Fermented and macerated in concrete with 30% whole clusters, the 2019 Malbec As Bravas El Cepillo is 93% Malbec with 7% Sémillon. Modern on the nose, it offers fine herbs, plum and an attractive reductive note. It is dry and compact, with a talc-like texture, gaining depth of flavor and leaving a red-fruit tone toward the back of the palate. This is quite modern in the way its profile works. Extended aging in foudre serves as a precision tool, preserving the freshness of the fruit while bringing polish and refinement to the texture. Few wines evoke El Cepillo with such clarity. When it comes to defining Malbec from this place, As Bravas is an essential reference.-- By Joaquín Hidalgo

Produced from a high-density vineyard co-planted with a small portion of Sémillon, the 2019 As Bravas Malbec El Cepillo is an outstanding follow-up to the 2018 iteration. Fermented in concrete, macerated for 80 days and matured for 64 months in very old foudre, then aged for an additional year in bottle, it serves as a compelling testament to the growing momentum El Cepillo is enjoying compared with better-known sections of the Uco Valley. It leads with the quiet, composed nature I find consistent with this bottling, slowly unfurling a detailed, black-fruited bouquet laden with numerous spice-driven overtones, a gourmand base of black licorice and perfumed floral flourishes. Rich, velvety and spherical on the palate yet seemingly weightless, it culminates in a palate-staining yet supremely elegant finish of blooming, powdery tannins, savory undertones and measured, persistent acidity. Relative to its Gualtallary counterpart, which I found even more multifaceted, it presents a prettier, more understated profile, although ranking the two is an exercise in hair-splitting that places one in a fortunate yet frustrating situation.- Matthew Luczy