Bodega Norton Norton Malbec D.O.C. 2021 750ml

Lots of fruit and flowers here. Elegant violets, dark cherries and a fine twist of peppery spice. Quite juicy on the medium-bodied palate with nice tension to the fine-grained tannins. Round, pristine and well-balanced. Drink now. (Zekun Shuai)

From Luján de Cuyo, the 2021 Malbec was aged for six months in used barrels. The nose offers ripe plum with jam and oak notes. Plush and dry on the palate with a velvety texture and full body. Expressive and fluid. A pleasant red, exactly what one would hope for from a Luján de Cuyo Malbec. The continued significance of this wine—whose style hasn’t charged much over the years—is evidence of the variety’s success with consumers. (Joaquín Hidalgo)

Norton first produced the D.O.C. wine from Luján de Cuyo in 1991, but somehow, I had never tasted it officially. The 2021 D.O.C., the first (and only) real appellation of origin in Argentina, is the first D.O.C. wine I tasted. It was produced with grapes from the different districts, Perdriel, Agrelo, Las Compuertas, Vistalba and Lunlunta and made in the most traditional and classical style but with clean fruit and clean oak, direct and straight. It has good ripeness, 14% alcohol and a textbook profile. They shortened the time in oak (changing the regulations of the appellation of origin), and this was in barrel for only six months and then transferred to concrete. It’s balanced and elegant with very fine tannins and the violet notes of Malbec, velvety, gentle and easy to drink. They do 600,000 bottles of this. It’s a great value and a great example of the Malbec in Luján. (Luis Gutiérrez)

A straightforward yet textbook example of Luján de Cuyo, the 2023 Malbec D.O.C. fermented in concrete and aged six months in barrique before returning to concrete for another 12 months. It opens with a nose of black and blue fruits accented by floral notes and asphalt aromas. The palate is plush and seamless, concluding with a fruity finish balanced with discreet tannins and a savory undertone. (Matthew Luczy)