KAIKEN | Indómito | Malbec | 2019
malbec

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Today we are are going to review a single varietal malbec wine from the famous Mendoza region of Argentina – Indómito Malbec 2019 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 blueberry, 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. Indómito translates into english as indomitable or untamed, thus it is meant to reflect the wine’s true nature – a wine that capable to bend the rules without breaking them, while remaining true to its nature. The wine we are reviewing today is made with masal clones of malbec grapes, that were sourced from Altamira vineyards, planted on 1200 meters altitude on chalky and limestone-rich soils of the Uco Valley sub-region in Mendoza. In order to preserve the vibrancy of fruit and the varietal characteristics of the malbec grape variety, only 20% of the wine has been aged in oak barrels for 10 months, while the remaining 80% was kept in flavour-neutral concrete tanks, with 4 more months of bottle ageing before being deemed ready to be released on the market. 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 to pale purple color
clarity: hazy indigo shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
__black fruits: black plum | black cherry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | other
__spice: cloves | peppercorn
__oak: tobacco | roasted oakwood | hints of liquorice
__earth: clay | marl | loam
__other: olive | hints of violets & iron
primary layer: fruit

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

//Taste
fruit profile: blue fruits
fruit character: underripe
non fruit: spice & earth
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
KAIKEN | Indómito | Malbec | 2019
variety: malbec
country: Argentina | Mendoza
region: Uco Valley | Altamira
rating: 92.3

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Argentina and, with a total of 92.3 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 very appealing malbec wine that tastes crisp, seedy and slightly unpolished, with an expressive nose and an ample 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 black fruit notes in the foreground, supported by a spicy background and a very subtle, earthy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, seedy tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a seedy-crisp aftertaste. All in all this is a fruity-expressive and quite appealing malbec wine, that feels yet too youthful at the moment – a wine that 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 fine malbec wine, with bright and vibrant fruit notes on the nose and a rustic savoriness on the palate. We believe this wine will pair lovely with delicate meats, rich in natural umami flavour, like for example black angus filet mignon, peppercorn filet mignon steak or a pan-seared duck breast. Enjoy!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.