Salvo Malbec

Vibrant. Elegant. Bright. Perfumed. Floral. Chalky. Serious. Balanced. Fresh. Modern. Seductive. Drinkable. Juicy. Pure. Energetic. Funky. Just some of the descriptions of Triangle Wine’s 100% Malbec offering: Salvo. Born of a coming together between Indigo Wines from the UK and artisan winemakers from around the world, Triangle Wines strive to find the best wines made from the best grapes from the most expressive terroirs. Salvo is one result. Made from grapes sourced from a single vineyard at 1250m elevation at Los Chacayes in Chile’s Uco Valley, the wine reflects the terroir present in the region. Nestled in the Andean foothills with over 700m difference between the lowest and highest plots, the weather ranges from moderately warm to extremely cool and soils offer up alluvial, colluvial (sediment built up at the base of hillsides from gravity, erosion and weathering), granite, sand, clay, volcanic and metamorphic rock. And this is crammed into a 15km radius. Compact and bijou. As well as producing excellent whites and a range of Mediterranean reds, the local rock-star, Malbec, shines the brightest, characterised by bright red fruit aromas, good acidity and firm, structured tannins. The grapes for Salvo are from 15 year old vines, sustainably farmed, hand-picked and fermented in concrete with 25% remaining whole bunch. Six subsequent months in concrete prior to bottling finishes the process, with the wine being neither fined nor filtered. And how does the resulting wine taste? Soft and rounded despite its beef with light, bright red fruits flying the fresh and acidic flag peppered with just enough darkness. Zero oak to boot. The cool climate chalky tannins add a 3D experience and are becoming more fashionable, with some referring to it as “the caviar of discerning drinkers”. The balance of crispness, fruitiness and florality (a genuine word) is underpinned by a funky bottom end with just a touch of rust. The vineyards are set in some pretty stunning scenery too. So there.