Malbec Don David Reserve 2017

Bodega El Esteco


The Don David range are the flagship wines of the Bodega El Esteco estate named in homage to the winery founder David Michel.

Terroir: Each selection in the Don David range is sourced from entirely estate owned vineyards throughout the Cafayate Valley. Vineyards sit at elevations well above 3,000 feet with many sitting above 6,000 feet. The power of the sun at these elevations combined with very little moisture or pests leads to wines of unique purity and concentration.

Vinification: Concentration and varietal expression are the goals of both the red and white wines in this range. The red wines undergo a 5 hour thin covering maceration which extracts additional concentration followed by more than a week of cold maceration in steel tank and 9 months in the cellars in a combination of French and American oak.

The flagship red varietal of Argentina. This wine shows plum, red fruits, spicy black cherries and cassis with toasted oak notes on the nose and palate. Ripe fruit and linear acidity balance strong but soft, ripe tannins.

El Esteco Don David Malbec 2017 – Winery Overview & Score

Additional Information

Displaying expressive plum jam, raisin and pipe tobacco aromas, with toasty vanilla notes, the wine has balanced, spicy dark fruits and cassis, almond and nutty notes on the long finish.

Technical Details

  • Appellation: Calchaquí Valley
  • Winemaker: Alejandro Daniel Pepa
  • Sustainability: Sustainable Practices
  • Soil: Sand, Gravel
  • Alcohol: 14%
  • Ttl Acidity: 6.1 g/l
  • Residual Sugar: 3.95 g/l
  • Pack Size: 12/750ml
  • Varietals: 100% Malbec

Recent Press

  • Score: 90 Points

    Wine Spectator Author: Kim Marcus
    Date: Friday, November 30, 2018
    "Smart Buy. Dried red fruit flavors are lively, offering a surplus of rich, dried savory herb notes. Accents of hot stone and white pepper flood the finish. Drink now through 2023."
  • Score: 90 Points

    JamesSuckling.com Author: James Suckling
    Date: Friday, September 14, 2018
    "Violets, blueberries, mahogany and cloves. Medium body, fine tannins, lovely fresh acidity and a round finish. Drink now."
  • Score: 89 Points

    Vinous Author: Stephen Tanzer
    Date: Sunday, July 1, 2018
    "Bright red-ruby. Blackberry, dark chocolate, licorice, violet and spices on the nose. Nicely intense and delineated in the mouth, showing a suave, smooth texture and lovely inner-mouth lift to its slightly wild dark berry and violet flavors. Fine-grained, fruit-driven wine with lovely saline mineral energy and a smoothly tannic, deceptively long back end."

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