WEBSTER BARNES SELECTION

Domaine du Haut Morlu

Touraine

RED

Malbec

France

2020

90 points Wine Enthusiast

Total acidity

5.34 g/L

3.6

Alcohol

13%

Volume

750ml

TASTING NOTES

Our Touraine Malbec boasts distinct, riveting, high-toned aromas of ripe red plums, berries, graphite and tocacco. Vivid and well-defined, these flavors are reflected on the palate, where the wine is chiseled and broad shouldered, with excellent focus and structure. This is the essence of cool-climate red winegrowing – beautifully defined fruit, a beam of electric acidity and an ample tannic framework.

FOOD PAIRINGS

Roast turkey, carne asada, creamy mushromo pasta, dark chocolate.

DOMAINE

Located on a plateau above the Loire River, the domaine operates on the principle of balance in the vineyard and n the cellar. The earth is worked by mechanical means, chemical treatments are avoided as much as possible with an aim of facilitating the development of biological fauna in the soil. Vinifications are conducted with the same philisophical approach, and the quality of the fruit coming into the winery allows for a drastic reduction in wine movement, treatment and most importantly, addition of sulfites.

TERROIR

The Malbec grape, known by the name « côt » in the Loire Valley, is an ancient variety associated with the vineyards of South-West France – Bordeaux and Cahors. Its expression is, of course, radically different in the northerly, wind-swept vineyards of Touraine. Fresher, brighter and livelier, the silex-rich soils of these vineyards surrouding the town of Amboise produce malbec wines of great distinction.

WINEMAKING

A difficult grape to grow but an easy wine to make when the vintage allows for full maturation of fruit and tannin. Harvest takes place at night to profit from cool temperatures, and the grape bunches are 100% destemmed upon arrival at the winery. Fermentation and aging takes place in concrete. Because of the wonderful natural acidity and clean, bold tannins, the aging protocol allows for a significant reduction in sulfur addition to the wine throughout the aging process – all the natural ingredients are there to provide a fresh, stable wine without the need for too much oenological intervention.