# Val de Flores Malbec (2019)

- **Producer:** Bodega Rolland
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Malbec
- **Region:** Mendoza, Argentina
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €60
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, blackcurrant, plum, cherry, violet, black pepper, liquorice, vanilla, cloves, cedar, chocolate, smoke, toast, leather, tobacco, forest floor, dried fig

## About this wine

Val de Flores is the highly personal Argentine project of the world-renowned Bordeaux flying winemaker Michel Rolland and his wife Dany. Located in the Vista Flores district of Mendoza's Uco Valley, the estate features old-vine Malbec planted in 1950. This high-altitude vineyard, sitting at approximately 1,100 meters above sea level, benefits from intense sunlight and dramatic diurnal temperature shifts, yielding grapes with exceptional concentration, structure, and aromatic complexity.

## Interesting facts

- The vineyard was planted in 1950, making these some of the oldest Malbec vines in the Vista Flores region.
- This estate is the highly personal 'home' project of legendary Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland in Argentina.
- The vines are ungrafted, growing on their own original rootstocks in sandy-clay soils with stony subsoils.

## Food pairing

This full-bodied, structured Malbec requires rich, protein-heavy dishes to bind with its firm tannins. The wine's intense dark fruit and oak-derived spices complement charred, grilled, or roasted meats, while its vibrant acidity cuts through rich fats.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested in small crates and undergo double sorting. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled oak vats and small concrete tanks. The wine is aged for 14 to 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is completed in barrel, and the wine is bottled without fining or filtration to preserve its rich texture and depth.