Fine Wine from Bodega Ruca Malen

I discovered these very fine Argentinian Wines at the Taste of the Nation event last month in New Jersey.

Bodega Ruca Malen is a boutique winery at the foot of the Andes near Mendoza. I met Antoine Thibaud of Ruca Malen and Kevin J. Jones Sherbrooke Cellars who imports the wines.

There is an interesting story behind these wines, The name Ruca Malen comes from the  Mapuche Indian language and means “young girl’s house”. A Mapuche legend tells of the young woman who fell in love with a God who took her to a beautiful valley beneath Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Andes, and left her with a house and a nectar which, when sipped, enabled her to experience again the thrill of falling in love.

Well I fell in love with these wines. They are all found at Gary's Wine.

The first is 2006 Bodega Ruca Malen Malbec/Cabernet Yauquen Mendoza.   8.99

The French influence in these wines is pronounced. Antoine told me they made this lower priced wine with Cabernet to appeal to a broader audience. It is a very pleasing wine. 

Maggie Fox, Wine Club Coordinator & Wines Sales in Gary's Madison store, describes this wine perfectly "In the local Mapuche language, "Yauquen" is the ritual of sharing a drink with others. This is a pleasant, easy-drinking quaff, comprised of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon for some added structure and spice."

I would say that, at a $9 price point, it is a perfect party wine to share with friends.

The next wine I sipped was a pure Malbec. One of the best I have ever tasted. 

2004 Bodega Ruca Malen Malbec Mendoza  14.99

Stephen Tanzer gives this wine an 89, and says "Good medium ruby. Musky blackberry aroma with some oaky high tones. Juicy, gripping blackberry, licorice and violet flavors are complicated by an exotic nuance that contributes to its inner-mouth aromatic character. Finishes sweet and persistent, with supple tannins.

Can't wait to bring this wine to my next grilling event. It will be great with steak with Chilean Pesto  or some Chilean Steak Panuchos.

The last wine was the finest of all.

2004 Bodega Ruca Malen Malbec Kinien Mendoza   24.99

This impressive wine tasted like a good Bordeaux, rich, deep and powerful.

Maggie says " A relative newcomer to the market called Ruca Malen, a small producer that's hard to find here in the U.S. but quickly gaining recognition in international circles. That didn't stop their winemaker, Antoine Thibaud, from making sure that we discovered his wines; in mid-September, he traveled all the way from Mendoza to visit us in our store with the current vintage of Kinien in hand. Right away, we knew this was a must-have for our shelves. Ruca Malen's top bottling is named "Kinien", the Mapuche word for "unique". The Malbec grapes come from old vines resulting in deeper intensity of aromas. Aged in new oak barrels for 16 months, dark, juicy flavors of blackberries and plums come forth from the stunning purple juice, followed by a satisfying toasted vanilla-inflected finish.

Comments

[Manoavino]

Thanks for that correction Jackie. I have made the change.

[Jackie]

I've been looking to buy some more wine from this winery. I found the 2004 Malbec in Philadelphia a few months back but am looking for it in Austin now.

I visited this winery in 2008. It is actually in Mendoza, Argentina, not Chile.

[Claudio Manzolillo]

Great article on great wines from Ruca Malen. I got here looking for Kinien Malbec which is hard to find in Texas. Unfortunately Gary's Wine doesn't list the wine in its online catalog.

[Dan]

maggie is hot