SOLD OUT! This was the first vintage of Gratia Malbec we ever worked with, and we’re extremely psyched to have it back in the store.
While other local stores are selling the delicious 2011 vintage, we were able to get our hands on some perfectly aged juice that is drinking like a $30 to $40 bottle of wine. If you’ve never enjoyed a wine with some age on it, this is a grand opportunity to do so.
2009 Bodega Gratia Malbec
Rich, ripe, round and satisfying!
SOLD OUT
Asheville-based importer Eric Scheffer is the driving force behind Bodega Gratia. Scheffer, who also owns Vinnie’s in North Asheville, previously worked in the motion picture and advertising business, and his work frequently took him to Argentina. While there, he met Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, the same team who partner with Paul Hobbs for his Cobos wines. Eric tasted their wines, became an immediate fan, and set out to create his own brand with their help. The rest is history, as the Gratia wines have taken hold in the store and throughout the state.
There are several parallels between the Gratia wines and Paul Hobbs’ Cobos and Bramare wines. The viticultural and winemaking team are the same, in the form of Marchiori (the vineyard owner/viticulturist) and Barraud (the winemaker), and this dynamic duo is considered one of the most skilled and adept in all of Argentina.
The fruit source is the same as well. The majestic Marchiori Vineyard, with Malbec vines up to 75 years of age, provides the key component, really good grapes. At the end of the day, we’ve tasted the Gratia wines side by side with Hobbs’ Argentinean wines and they’re all great wines. The only difference is that the Gratia wines sell for about half the price!
The 2009 Bodega Gratia Malbec pours a lovely, deep, dark, opaque color and immediately bursts out of the glass with aromas of creme de cassis, blueberry, black cherry, brown sugar, coffee and dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine is rich, full, seamless and flavor packed with notes of baked blueberry, raspberry and black cherry followed by nuances of high grade, toasty oak as revealed by notions of mocha, spice box, cedar and dark chocolate.
Terms like decadent, opulent, and hedonistic come to mind! Tasted blind, we’d give this a solid 93 point score and we’d guess that the wine would hit the shelf at at least $30 a bottle. We would be wrong, and we’re excited to offer this one at an incredible price!
You won’t find the 2009 Bodega Gratia Malbec anywhere else in the country, and our supplies are limited.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville