This is without question one of our favorite Malbec bottlings in terms of authenticity, character, and depth. Rarely do we come across a wine that communicates “place” as this does. Brilliant color, wild aromatics, rich mid-palate, incredible texture, this has it all.
Deep ruby red color with some bluish highlights. Aromas of red fruits, such as sweet plums combined with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Slightly spicy. Mouthfeel is long and gentle with soft tannins which finish in a lingering, rich aftertaste. Pair with grilled meats and pasta with red sauce.
Elaboration: Classic fermentation with prolonged maceration between 82-86 degrees Fahrenheit. Aged 12 months in second and third use French oak. Unfined and unfiltered.
Martino Wines is located in the town of Luján de Cuyo, just 20 minutes from the city of Mendoza, its winery dates from the beginning of the century, 1901. Its construction is typical of the late nineteenth century with thick adobe walls, ceilings of cane and mud cake. It was acquired by Martino Wines in 2012 and restored and later re-insured in 2013, maintaining its original structure and functionality. The winery is equipped with the highest technology to vinify the grapes from the vineyards of the most exclusive regions of Mendoza, respecting the environment and making responsible use of natural resources.
The 18.5-acre estate vineyard is situated at 3850 feet above sea level in Agrelo, a sub-district within the Luján de Cuyo appellation of Mendoza. The ungrafted Malbec vines were planted in 1942. Stylistically, Fincas Don Martino stands solidly in the old-school camp, with savory aromatics (cigar bands, polished leather, coffee) balancing floral lift.
In 2015 the winery was expanded with a new tank room, barrel room and fractionation room in order to increase production capacity. We are the winery chosen by prestigious premium range producers to carry out the production of their wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
ddeuddeg received notification Thursday that a Lab Rat bottle was en route. He picked it up at our local UPS facility this morning (Friday). The box contained a bottle of Fincas Don Martino Viña Violeta Agrelo Old Vine Single Vineyard Malbec 2021 and the ever-popular Casemates stemless wine glass. This poor bottle didn’t even have a chance to rest a little before it needed to be consumed for our Lab Rat reports that we had to write for tonight’s offer!
I felt that this wine was tight as a drum when it was first poured. It was tough to pinpoint anything specific on the nose or on the palate except for tight, high alcohol. I let the wine sit in the glass for about 15 minutes and gave it a few good swirls when I returned. Now, there was something identifiable happening! The nose had opened up into something much more pleasant. On the palate, I was getting some massive explosive cherries and other red fruit—maybe plums? This baby just needed some air and some TLC! The 14.5% alcohol turned into beautiful, smooth tannins. We paired this wine with ddeuddeg’s homemade pasta sauce, meatballs, and ziti, topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. It worked perfectly! We adjourned to the living room to watch a Christmas movie with our remaining wine. As the evening progressed, this wine turned into a thing of great beauty! All it needed was a little bit of air! It was beautiful as a quaffing wine. We often do the sniffy-sniff test with the few drops of wine that remain at the bottom of the glass. These remains were quite sublime with some aromas of chocolate and vanilla! Yum! Such a bargain at the 6-bottle price! A screaming steal at the case price!
It’s been one heck of a week. Christmas Eve on Sunday makes for an especially long day for those of us in the choir who have to sing for Mass at 10 AM, then come back for Christmas Eve Mass, with a half-hour choral prelude. Things just went down from there energy-wise. Then, after a busy holiday schedule, as if someone up there knew our spirits needed a boost, an email from Alice with Labrat news. A call from UPS came in, and off I went to pick up the promised package. I brought it home and opened it to find a bottle of 2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec. Knowing it would be posted for sale at midnight, and with an event we couldn’t escape on the early evening schedule, we decided to go the easy route and pull out some of my homemade marinara sauce, cook up some rigatoni, and enjoy it with the Malbec.
While the sauce was heating and the pasta cooking, we pulled the cork and poured a sample. The first pour revealed a lot of brilliant color, a nose full of dark fruit, and plenty of firm tannins on the palate. I’d like to be able to provide some of those fancy flavor descriptors that the pros like to use, but the week has left me devoid of the energy I’d need to do that. Disclosure: Malbec is one of my favorite varietals, and I really enjoyed this one. A lot. This is what Malbec is supposed to taste like. Especially after it had some time to open up a bit. If you’ve ever had a good Malbec, you already know what I’m talking about. If not, words don’t really mean much. Here’s your chance. Don’t pass it up. No excuses about the over-stocked cellar, the overused credit card, or whatever. Grab some while you can. You won’t be disappointed.
Gadzooks! I just looked at the offer, and it’s under $11/bottle if you can hold yourself to 6, and $8.33/bottle if you buy a case. I would have called this a good deal at $20/bottle. And they even suggested pairing it with pasta with red sauce. Who knew? Seriously, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
NOTE: The label pictured in the offer is of a Riserva bottling, although there is nothing mentioned of that in the description, nor was our bottle a Riserva, none of which affects my perception of the wine.
