I’ve gone back to the wines of Valentin Bianchi relatively often. There’s a simple reason for that, I find they tend to over deliver on price and quality. There are certainly other producers who do this as well. But what impresses me with Bianchi is that they do it within each tier of their offerings. Today I’ll look at a release from the entry level Elsa tier.
The Valentin Bianchi 2009 Elsa Malbec is a single vineyard offering made from fruit sourced at their Doña Elsa Estate vineyard. This selection is 100% Malbec. The Elsa Malbec was fermented in stainless steel and then saw a minimal amount of oak aging; one month of bottle aging followed prior to release. 15,000 cases of the 2009 vintage were produced and it has a suggested retail price of $8.99.
Dark berry, plum, vanilla and thyme aromas come together to form an appealing nose for this 2009 Malbec. The dark fruit theme continues in the palate where black plum flavors take center stage. Other dark fruit flavors chip in as well to a lesser degree, along with white pepper and a bit of cardamom. This Malbec has soft tannins, solid acidity and a medium length finish.
For $9, or a bit less if you shop around, the Elsa Malbec provides plenty of drinking pleasure. Year after year this is wine is a more than solid choice in entry level priced Malbec. When you’re looking for some tasty wine and a good deal to boot, keep Valentin Bianchi in mind, I do.