PerSe, Gualtallary Iubileus, Tupungato 2017

Two wines have changed in 2017, as they now produce them from their own vineyards in the Gualtallary Monastery, and one of them is the 2017 Iubileus. Furthermore, this is only Malbec (in the past it had Cabernet Franc), and it will be pure Malbec in 2018 and 2019. Perhaps in the future they might add in some Cab Franc again; they don't know yet. So, this comes from exceptionally young vines planted in 2013 on limestone-rich soils. It fermented in used rolling barrels with indigenous yeasts with a maceration of 30 days, and it matured in used barriques for 16 months. It comes from a part of the vineyard that has a little more topsoil, so I think this can behave best in warmer years like 2017. It's very expressive and open, and it felt fresher and more floral than La Craie from this same vintage. It's layered, nuanced and complex, developing some notes of blood orange with time in the glass. The palate reveals great energy, very fine chalky tannins, great purity and focus, clean and long flavors. It feels relaxed and expressive. To me, this wine is completely different from 2017 onward; I see filigree and finesse like I've never seen in this wine before, and this year it won my heart. Bravo! 1,180 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2018.