2019 Attollo Black Wine Malbec

Attollo The Black Wine Malbec 2019

Attollo “The Black Wine” Malbec is made from a selection of vineyards across the Margaret River region and utilises only the best individual barrels of the season in creation of the ultimate Malbec, “The Black Wine”.  The vinification utilises both New and Old World influences in creation of a wine with immediate drinkability but ageability for the medium to long-term, depending on your cellaring conditions.

The 2019 growing season was as not an easy vintage but was not the most difficult eiher.  2019 started with some frost events and stormy weather in spring causing some hail damage.  The season has rain in January / February again but this was not too problematic.    Select vineyards suffered from frost and hail effects with uneven fruit.  Malbec was mostly spared and was of high quality as is typical in Margaret River.  The season ended up being moderately warm, with some rain events around harvest to hasten picking when the fruit was close.  Fruit was ultimately average to above average quality with goodl perfume, fresh to ripe flavours and blocky savoury to ripe tannin. 

The Malbec for this wine was sourced from two vineyards in Margaret River, staying more southern this vintage, stretching from Walcliffe to Karridale.

Bessil Road Walcliffe Subregion Malbec grown using a VSP trellis on grey gravel loams over mottled clay.  The vines were planted in 1996 and this vine age (23 years old in 2019) combined with this inland terroir provides for richly flavoured malbec with an amazing purple colour, powerful aromas of violet and dark fruit, with distinctive hints of savoury herbs, rich long flavour with amazing bright acidity and rustic structural tannins.  This parcel was hand picked on the 11th April 2019 at 12.8 Baume on a biodynamic fruit day.

Glenarty Road Karridale Subregion Malbec grown using a modified lyre arrangement on moderately fertile black loam sands over karri loams.  The vines were planted in 1994 so now have some pedigree also being 24 years old at harvest.  The warm vintage resulted in a wine with intense fruit flavours of Christmas cake and chocolate with violet notes and an immense rich full bodied palate with immense length, fine ripe tannins and a savoury texture.   This parcel was hand picked on the 23th of March 2018 at 15.3 Baume on a biodynamic fruit day. 

The blend was comprised of 1.12t Bessel Road Malbec and 0.95t Glenarty Road Malbec.  All parcels were hand picked and chilled to 5oC before gently destemming to dry iced bins for a 7 day cold soak. The must was then transferred by gravity [bucket] to 225L barrique fermenters (one brand new).  Each individual ferment was plunged by hand gently during ferment lasting for 8 to 12 days and peaking at 25 to 28oC.  Towards the end of fermentation the barrel fermenters were set on racks and left on skins for a period of three to four weeks [extended maceration] to build palate weight and provide a tannic backbone affording longevity to the wine.  The barrels were then gently basket pressed directly back to barrel for malolactic fermentation on lees.  Five individual 225L barriques resulted from this vinification process.  The wines were sulphured at the end of malolactic fermentation and left on lees until for about 12 months with monthly  stirring.  The malbec was then matured on light lees for a total of 15 months, before blending in October  of 2020.  The wine was bottled with no fining or filtration in December 2020. 

pH 3.58

Titrateable Acidity [TA] 5.8g/L

Residual Sugar [RS]  0.3g/L

Volatile Acidity [VA] 0.65g/l

Alcohol 14.9%

Cases Bottled 

December 2020

1050L

233  6 pack screw cap

Cellaring Best

 Best 2021-25, Maximum 2030

Taste [20/10/2021]

The wine has a typical deep red centre with a pink hue.  The wine is very aromatic with fragrant floral notes and violets in the foreground, with blackberry and chocolate notes in the background, with some bosynberry cherry and savoury leathery undertones.  The palate is medium to full weight with an expressive midpalate, with fine chewy sweet tannins to finish, balanced with some refreshing acidity.  The 2019 really shows the vintage and how it manifested in these malbec parcels,  The intense heat of late summer in March raced ripening and the earlier Karridale component was picked the ripest I have ever seen.  I deliberately captured the Wallcliffe fresher with some good natural acidity to balance the blend.  The use of barrel fermentation adds a sweet dimension to the palate and melds the oak so it is barely discernable.  This wine is quite approachable now, and will continue to soften and evolve over the next 9 to 10 years.