WINE OF THE WEEK: Mendel Lunta Malbec 2023, Mendoza, Argentina
£14.99, House of Townend
Unless we take up the Argentine habit of having asados all year long whatever the weather – not a bad idea, perhaps – the end of the barbecue season is closing in on us for 2026, but that’s no reason to lay off the Malbec. Mendel Lunta 2023 will taste just as good indoors when the wind is howling, the rain is hammering down and there's a roast or a casserole on the go.
It glides down as effortlessly as you could want, with generous blackberry and plum fruit, a swish of black pepper, sweet leather and charcoal and the lightest lick of oak from six months' ageing in used French oak.
Just because it’s easy to drink doesn’t make it simple. The estate-grown grapes come from ungrafted vines planted almost 100 years ago and they’re cultivated with the same TLC as Bodega Mendel’s three flagship Mendoza red wines (one of which, the powerful Unus, I tasted recently and highly recommend, £34.99, House of Townend).
The vineyard for Lunta, bordering the Mendoza River and facing the Lunlunta Hills in the Agrelo district of Luyán de Cuyo, was planted in 1928 and lies at 900m asl. The winemaker, founder and co-owner of Mendel Wines is Argentina’s celebrated Roberto de la Mota.
You can pair Mendel Lunta Malbec 2023 with steak, lamb, pork, duck, meaty ragùs and sausages, but it also comes into its own with roast roots and pumpkins (including with spices, soy sauce and light honey glazes), with baked pasta dishes and with pulse casseroles. I can vouch for it with Ottolenghi’s recipe for chickpeas with baharat, orange, olives, tomatoes and garlic. 14%. Empty bottle weight: 393g.
Mendel Lunta Malbec 2023, Mendoza, Argentina
£14.99, House of Townend
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