2023 Singlefile Great Southern Malbec
VINEYARD & WINEMAKING
The Malbec grape originates from France, the majority found in the Cahors region, a small town in the south-west. Because of the grapes’ thin skin it is susceptible to poor weather and the pests of the region and it never surfaced as a top French variety. However, it is a common blending grape used in many of the great wines of Bordeaux. It also found a new home in Mendoza, Argentina where a French botanist planted it by order of the mayor in 1868. It is increasingly being celebrated as an Argentine varietal.
There are only very small plantings of malbec in the Great Southern wine region. This 2023 Great Southern Malbec fruit was picked and sorted on 20th April 2023. It was cold soaked in small fermenters for two days before undergoing an extended and gentle maceration allowing for the softening of the tannins with the goal of creating a wine with structure and texture along with the natural juicy flavour profile of malbec. Twenty five percent of the wine was matured in new Bordeaux oak barriques. The balance went to two- and three-year old Bordeaux barriques for seven months maturation before final preparation for bottling in December 2023.
THE WINE
This wine displays bright and lifted perfumed aromas of dark fruits including plums and blackberries as well as subtle hints of chocolate and spicy oak. The wine is effortlessly mouth filling with a lovely soft and juicy red fruit flavour profile balanced with natural acidity and gentle fine-grained tannins which provide structure to a long finish.
CRITIC REVIEWS OF NOTE
2023 Vintage
93 points, Ken Gargett, WinePilot, July 2024
92 points, Tom Kline, WinePilot, July 2024
93 points, Ray Jordan Wine, May 2024
92 points, Wine Showcase, March 2024
2022 Vintage
95 points, Barry Weinman, Fine Wine Club, Apr 2023
"A very good expression", Dr Craig Drummond MW, Medical Forum Magazine, May 2023
2021 Vintage
95 points, Top in Category, Wines of the West, Winestate Magazine, May/June 2022
2020 Vintage
93 points, Wine Showcase Magazine, Jun 2021
91 points, Wine Showcase Magazaine, Mar 2021
2019 Vintage
4.5 stars, Best Wines of 2020, Style Tastings, Winestate Magazine, Annual Edition 2021
Gold, 94 points, Wine Showcase Magazine, Jul 2020
2018 Vintage
4 stars, Best Wines of 2020, New Releases, Winestate Magazine, Annual Edition 2021
94 points, James Suckling, Mar 2020
4 stars, Winestate Magazine, Feb 2020
Product Reviews
The Great Southern region of Western Australia seems perfectly suited to the Malbec grape, a variety that is often used for blending in France, and flourishes in Argentina as the wine grape of choice, because of it's magnificent luscious full-bodied flavours.
This Singlefile wine is deep and intense in colour and texture, and radiates such juicyness that one almost wants to chomp on it, and chew it deeply, delighting in it's full richness of flavour on the palate. The wine displays aromas of dark plums and dark cherries, with subtle oak. It is balanced with a natural acidity and "des tanins parfaits".
I consumed the bottle in two sittings, the first with Camembert and Olives, the second with organic home made guacamole and stone ground yellow corn bread - and these were wonderful sittings indeed. It would also be equally suited with all roasted red meats.
The fruit is richly enhanced due to minimal intervention, and has a wonderfully long finish, that one can meditate on for long after each tasting.
Malbec is my favourite grape variety, the juices of the red skins are exceptional, and also produce health giving antioxidant and procyanidin benefits.
In parts of Australia, like the Great Southern locations of Singlefile wines, Malbec deserves to become a champion varietal, and it has reached it's full potential in this magnificent wine.
This wine has been matured in new Bordeaux barriques, producing an almost regal flavour, and one can understand why in medieval times it was considered the blood-wine of kings and queens.
This wonderful grape variety's delicate physique, veils it's mighty intense, robust, and rich flavours. A truly excellent wine - 100 points.