@bahwm@ddeuddeg
Additional question, now that I realize this is a re-offer, and noting the discussion on the label; which of the three labels were on your bottle?
And yes, nice $25 reduction in the case cost as well.
@bahwm@ddeuddeg
I think we must need a wiki on how to do this.
First apple hemc images are not supported; only jpg, img, png.
You MUST BEGIN the post in LANDSCAPE mode!
When you begin the post, there will be an icon bar at the bottom of the compose window/block as below:
just to the right of the , " and 101/010 there is a mountain/moon icon. Click there to begin posting a pic and follow the prompts.
@ddeuddeg@rjquillin I think there was a lot of sugar in the natural fruit so that it “appears” sweet. The wine was really quite dry, on the palate and as reported in the specs from the winery at 2.39.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec - $30 = 23.07%
Things have also been hectic here as well, but I can always make time to do my job as a Lab Rat! Only 2 tasters this time, myself and my mom. I like big bold dark tannic reds. Mom likes reds, but does not like a lot of tannins.
PNP
color - me- wonderful deep black cherry
mom- Beautiful deep burgundy
aroma- Dark Cherry, something else I can’t pick out, and sweet. Yes, I know sweet is not a true smell, but
Mom said it smelled yummy.
Taste- lots of dark cherry, very smooth, slight tannins. Not getting any heat from the alcohol. Not overly complex, but definitely not simple.
Mom really liked it, couldn’t quite figure out what flavors she was getting, some cherry, but said it was really good. Said it was great with some dark chocolate she had.
Vinturi
aroma- I found it lost most of its aroma
Taste- I think it lost a lot of the cherry flavor. Still nice and smooth.
I left a glass out for a couple of hours and it was comparable to the vinturi glass.
We both guessed the bottle to retail around $25.
Overall impressions- We both really liked this wine. (very rare for us to totally agree on a wine) Thought it would make a great everyday wine.
Thanks WD, Alice and Ariana for letting us Rat!
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year!! I wish nothing but amazingly wonderful things to happen in 2024
Was here in September. $125 for a case https://casemates.com/forum/topics/martino-vina-violeta-malbec
So a bit better price, and perhaps clearing out shelves for the end of the year?
Good reviews then as now, and CT shows good comments for multiple years, not a lot of bottles in cellars though.
In for a case, will make a nice mix of drink now and keep some for a while, but dang if I am not running out of room. Again. And YES been drinking as “fast” as possible, but can’t stay sober at a bottle a night!!!
Thank you Rats for the universal reviews. I was hoping. I ordered a case first thing this morning, and then within an hour - a second. $100 a case with reviews like this? How couldn’t I. Appreciate the “real” reviews.
@Leatherchair Thank you! If we love it, ddeuddeg and I will tell you—and we write our reviews independently of each other. If we’re not happy with a bottle, we’ll let you know! And, YMMV! It could be any number of reasons and with only one bottle on hand, we can’t pop another to compare! Those are the hardest reviews to write!
@bahwm thank you. I think we all definitely appreciate the honesty, detail, and the reviews have a pretty significant impact whether or not we buy - and how much we buy. Thank you again.
So is anyone gonna address the elephant in the room? The ratted bottles are not the same as the for sale bottles. If it’s the same wine, some sort of explanation of the different bottle images/labeling would be warranted
@jaybird@Winedavid49
Rat bottle label is the same for this and the previous offer based on @FritzCat Rat shot. @bahwm provided the shot from her Rat bottle. Hey @mommadeb, what’s yours look like?
Looks like the offer shot may be the outlier.
@bahwm@jaybird@mommadeb@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Yeah, I looked at my Rat Report and recalled this wine. I did buy a case and haven’t seen it since. That doesn’t bother me because I really do think this wine will age well, and improve with time. Go ahead and buy this one with confidence.
I am wondering if the current rats have any opinion about the “bitterness” comments on the previous offering in September by both rats at that time.
Such extreme differences in just 3 months for the same wine is surprising.
2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$227.88/Case for 12x 2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec at elixir wines
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 22 - Wednesday, Jan 24
2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Previous offer:
9/22/23
ddeuddeg received notification Thursday that a Lab Rat bottle was en route. He picked it up at our local UPS facility this morning (Friday). The box contained a bottle of Fincas Don Martino Viña Violeta Agrelo Old Vine Single Vineyard Malbec 2021 and the ever-popular Casemates stemless wine glass. This poor bottle didn’t even have a chance to rest a little before it needed to be consumed for our Lab Rat reports that we had to write for tonight’s offer!
