Alko : Urban Malbec-Tempranillo 2009 by O. Fournier (Argentina, Mendoza)

The Malbec-Tempranillo Urban is produced by one of the big wine companies of Mendoza: O. Fournier. I was intrigued by this blend because it is really clever, at least from an intellectual point of view.

Malbec is a grape that brings a lot of color, aromas, alcool and sweetness. It is easily concentrated, full bodied. The drawbacks are this high concentration, rather high alcool and high tannic structure, as well as a slight excess of power in the youth. In Cahors, France, they blend the entry level wines with Merlot (up to 20%), a grape which has the ability to bring out the fruity side of the Malbec by making it softer and more friendly to the palate. This doesn’t really work in Argentina because of the very warm climate, which tends to have the Merlot more concentrated or sometimes under ripe… in both cases badly suited for the goal of blending it with Malbec to get a more enjoyable wine.

Tempranillo is the grape from Spain, it is versatile, able to sustain a very warm climate and has the characteristic of keeping a very high acidity whatever the warmth. Also, it can give decent result even with high yields. Blending a very concentrated powerful grape with a more delicate and acidic one is definitely a good idea and that is why I had a good feeling about this wine.

And truly this entry level wine really manage well. The Urban 2009 is very pleasant on the nose : red fruits and a hint of toasted aromas, very classy. The mouthfeel is on the fresh side with a very good acidity as well as enough power from the Malbec. It is slightly too simplistic but the overall result is good. In other words, this is a wine I would recommend for the summer, perfect for barbecue or any simple food like that.

Wineops’ rating : 68/100 ; 0 0

This is not a GREAT wine, but at that price point (8,85€) it is a really value for money wine. The only drawback is a little too light mouth. Otherwise a nice product.

Link to Alko : Urban 2009

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