Andeluna and Padrillos Malbec 2009, Two under 12 bucks plenty of life in two different styles from Uco valley

Andeluna Malbec 2009 By Andeluna Cellars & Padrillos Malbec 2009 By Ernesto Catena, USD 11 USD


Two magnific malbecs with all the virtues of Uco Valley (Andeluna from Tupungato and Padrillos from Vistaflores). Both show dominant fruit ripe and sweet a bit toward black cherries Andeluna, a bit to red cherries Padrillos.
Padrillos keeps fruity dominant with nice acidity and alcohol balance.
Andeluna offers nice chocolaty and coffee envelope with a smoky edge quite alluring.
Both are quite attractive, one toward pure fruit and naturally driven components while the other toward oaky complexity. Both should be enjoyed young (like first 4 years) to keep the braveness and balance and probably will get weak when terciary notes emerge afterwards. Both are great values from high mendoza lands and you may go 88 or 89 points either one. I prefer 89 Andeluna but some palate and my self down the road might go the other way around.