I felt that this wine was tight as a drum when it was first poured. It was tough to pinpoint anything specific on the nose or on the palate except for tight, high alcohol. I let the wine sit in the glass for about 15 minutes and gave it a few good swirls when I returned. Now, there was something identifiable happening! The nose had opened up into something much more pleasant. On the palate, I was getting some massive explosive cherries and other red fruit—maybe plums? This baby just needed some air and some TLC! The 14.5% alcohol turned into beautiful, smooth tannins. We paired this wine with ddeuddeg’s homemade pasta sauce, meatballs, and ziti, topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. It worked perfectly! We adjourned to the living room to watch a Christmas movie with our remaining wine. As the evening progressed, this wine turned into a thing of great beauty! All it needed was a little bit of air! It was beautiful as a quaffing wine. We often do the sniffy-sniff test with the few drops of wine that remain at the bottom of the glass. These remains were quite sublime with some aromas of chocolate and vanilla! Yum! Such a bargain at the 6-bottle price! A screaming steal at the case price!
@bahwm Thanks for the raving review - in for 2 cases.
@woopdedoo Wow!
It’s been one heck of a week. Christmas Eve on Sunday makes for an especially long day for those of us in the choir who have to sing for Mass at 10 AM, then come back for Christmas Eve Mass, with a half-hour choral prelude. Things just went down from there energy-wise. Then, after a busy holiday schedule, as if someone up there knew our spirits needed a boost, an email from Alice with Labrat news. A call from UPS came in, and off I went to pick up the promised package. I brought it home and opened it to find a bottle of 2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec. Knowing it would be posted for sale at midnight, and with an event we couldn’t escape on the early evening schedule, we decided to go the easy route and pull out some of my homemade marinara sauce, cook up some rigatoni, and enjoy it with the Malbec.
While the sauce was heating and the pasta cooking, we pulled the cork and poured a sample. The first pour revealed a lot of brilliant color, a nose full of dark fruit, and plenty of firm tannins on the palate. I’d like to be able to provide some of those fancy flavor descriptors that the pros like to use, but the week has left me devoid of the energy I’d need to do that. Disclosure: Malbec is one of my favorite varietals, and I really enjoyed this one. A lot. This is what Malbec is supposed to taste like. Especially after it had some time to open up a bit. If you’ve ever had a good Malbec, you already know what I’m talking about. If not, words don’t really mean much. Here’s your chance. Don’t pass it up. No excuses about the over-stocked cellar, the overused credit card, or whatever. Grab some while you can. You won’t be disappointed.
Gadzooks! I just looked at the offer, and it’s under $11/bottle if you can hold yourself to 6, and $8.33/bottle if you buy a case. I would have called this a good deal at $20/bottle. And they even suggested pairing it with pasta with red sauce. Who knew? Seriously, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
NOTE: The label pictured in the offer is of a Riserva bottling, although there is nothing mentioned of that in the description, nor was our bottle a Riserva, none of which affects my perception of the wine.
@ddeuddeg @bahwm
Wondering if either of you noted how the RS presented
@bahwm @ddeuddeg
Additional question, now that I realize this is a re-offer, and noting the discussion on the label; which of the three labels were on your bottle?
And yes, nice $25 reduction in the case cost as well.
@ddeuddeg @rjquillin I’m not sure how to post a pic on the site from my iPhone.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg
I think we must need a wiki on how to do this.
First apple hemc images are not supported; only jpg, img, png.
You MUST BEGIN the post in LANDSCAPE mode!
When you begin the post, there will be an icon bar at the bottom of the compose window/block as below:
just to the right of the
, " and 101/010 there is a mountain/moon icon. Click there to begin posting a pic and follow the prompts.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @rjquillin See … I wasn’t the only one. Thanks again Ron.
@ddeuddeg @rjquillin I think there was a lot of sugar in the natural fruit so that it “appears” sweet. The wine was really quite dry, on the palate and as reported in the specs from the winery at 2.39.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @woopdedoo
You’re not alone either; I had to be told/shown as well.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @rjquillin I agree with you, fruit must of had a lot of sugar, the wine is dry.
@bahwm @rjquillin Imperceptible, to my palate.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @rjquillin Thank you!
Looking at the rattage from the last offer and this one, I’m sold…
/giphy sweet-blissful-grinch
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 Martino Viña Violeta Malbec - $30 = 23.07%
Never had Malbec… reading about it, sounds interesting.
Meh, I’ll give it a go.
/giphy loving-kindly-sleigh
Things have also been hectic here as well, but I can always make time to do my job as a Lab Rat! Only 2 tasters this time, myself and my mom. I like big bold dark tannic reds. Mom likes reds, but does not like a lot of tannins.
PNP
color - me- wonderful deep black cherry
mom- Beautiful deep burgundy
aroma- Dark Cherry, something else I can’t pick out, and sweet. Yes, I know sweet is not a true smell, but
Mom said it smelled yummy.
