91 points ~ James Suckling 95 point Vintage ~ Robert Parker
Tasting Notes
Blueberries, stewed plums, violet essence, and pine needles on the nose. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins and a plush, ripe core of fruit. Drink now. ~91 James Suckling
This wine is born in the majestic Andes Mountains range, in the prosperous Argentinian wine region, Uco Valley. These vineyards are naturally irrigated with meltwater coming from the Andes Mountains and are placed in sandy loam and alluvial rocks with calcareous soils, which provide minerality and complexity. The vineyard is managed under sustainable and organic practices.
2018 was a great year for Valle de Uco, Robert Parker blessed this vintage with a 95-point review, and Wine Spectator stated that “nearly ideal growing conditions deliver well-structured wines that feature fine-grained tannins and ripe fruit flavors.”
This amazing value Malbec will become your new Argentinian go-to!
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal 100% Malbec
Appellation: Valle de Uco, Mendoza
Aging: 2 to 3 months in French oak barrels.
Alcohol: 14.0%
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2018 Wayra Estate Malbec Valle de Uco
Case:
12x 2018 Wayra Estate Malbec Valle de Uco
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $420/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Wayra
Founded: 2015
Location: Mendoza, Argentina
Conceived in 2015, Wayra by Calyptra Argentina arises as an extension of Calyptra Chile, adding a new world-class winegrowing region and varietals of a different terrior to the Calyptra Portfolio, such as the emblematic Malbec.
Wayra comes from the Quechua dialect “huayra” which means “wind.” This name is an ode to the Mountain winds where this wine is born. “Of an adventurous and romantic spirit. With its warm breath, the messenger of spring melts the snow of the Andes and brings fertility to the crops.”
Bernardo Bossi is the highly praised winemaker of Wayra. His acclaimed wines have a very special style, making Bernardo one of the most respected winemakers in Argentina.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Always happy to receive a golden ticket from the Casemates crew, but I’ll spoil the labrat post and say that (1) we guessed the price point within 25 cents, and (2) we thought the wine was a good offering at that price.
On to the notes:
UPS arrived late, so it was a pop-and-pour occasion after we’d already finished dinner. Dark in the glass, more maroon than scarlet. Long legs.
Initially some alcohol on the nose, followed by rich dark fruit and wood notes. Oak, cedar? Taster 2’s initial note: “It smells expensive.”
On the palate, dark fruit, earthy, bramble, lots of tannins, good mouth grip.
Long finish, with post notes of menthol and eucalyptus, at least for me.
We had no trouble finishing the bottle. Quite pleasant all around.
Not the most sophisticated notes, I know, but hopefully helpful. If work isn’t too hectic in the morning I will try to add some pictures that I took.
@michaepf can you check the label for the year, the photo here on website is blurry, but looks like a 2021, & being southern hemisphere would seem to be about 22 months plus or minus
The labrat bottle was 2018. This also lines up with the Parker vintage rating cited in the writeup. Seems pretty definitively a 2018 offering with a 2020 bottle image used by mistake unless another labrat reports receiving a different vintage.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Wayra Estate Malbec - $60 = 30.76%
UPS tried to thwart me and almost succeeded. In case anyone hasn’t made a purchasing decision yet I thought I’d add a few thoughts.
Per the responses above, this is indeed the 2018 vintage:
Malbec is my least favorite of the popular red varietals, so I’ll try to use objective rather than subjective descriptions.
Dark. Dark in the glass. Dark on the nose (baked fruit - blackberry, hardwood). Medium tannin. Medium acid. Dry but not super dry. Not complex but pleasant.
Subjectively, I think someone who likes Malbec would like this wine but not find it memorable. If you were at the grocery store and needed to pick up a bottle, saw this and brought it home for $22, you would feel like you made a good choice.
2018 Wayra Estate Malbec Valle de Uco
91 points ~ James Suckling
95 point Vintage ~ Robert Parker
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $420/case MSRP
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, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 13 - Tuesday, Feb 14
2018 Wayra Estate Malbec
4 bottles for $64.99 $16.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $134.99 $11.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Always happy to receive a golden ticket from the Casemates crew, but I’ll spoil the labrat post and say that (1) we guessed the price point within 25 cents, and (2) we thought the wine was a good offering at that price.
On to the notes:
Not the most sophisticated notes, I know, but hopefully helpful. If work isn’t too hectic in the morning I will try to add some pictures that I took.
@michaepf can you check the label for the year, the photo here on website is blurry, but looks like a 2021, & being southern hemisphere would seem to be about 22 months plus or minus
@michaepf @winecaseaholic Yeah the picture here shows 2021, but description says 2018.
@winecaseaholic The label on the bottle says Wayra Malbec 2018 Estate. Aged in French oak 6-8 months.
@jevanson @michaepf @winecaseaholic
Good question.
@winedavid49 @wccwinegirl
Which is it, really?
2018 or 2021?
@jevanson @rjquillin @WCCWineGirl @winecaseaholic @Winedavid49
The labrat bottle was 2018. This also lines up with the Parker vintage rating cited in the writeup. Seems pretty definitively a 2018 offering with a 2020 bottle image used by mistake unless another labrat reports receiving a different vintage.
@jevanson @michaepf @rjquillin @winecaseaholic @Winedavid49 It’s a 2018 vintage
@jevanson @michaepf @rjquillin @winecaseaholic @Winedavid49 Sorry for the vintage confusion, the offer is for the 2018 vintage.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Wayra Estate Malbec - $60 = 30.76%
How can I resist “It smells expensive.”?!
/giphy drain-insidious-clove
Ditto
/giphy illiterate-cloying-arch
@shizzle @salcorn
Yeah, that’s a whiff, really should have included that in the highlight.
I’m in for a whiff!
incredulous-sly-worm
@Allieroon Soooo weird
UPS tried to thwart me and almost succeeded. In case anyone hasn’t made a purchasing decision yet I thought I’d add a few thoughts.
Per the responses above, this is indeed the 2018 vintage:
Malbec is my least favorite of the popular red varietals, so I’ll try to use objective rather than subjective descriptions.
Dark. Dark in the glass. Dark on the nose (baked fruit - blackberry, hardwood). Medium tannin. Medium acid. Dry but not super dry. Not complex but pleasant.
Subjectively, I think someone who likes Malbec would like this wine but not find it memorable. If you were at the grocery store and needed to pick up a bottle, saw this and brought it home for $22, you would feel like you made a good choice.
@pupator if I were shopping for the label I would buy this one
First buy in a few years, hooray!
special-steadfast-lobster
/giphy ill-advised-wasted-chair