And yes, there is at least one Malbec in the mix. It’s an album based on Argentinian tango, after all. ;)
Once again, Kate Reuschel of Survives on Wine joins us for the grand conclusion!
Part 1 covered everything Kate, her Substack, Portuguese wine, the background of the band and the album, and Tracks 1-4.
Make sure you listen to that first below…
The Wines
KATE’S WINE
Phulia 'Desvirttuado' Loureiro White 2021
Lima, Vinho Verde, Portugal
(If you’re in the States, THE VINHO seems like the best place to nab it!)
Although very uncommon to do so, Loureiro has excellent aging potential, with its ability to still retain its freshness, fruitiness and florality (is that a word?)
The wine is made from a combination of 50% aged in barrel and 50% aged in steel, both for 1 year. Then the bottle is allowed to age another year before it can be drunk.
DALLAS' WINE
Bodegas Lopez Vasco Viejo Malbec, 2020
Mendoza, Argentina
A medium-bodied wine with surprising depth and savory notes for its modest price. It is forward and easygoing offering up an enticing nose of spice box and black cherry. This provides much pleasure and is an ideal barbecue wine. 3 months in French Nancy oak vats ranging in size from 5,000-25,000 liters. Organically farmed.
The Lopez family is now in its 5th generation with 4th generation brothers Carlos and Eduardo at the helm. The winery was founded in 1898 by Jose Gregorio Lopez Rivas. Jose immigrated to Argentina from Algarrobo in Malaga, Spain in 1886. In Spain, Jose was a grape and olive grower, and he came to Argentina to escape the devastation from phylloxera that had come to Andalusia. In Argentina, he worked very hard and saved money to bring his brother Rafael and his mother Feranda and other family members to Argentina. Jose and Rafael managed to rent a small piece of land in Maipu where they grew grapes and began to make their own wines. The first and founding brand was called “El Vasquito” and the current brand of Vasco Viejo pays homage to those wines.
DAVE'S WINE
Zuccardi "Concreto" Malbec, 2021
Uco Valley, Argentina
100% Malbec aged in pure, uncoated concrete.
The 2021 Concreto Malbec has to be one of the finest vintages of this wine despite its youth and still shy personality. But there are tons of flowers, wild herbs and berries there waiting to emerge in an insinuating way, with austerity but unfurling layers and layers as the wine sits in the glass. It's incredibly fine-boned with chalky tannins that scream limestone, full of precision and purity. They didn't do anything different, it's just the character of the year. This is the wine that explains their philosophy without breaking your piggy bank. It is delicious, serious, approachable and with aging potential. What else do you want?
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