Taste- lots of dark cherry, very smooth, slight tannins. Not getting any heat from the alcohol. Not overly complex, but definitely not simple.
Mom really liked it, couldn’t quite figure out what flavors she was getting, some cherry, but said it was really good. Said it was great with some dark chocolate she had.
Vinturi
aroma- I found it lost most of its aroma
Taste- I think it lost a lot of the cherry flavor. Still nice and smooth.
I left a glass out for a couple of hours and it was comparable to the vinturi glass.
We both guessed the bottle to retail around $25.
Overall impressions- We both really liked this wine. (very rare for us to totally agree on a wine) Thought it would make a great everyday wine.
Thanks WD, Alice and Ariana for letting us Rat!
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year!! I wish nothing but amazingly wonderful things to happen in 2024
/giphy cheesy-compassionate-heart
Went for a case
Seeing great reports from three of my favorite “Rats,” I’m in for a case.
Cheers & Happy New Year!
@cynthylee Thank you!
@cynthylee
@cynthylee Just the facts, ma’am.
Was here in September. $125 for a case
https://casemates.com/forum/topics/martino-vina-violeta-malbec
So a bit better price, and perhaps clearing out shelves for the end of the year?
Good reviews then as now, and CT shows good comments for multiple years, not a lot of bottles in cellars though.
In for a case, will make a nice mix of drink now and keep some for a while, but dang if I am not running out of room. Again. And YES been drinking as “fast” as possible, but can’t stay sober at a bottle a night!!!
@outdoorslife
/giphy cherished-wondrous-nutmeg
In for half a case. Love Malbec and it seems this is a Malbec lovers’ wine.
/giphy rednosed-compassionate-glitter
Thank you Rats for the universal reviews. I was hoping. I ordered a case first thing this morning, and then within an hour - a second. $100 a case with reviews like this? How couldn’t I. Appreciate the “real” reviews.
@Leatherchair Thank you! If we love it, ddeuddeg and I will tell you—and we write our reviews independently of each other. If we’re not happy with a bottle, we’ll let you know! And, YMMV! It could be any number of reasons and with only one bottle on hand, we can’t pop another to compare! Those are the hardest reviews to write!
@bahwm thank you. I think we all definitely appreciate the honesty, detail, and the reviews have a pretty significant impact whether or not we buy - and how much we buy. Thank you again.
So is anyone gonna address the elephant in the room? The ratted bottles are not the same as the for sale bottles. If it’s the same wine, some sort of explanation of the different bottle images/labeling would be warranted
@jaybird @WineDavid49
Any comments?
@jaybird @rjquillin checking. It’d be a first.
@jaybird @Winedavid49
Rat bottle label is the same for this and the previous offer based on @FritzCat Rat shot. @bahwm provided the shot from her Rat bottle. Hey @mommadeb, what’s yours look like?
Looks like the offer shot may be the outlier.
@bahwm @jaybird @mommadeb @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Yeah, I looked at my Rat Report and recalled this wine. I did buy a case and haven’t seen it since. That doesn’t bother me because I really do think this wine will age well, and improve with time. Go ahead and buy this one with confidence.
@bahwm @FritzCat @jaybird @rjquillin @Winedavid49 my bottle looks the same as bahwm
Sounds too good and too reasonable to pass up. Plus we’ve made a substantial dent in our inventory.
/giphy candlelit-glorious-trimming
@GatorFL I would
a trimmer like that! 
Anyone near San Francisco want to split a case?
Anyone in RDU/GSO area up for a split? I need a biiiiig shoehorn to even get a 1/2 case in the cellar, but can’t pass up this deal.
@Kraxberger There’s time to drink a half case before this arrives. No worries.
@Kraxberger Where are you??? These letters aren’t working in my brain!
@bahwm Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro airports, respectively.
Missed out on case price! Very sad. Went for 6 at higher price based on rattage. Loves me some Malbec!
Dang, I dilly-dallied and missed the case. In for six.
/giphy blissful-candlelit-memories
Cases back in stock
Good timing!
/giphy blustery-peppermint-firewood
Since cases came back and trustworthy rats…
/giphy tiny-venerable-celebration
@normanl0
I am wondering if the current rats have any opinion about the “bitterness” comments on the previous offering in September by both rats at that time.
Such extreme differences in just 3 months for the same wine is surprising.
@midai I was trying to overlook that note
/giphy dusty-finished-knife
Ordered a case to NYC, but don’t really have space for all that. If anyone wants to split, give me a ping
Looking forward to putting some Malbec in the cellar.
/giphy dubious-uninviting-grog
We had a bottle tonight. Lovely bottle of wine. Glad we got a case. Thank you @winedavid49.