Cheval des Andes Lujan de Cuyo 2009

59% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot.

This is very ripe and juicy on the nose, with hints of jam and blueberry character. It has a full body, firm tannins, and a juicy, savoury finish. There is lots of hazelnut and dark chocolate character. It is drinking beautifully. It is a dynamic red.

This wine is a joint venture between Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de los Andes): Bright, saturated medium ruby. Black fruits, tobacco, liquorice, wild herbs and an intriguing balsamic note on the nose; as much Bordeaux Right Bank as Argentina in style. Plush, concentrated and sweet; full without any heaviness. Utterly seamless flavours of dark berries, herbs, flowers and earth, plus hints of dried fruits. Really urgent, dense fruit here, with terrific definition and energy. Finishes with noble tannins and outstanding rising length—a fully ripe, outstanding vintage for this consistently excellent bottling.

The 2009 Cheval des Andes is a blend of grapes grown in Las Compuertas, in Lujan de Cuyo, from vineyards planted in 1929. It is a big, ripe blend of 59% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. It is very deep purple-coloured, with a bright rim and an opaque centre.

The nose is completely closed and ungiving, so you need to exercise your wrist and swirl your glass around energetically, and you'll get rewarded with subtle and complex notes of forest floor, leather, cigar box, and cured meat, but especially shiny, perfectly ripe black fruit aromas. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with velvety tannins, superb integration of the oak and focused flavours of cassis, blueberries, soil and faint violets. It is great in a slightly international style, a little ripe—a big, ripe Argentine Cheval.