regions of Mendoza. In 1994, after spending five years working on the 85-year-old Angélica vineyard, Nicolás was satisfied enough to make a Catena Malbec. This first wine was a success, as it was heralded by wine critics, including Robert Parker Jr. Catena.

With the goal of improving upon this success, Nicholas planted Argentinian Malbec clones to search for the best vine selection, as clones from Cahors proved disappointing. He also worked on refining his vineyard management techniques as Mendoza’s high elevation required a different approach to that of lower altitude vineyards. For example, in most regions, removing leaves from the vines assists in reducing the methylpyrazine (green mint flavors) of the grapes, contrarily, leaf removal at high altitudes produces pruny flavors due to sunburnt grapes.9

By 2011, Malbec acreage in Argentina rebounded to ~77,000 acres, 85% of which were in Mendoza.10 It has continued to grow to its current status of 109,685.95 acres.

​​Malbec has existed in California as early as the 1850’s, and was brought over by French immigrants.11 However, it was not until 1978 when the grape started to appear in acreage statistics in California after five acres were planted in Napa Valley during 1976. Since then, the total Malbec acreage in California slowly increased, and by 2017, the total acreage for Malbec reached 3,822 acres (bearing and non-bearing).3 The increased interest in Malbec can be attributed to its usage in“Meritage,” the name of a Bordeaux varietal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

Growing Characteristics

• Common Mutations
• Climate/ Rainfall/ Soil
• Disease
• Harvest

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Climate:  Winkler Region II-III

• Malbec prefers warm climates during bloom, as cool weather can cause coulure (the failure for grapes to develop after flowering).
• Cool vs warm regions (from Wines of Argentina)
  • Cool Regions: Floral and fruity flavors increase as growing season average temperatures decrease.
  • Warm regions: Spicy and Herbal flavors increase as growing season average temperature increases. ​ 

Soil
Has an affinity for stony soils that stress the vine, however “Malbec is a vigorous variety that is adaptable to a wide range of soil types.” (http://iv.ucdavis.edu/files/24334.pdf). 

• Sensitive to Coulure
• Susceptible to phomopsis and leafhoppers

Insight from:  Robinson, J., Harding, J., & Vouillamoz, J. (2013). Wine grapes: a complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours. Penguin UK.

​​Harvest Period: A late-midseason variety.

Wine Styles

• Single Varietal
• Malbec Alternatives

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Single Varietal (100%) Malbec​

• Sugar: Dry
• Alcohol: 13.5% to 15% ABV
• Body: Medium to Full
• Acidity: Medium to Low
• Tannins: Medium to High
• Oak: Usually, Malbec is typically aged between 4 and 20 months, however unoaked Malbec does exist.

Flavors

• Fruits: Black Cherry, Blackberry, Fig, Plum, Raspberry and Strawberry
• Floral: Violette
• Herbs: Mint, Eucalyptus
• Spices: Chocolate, Pepper, Tobacco, Cinnamon
• Other: Leather

​Single Varietal Alternatives
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Sangiovese

Blends

• Languedoc (from Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre)
• Chianti
• Brunello di Montalcino
• Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
• Rioja (with high % Tempranillo)

Blends

• ​Cahors Blend (Tannant/Merlot)
• ​Bordeaux Blend/ "Meritage"
• ​Malbec - Cabernet Franc
• ​Malbec - Cabernet Sauvignon

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• Primairy Grape: Minimum of 70% of Malbec/Côt.
• Accessory grapes:  Tannant and Merlot.
• Minimum ABV: 10% to 13% ABV

​Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and to a lesser extent Carmenère and Malbec. It should be noted Malbec is rarely found in a wine from Bordeaux.

Meritage
The Meritage Alliance, formed in the 1980’s is a trade organization that governs the usage of “meritage” on the bottle. For a bottle to be called a meritage, it requires the following: “Meritage wines are provocative red or white wines crafted solely from specific "noble" Bordeaux grape varieties and are considered to be the very best wines of the vintage.”
meritagealliance.com/

Cabernet Franc: Adds red fruit and peppery notes to the Malbec. In Argentina, “the Franc is a deep wine with a concentrated violet colour and is very expressive with its aromas of red and black fruits, wild herbs and spices. On the palate, it is voluptuous with good tension and firm tannins, which mean great ageing potential.”

