# Pie de Palo Malbec (2023)

- **Producer:** Finca Abril
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Malbec
- **Region:** Mendoza, Argentina
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €12
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, raspberry, plum, blackberry, black pepper, chocolate

## About this wine

Pie de Palo Malbec is a collaborative project between Finca Abril and US importer T. Edward Wines. Finca Abril was established in 1996 in La Consulta, a subregion of Mendoza's Uco Valley in Argentina. Sourced from high-altitude vineyard plots located at over 1,000 meters above sea level, the vines benefit from intense sunlight, significant diurnal temperature swings, and mineral-rich alluvial gravel soils irrigated by Andean snowmelt from the Tunuyán River.

## Interesting facts

- Sourced from high-altitude Uco Valley vineyards situated over 1,000 meters above sea level.
- A custom collaboration between Argentine estate Finca Abril and importer T. Edward Wines.
- Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel to craft a fresh, oak-free Malbec expression.

## Food pairing

This vibrant, unoaked Malbec features crisp natural acidity and smooth, low tannins, allowing it to pair seamlessly with grilled meats and tomato-based pasta sauces without overwhelming lighter red meat dishes.

## Wine making process

Grapes are hand-harvested in small 20 kg crates and subjected to double table sorting at the cellar. The vinification process starts with a 72-hour cold pre-fermentative maceration at 8-10°C in stainless steel tanks to extract vibrant fruit aromatics. Temperature-controlled fermentation takes place over 10 days using selected yeasts, followed by complete malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. The wine is bottled entirely unoaked to retain pure fruit expression.