KAIKEN | Clásico | Malbec | 2020
malbec

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Today we are are going to review a single-varietal malbec wine from the famous Mendoza region of Argentina – Clásico Malbec 2020 by Kaiken. Known for its plump, dark fruit flavors and smoky finish, malbec wines have been adored for centuries, especially by the royal houses of England and Russia. With elegant notes of plum, tobacco and hints of violets, malbec offers a great alternative to its higher priced siblings: merlot, cabernet sauvignon or syrah. Malbec originates in the famous Cahors region of France, however Argentina proved that there’s more to malbec than just value, as it can offer an unmatched complexity and elegance if produced in an expressive new-world style, with a nuanced fruity character. In order to preserve the vibrancy of fruit and the varietal characteristics of the malbec grape, this wine has been aged only for 6 months in used, french oak barrels. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium-deep ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & savory
fruit profile: red fruits | blue fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | wolfberry | cranberry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry | honeyberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper | cloves | anise
__oak: hints of roasted oakwood
__savory: iron | veal | new leather | brown olive
__earthy: clay | loam | marl
primary layer: fruity-savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: medium+
__grip: seedy
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol
body: austere | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: red & blue fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spicy-savory
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
KAIKEN | Clásico | Malbec | 2020
variety: malbec
country: Argentina
region: Mendoza
rating: 91.0

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | needs more time | age for up to 3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Argentina and, with a total of 91.0 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite appealing malbec wine that tastes crisp, seedy and slightly rough, with an expressive nose and an austere palate. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to drink it in the next 2 or 3 years, but make sure you don’t overdo it, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays ripe blue and red fruit notes in the foreground, supported by a nuanced, savory background and a very subtle, earthy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, seedy tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a pleasantly seedy aftertaste. All in all this is a slightly heady and unbalanced malbec wine, that feels youthful and unpolished – a wine that definitely requires more bottle ageing time, as in its current state, it lacks harmony and finesse on the palate. But make no mistake though, this is a very appealing malbec wine, with bright and vibrant fruit, rustic savoriness and some hints of carbonic maceration. We believe this wine will pair lovely with delicate and spicy meats, rich in natural umami flavour, like for example a black angus filet mignon or a peppercorn filet mignon steak. Enjoy!

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