There is typically a higher proportion of Malbec or a higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon with no defined proportions. Unlike in Bordeaux, these wines do not contain Merlot. Typically found from Mendoza, which produces both grapes.

Serving Suggestions

• Cellaring: Age 5-10 years typical
• Decanting Duration: 30-60 minutes
• Glass Type: Red Wine Glass
• Serving Temperature: 60 ºF to 68 ºF

• Protein
• Fruits & Vegs
• Herbs and Spices
• Cheese
• Desserts

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Protein

• Meat: Grilled Meat (Classic pairing in Argentina),
• Beef: Burgers, Roasts, Lamb, Pork, Venison
• Poultry:​ Duck (Classic Pairing in Cahors), Turkey

Fruits and Vegetables

• Mushrooms: Portobello and Shitake. 
• Olives, Roasted Peppers,
• Shallots, Beet

Herbs
Coriander, Mint, Oregano, Sage, Rosemary, Tarragon

Spices

• Peppercorn (Black or Red),
  
• Baking Spices: Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove,
• Chinese 5 spice (Star Anise, Cloves, Chinese Cinnamon, Szechuan Peppercorns, and Fennel Seeds)

Cheese:
Feta, Mozzarella, Provolone, Swiss Cheese

​Desserts
Chocolate Desserts, Baking Spice forward desserts like pumpkin pie.

Growing Regions

Cool Growing Regions (Winkler II-III)

• Cahors
• Uco Valley Argentina

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​Chateau Du Caillau is currently the only
Cahors Malbec available in Hawaii at the
time of this writing.

The wine is distributed by Young's Market
Company of Hawaii.

​Production Notes:

• Racking every 4 months before final blending.
• 50% ageing in oak barrels & 50% in wooden tank for one year.

Warm Growing Regions: Winkler IV-V

• East and South Mendoza
• Primera Zona

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Sources and Additional Reading

1.  Boursiquot, J.-M., T. Lacombe, V. Laucou, S. Julliard, F.- X. Perrin, N. Lanier, D. Legrand, C. Meredith and P. This, “Parentage of Merlot and related winegrape cultivars of southwestern France: discovery of the missing link”, Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 15: 144-155 (2009)

2. Viala, P., and V. Vermorel, Dictionnaire Ampélographie. Tome VI (Paris: Masson et Cie, 1905).

3. Sweet, Nancy. “Malbec & Cot at FPS.” FPS Historian, University of California, Davis - July, 2018 © 2018 Regents of the University of California https://fps.ucdavis.edu/grapebook/winebook.cfm?chap=Malbec

4. Catena, Laurea. “An Insiders Guide to the Wines & Wine Country of Argentina” (2014)
Google Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VewMa8uWk30

5. Asher, Gerald, “Châteaux Margaux: Time Recaptured”, The Pleasures of WINE, p. 66 (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California, 2002).

6. Mount, Ian, The Vineyard at the End of the World, Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec, pp. 220-221 (W.W. Norton & Co., New York and London, 2012)

7. Anonymous, “Two new International Events Dedicated to the Malbec Grape”, Wine Business Monthly, vol. XVII no. 3, page 54, March, 2010.

8. Mount, supra, pp. 41-44.

9. catenawines.com/begginings.php

10. Robinson, Jancis, Julia Harding, and José Vouillamoz, WINE GRAPES, p. 272 (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2012)

11. Hilgard, E.W. (1892), Report of the Viticultural Work during the Season of 1887-1889 with data regarding the Vintage of 1890. Part I. Red-wine grapes, pp. 31, 20-52, Report to the Regents, Agr. Exp. Sta., University of California, 1892.

• ​Maps of Argentina providen by Wines of Argentina (winesofargentina.org)
• Wine Characteristics provided by Wines of Argentina and written by Alejandro Iglesias:
• blog.winesofargentina.com/malbec-of-mendoza-diversity-of-flavours/