2013 Casarena Reservado Malbec Lujan De Cuyo Mendoza 750 ml

Luján de Cuyo’s True Colors Shine Bright Through Casarena’s Opulent Red

The WineAccess wine team loves a great Argentine steakhouse. The country is famous for producing some of the world’s best beef, and on a recent venture into NYC, we finally snagged the chimichurri recipe (the traditional Argentine steak sauce) from El Almacén, our favorite Argentine restaurant in Brooklyn’s hip Williamsburg neighborhood.

We decided to whip up a batch of our own chimichurri, throw some butcher’s cuts on the grill, and crack a bottle of our favorite “everyday” Argentine steak wine: the Casarena “Reservado” Malbec from Luján de Cuyo. The salty, chewy steaks, paired with the brooding, dark wine, was a match made in heaven. First thing the next day, we sent an e-mail to the importer asking how much of the current release — the 2013 — we could get our hands on.

Why this Malbec? Here’s why.

Mendoza is a high desert, with vineyards for Casarena averaging around 3,100 feet in elevation, presenting a sunny climate with almost no disease or pressure from pests. Healthy crops are a regular occurrence, rather than an exception. Furthermore, the massive high desert day-night temperature shift allows grapes to reach huge phenolic ripeness amidst daytime sunshine, while preserving fresh, natural acids over chilly nights.

Malbec is also perfectly suited to Mendoza’s arid climate. Black and burly, similar to its Bordeaux counterpart Cabernet Sauvignon, it is reliably dark, inky, and structured, while also almost suggesting at Syrah’s meatiness.

Luján de Cuyo, where Casarena is centered, is one of the most sought-after growing regions in the entirety of Mendoza, rivaled only by the higher-altitude Valle de Uco. The wine is sourced from four separate single vineyards all controlled and farmed by Casarena. If you ever visit Mendoza, we’ll set you up with a visit and tour of their historic, fully restored winery, which was first built in 1937. Bring along an appetite.  

If you’re a fan of powerful, intense reds, the Casarena Malbec Reservado 2013 is the perfect answer to all your “everyday” wine needs — see our tasting note below.