Wine in Town: 2011 Trapiche Malbec ‘Oak Cask’

by Andrew Chalk

Argentina has redefined the consumer perception of Malbec over the last decade. Sales have boomed as consumers discovered Malbec was fruit driven and red meat friendly. A leading winery in that movement has been Trapiche, based in the center of Argentine wine making, Mendoza.

The importer sent me a bottle of the 2011 Malbec ‘Oak Cask’, one of several Malbecs in the Trapiche product line. It spends nine month in a combination of French and American oak. The result of the vinification and ageing is a wine that is ruby in color and clear in clarity. The nose has notes of cedar, wood and coffee. The taste has a perceptible residual sweetness, strawberry fruit flavors and cinnamon.  

Retail price: $10-$12