Big and forward but still elegant, which is what we like. Spice and bold black fruit carry the bouquet, which leads straight to a smooth palate flush with berry, plum and cola flavors. Finishes like glass, meaning it’s super smooth. A voluptuous but balanced wine, with only the slightest hint of syrup. Drink now.
— M.S.
(12/1/2008)
Three years after tasting Ksana’s 2005 Reserva, the Gran version is displaying cola, blackberry, coconut and chocolate aromas. In the mouth, however, it’s drawn and tartaric, with cutting acidity pushing tangy flavors of red fruits softened by coconutty oak. Cleansing on the finish but lacking the body, depth and weight you’d expect from a 300-case, top-end wine…
— M.S.
(3/1/2012)
Floral on the nose, with reduced, dark aromas that suggest campfire and/or shoe polish. The palate has firm tannins and lots of extract, while the flavors of blackberry are both ripe and floral. Finishes spicy and dark, with coffee, licorice and anise flavors. More spicy than pure and fruity.
— M.S.
(5/1/2011)
Berry fruit with a charcoal accent make for perfectly adequate starting aromas. The palate, however, is more tangy and sharp-edged than you might expect, and thus there’s driving red-fruit flavors but not much cushion or variance. Solid enough but a touch choppy on the finish. Most leading Malbecs have a bit more stuffing than this one, which seems tight.
— M.S.
(12/1/2008)
Something about this high-end Malbec is strange. And in this case, “strange” doesn’t mean bad, it just means very different and a little distracting. Right off the bat there’s an herbal/exotic edge to the nose, and that translates onto the palate. Is it body oil or crushed flowers or what? Something is unusual, and in the end the tried and true might be preferable…
— M.S.
(12/1/2008)
The bouquet is floral and lightly jammy, with berry aromas and a savory note or two. Turns a touch soupy and salty in the mouth, where the red fruit flavors thin out quickly. Finishes without much punch, but at least it’s solid.
— M.S.
(8/1/2011)
Reedy and green on the nose, then choppy and clipped on the palate. For a full-priced Malbec, this is lacking in ripeness, body and finesse; it’s prickly and limited, with green bean, rhubarb and cranberry flavors. Not bad but underwhelming for $33.
— M.S.
(3/1/2012)