| Malbec | 100.0% |
| Serving Temperature | 18.0 |
| Alcohol | 13.4% |
| Drinking Start Year | 2014 |
| Drinking End Year | 2019 |
A strikingly vibrant purple/red colour in the glass, the 2012 Malbec possesses a concentrated bouquet of black cherries, black pepper, cocoa, and pomegranate, with a hint of violet. An unmistakable gravelly mineral element gives the wine an uplifting freshness. Rich and generous dark berry fruits on the palate, follows with super-ripe and fine, silky tannins.
The winter of 2012 was warmer and drier than in previous years with vine development starting very early in the season. An extremely warm March was followed by significantly cooler temperatures and frost in April. While devastating for many of our neighboring tender fruit growers, our vineyard buds had not yet "woken" to spring when the frosts hit and the crop thankfully did not suffer. Bud break did occur about 16 days earlier than usual which extended the length of the growing season. Summer temperatures continued to be above average with July being much drier than normal. Overall, the hot, dry climate resulted in the best growing season for Stratus to date and provided flawless fruit for an impressive lineup of wines.
