Goulart’s Vineyards

While Argentine Malbec is somewhat of a commercial hit, too many importers are trying to cash in on the fast money. In a recent tasting of over 50 Malbecs and Malbec/Cabernet blends, we found a bevy of simple, often simply clumsy wines, and at least a dozen wines that had been cooked in transit. We had to work pretty hard to find a handful of counter-examples, all drawn from rare old-vine holdings. This wine — the 2007 Goulart “The Marshall,” is what the best of Mendoza is all about — wonderfully sweet old-vine purity and excellent persistence. The story behind the wine is no less captivating.

In 1998, Erika Goulart was feeling nostalgiac. Brazilian by birth, she was sifting through boxes of old family documents. She was particularly intrigued by the papers that described the life of her grandfather, a Brazilian commander who led a battalion during the civil war. But while reading through the letters of Marshall Goulart, letters that included references to her grandfather’s exile to Argentina from Brazil, she discovered something that would not only change her life, but change the landscape of Mendozan Malbec.

Erika discovered what appeared to be title to a property acquired by her grandfather during his exile. Half curious about the property and half feeding her nostalgiac whim, Erika traveled from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. But even when she first saw her grandfather’s now 75-year-old property set at almost 3,000 feet in elevation, she didn’t know what she’d discovered.

It didn’t take too long to find out. Erika hired Mauricio Parodi, one of Mendoza’s best known agronomists. Not long after, they formed a partnership. Why? Planted in 1915 to Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon in Lujan de Cuyo — the epicenter of Mendoza’s top growing regions — Parodi believed, given proper attention, this low-yielding vineyard could produce exquisite wines, potentially among the very best of Argentina.

Since we were introduced to Goulart two years ago, the wines have been uniformly superb, always packed with deep, lush fruit, always immaculately made and chiseled. But this release, the 2007 “The Marshall” is at another level. It seems Goulart and Parodi are finally fulfilling the promise of this precious vineyard, discovered improbably in the Buenos Aires study.

This is one of those wines that’s just hard not to like. Packed with the ripe, luscious fruit that explains the Malbec phenomenon, “The Marshall” has great density, purity, and perfect chiseled cleanliness.

Tasting Notes

“The 2007 “The Marshall” is 100% Malbec aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up a nose of toasty new oak, cinnamon, allspice, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. On the palate it is rich, savory, and plush bordering on opulent. With excellent depth and grip, this substantial effort will evolve for another 2-3 years and offer prime drinking from 2011 to 2029.”
91 points — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate