It’s always interesting to see what happens when two prestigious winemakers from different continents form a joint venture. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. In 1999 one of Bordeaux’s top right bank producers, St. Emilion’s Château Cheval Blanc, brought their French winemaking philosophy and expertise to Argentina, where it paired up with leading Argentine producer Terrazas de Los Andes in Mendoza. The result was Cheval des Andes, which produces an excellent Malbec-predominant Bordeaux blend.
There’s a lot of history behind this wine. The Malbec grape, native to the southwest France town of Cahors, was once an important component of the “Bordeaux blend,” along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. In the mid-nineteenth century, phylloxera decimated most French vines, but not before Malbec cuttings from Bordeaux were shipped to Argentina. To combat phylloxera, a small insect that attacks vine roots, the Bordeaux vines were grafted onto American rootstock. All was well until 1956, when Bordeaux experienced a killing frost that decimated the cold-sensitive Malbec vines. Most were not replanted, and Merlot replaced Malbec as the grape used to soften the Bordeaux blend.
- The Malbec cuttings that had been sent to Argentina thrived in Mendoza's ideal climate. Phylloxera generally isn’t a problem there, so most Malbec is planted on its own rootstock.
- The only Malbec remaining in Bordeaux is on grafted roots, which can affect the grapes’ characteristics.
Cheval des Andes is produced from two excellent, high-altitude vineyards in the Lujàn de Cuyo region of Mendoza. The blend varies a bit from year to year, but it’s typically about 60% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine is based on the Château Cheval Blanc winemaking philosophy of focusing on aging potential and elegance. Cheval des Andes is matured for 14 months in barrels made by French coopers using oak from central France.
- For comparison, the 2018 Chateau Cheval Blanc is 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. If you happen to have $1,200 laying around that you don’t need, be sure to pick one up.
Our wine of the week is the 2018 Cheval des Andes ($100 retail). This is a deep purple wine that has aromas of raspberry, plum, and mocha. It’s very dense and full-bodied, with smooth tannins, a wonderful complexity, and notes of spice, red fruit, vanilla, and mocha. The components of the wine are perfectly integrated, and it has a very long finish.
- Cheval des Andes is considered one of South America’s top red wines.
- This is a wine that needs to be paired with food. Any type of beef is a no-brainer, particularly a nice, simply prepared filet. Sure, it would go with countless other dishes, but why mess with perfection?
- Was it worth the price? Absolutely. To the extent that a $100 bottle of wine can be called a bargain, this one is.
Cheers!