2015 Pascual Toso Reserva Malbec Barrancas Vineyards Mendoza 750 ml

With the saw-toothed Andes standing dramatically behind us and the sun setting quickly on a warm day, it was crystal clear what had convinced Italian immigrant Pascual Toso to put down roots in Mendoza more than a century ago—and what still makes it ground zero for intense, crowd-pleasing reds like the James Suckling 92-point 2015 Pascual Toso Reserva Malbec Barrancas. 

In this unique micro-climate, hot sunny days, dry weather, varied soils, and frigid nights all converge to produce Malbec of exquisite character and concentration. Add the touch of Opus One veteran and 100-point consulting winemaker Paul Hobbs and you’ve got today’s stellar Reserva Malbec, a standout value from a Wine Access favorite producer. It shows a dark ruby red core and vivid magenta rim, with aromas of strawberry, black pepper, and cocoa bursting forth, accented by violet and lilac. It’s all delivered on a rich, sturdy structure gliding into a long finish tinged with freshly roasted espresso. 

The Malbec Reserva is sourced from Las Barrancas in Maipú, where Pascual Toso’s best vineyards are located. Here, warm temperatures and hot sunlight virtually guarantee perfect levels of ripeness for the grape, while westerly winds, along with steeply dropping temperatures at night, keep things fresh and cool. A slightly lower altitude than some of the region’s vineyards makes for a softer-structured, plush wine, which is further smoothed by a full year in French and American oak. After six more months in bottle, the Reserva Malbec sports a gorgeously supple mouthfeel and silky tannins.

Wandering the vineyards gave us first-hand insight into what was happening in the Mendoza vineyards that produce the Toso wines. There were calicatas, or test pits, dug up between the rows. At the bottom of one excavation, exposed granite. Just a few yards away, a hole bottomed out in dense clay. These local pits, we were told, marked a renaissance in the region’s winemaking, signaling a desire to uncover, understand, and capture the nuances of terroir even among value-priced producers.

Then, we tasted the wines of Pascual Toso at our first traditional Argentine asado. We did our best to keep up, alternating bites of charred and juicy wood-grilled beef with sips of Pascual Toso’s concentrated, energetic reds—which were a perfect pairing, especially with this silken, full-bodied Reserva.

The 2015 Reserva is more than ready to be your right-hand wine throughout the fall and winter, whether you serve it with rich grilled meats, asado style, or just enjoy bottle after bottle on its own.