Malbec Reserve DO 2023 Jean Bousquet Organic Wine

Nutritional information per 100 ml

Contains negligible amounts of fat, saturates, protein and salt.

Malbec

Malbec is an old French red grape variety originally from Cahors in south-western France. This deep red grape was grown in 30 French departments, and over 400 names are in use. Better-known examples include Auxerrois in the Cahors area, Côt in Haut-Pays and the Loire, Malbeck and Pressac in Bordeaux. Its most important role in France was primarily as a blending partner for Bordeaux wines. In the mid-18th century, the owner of Château de Pressac introduced it to his range of varieties. It made such a lasting impression on Mr Malbeck from north-eastern Bordeaux that he planted a larger area, firmly establishing the name Malbec.

Malbec is highly susceptible to disease and extremely sensitive to frost, a combination to which most French growing areas fell victim in the harsh winter of 1956. Today, Argentina has the largest growing area for Malbec, whose genetic parents, Magdeleine Noire and Prunelart, were identified in 2009. The vine thrives in the dry, sunny climate, as the 24,000 hectares of plantings demonstrate. Around 34,000 hectares of Malbec are grown worldwide. Besides Argentina and France, it is found in Chile, the USA, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland. The small, round, thick-skinned, blue-black grape, with little juice, is prized for its fruity spice and intense colour. Plum, cherry, tobacco, chocolate, juniper berry and bay leaf are typical Malbec aromas, becoming more refined with ageing.

Juicy, fresh Malbec with a subtle wood note. Aged in barriques. Fine blueberry, plum and cherry aromas.

Jean Bousquet

Jean Bousquet was born in 1948 in Carcassonne in southern France. He comes from a third-generation winegrowing family and loves wines and vineyards. At the age of twenty-three, he acquired 140 hectares of abandoned land in France, comprising around 30% old vineyards, 40% apple trees and the remaining 30% uncultivated land. Everything had to be started afresh, and after twenty years there were 120 hectares of vineyards planted with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a cellar equipped with the latest technology.

Demand for his wines grew steadily. Always striving for the highest quality, Jean realised that although the land was well chosen, there was not enough sunshine to achieve the grape ripeness and optimum quality he wanted. Seeking the perfect place to meet his expectations, he began visiting wine regions around the world each winter. In 1990, he discovered the winegrowing areas in and around Mendoza in Argentina. After tasting the various local wines and closely examining the soils and climate, Jean decided he had finally found the perfect wine region.

In 1997, he founded his new estate in Tupungato, 80km south-east of Mendoza. The area offers good winegrowing conditions and a perfect climate, mild during the day and cool at night. At over 1200m above sea level, the vineyards enjoy good ventilation and consequently little pest infestation. The extremely free-draining soil of sand over gravel also offers good plant-health properties. All these excellent conditions allow the grapes to reach optimum ripeness without the risk of drying out or being attacked by pests.