Tritono Malbec 2005

n 2003, New York restaurateur Joe Bastianich, Argentine vintner Matias Mayol and California winemaker Steve Clifton came together to create TriTono. Indeed, the label is aptly named: the three men bring to this Malbec their respective winemaking experiences and traditions, as well as a common love of food, wine and music. The result is the perfect harmony of fruit and spice, and a symphony of flavors that makes the palate sing! The Wine TriTono Malbec 2005 is the second release from the trio. The grapes hail from the epicenter of the world’s great Malbec vineyards, the Mendoza province in western Argentina. The 2005 TriTono release is equally composed of grapes from the Mayol’s Finca Montuiri and Finca Pircas vineyards. The combination of old vine (planted in 1926) grapes from Montuiri in the Lujan de Cuyo region and younger vines from Pircas in the Vista Flores district adds to the complexity of the wine. Extreme farming practices of early leaf pulling and vines limited to one cluster per shoot resulted in an early and intense harvest and vintage of perfectly ripe grapes. Delivered in the early morning to the Familia Mayol winery in the Valle de Uco, the grapes are fermented in a combination of open top tonneaux and tanks to add yet another layer of intrigue to the final blend. TriTono is then aged for sixteen months in 220 liter French oak barrels, 20% of which are new before being bottled without fining or filtration. An additional eighteen months of bottle aging prior to release ensures the wine is immediately delectable at the table.