In this on‑site interview, host SPEAKER A moves from the barrel room to the tank room to sample the Stolen Horse 2011 Old Vine Single Berry Malbec two days before bottling. Winemaker Santiago Achaval (SPEAKER B) explains that the tasting is a final quality check before the wine is transferred to bottles on Thursday. He describes the wine as a major expression of fruit and Mendoza terroir, noting the soft, velvet‑like tannins created by the region’s intense sunlight. Achaval recommends about one year of bottle aging before release, arguing that Mendoza Malbecs mature more quickly than comparable Cabernet from Bordeaux. The conversation ends with a brief Spanish exchange expressing excitement to drink the wine.
Chapters
Moved from the barrel room to the tank room, and we're standing in front of a tank of Stolen Horse 2011. Santiago, give us your impression.
Well, first, this is work. It looks like fun, but it's a lot of work. It's not just drinking. But this is the best time to taste a wine that is not yet bottled. Why? Because we are two days away from bottling. Today is Tuesday. On Thursday, we will be bottling two small tanks of Stolen Horse Old Vine Single Berry Malbec. And what are we doing here? We're just checking it out. Actually, we couldn't do anything different. The wine is what the wine is, but we just want to make sure it's ready for bottle. So. Now it's only a function of opening the tank, letting it flow, try not to drip on the floor, and try to see where the wine arrived to. What place is the wine in right now? And this is a wine that— the only thing I can like to All I can say is yes!
Sí, sí, sí!
No, I'm not spinning. This is a major wine, a wine of both fruit and vineyard. Character of Mendoza in the Malbec and terroir of the minerality of the This is, this is, this is what we want to make. I'm very happy with this.
When will people be able to taste it, purchase it, own
it? A year from now, I'd say. A year of bottle time would be what I'd judge. We need to open along that curve of bottle aging, but My judgment is a year.
And Malbecs don't need as much time, or similar to other regions?
It depends a lot on your vineyard management, but the Mendoza sunlight, the quality of the sunlight in Mendoza creates an influence on the tannin development that makes it easier to drink as a young wine. Tannins are velvet here. Are round or soft, so it doesn't need as much bottle time as a Cabernet from Bordeaux, for example. You would need it to to be able to enjoy it while drinking.
Fantastic. How do you say in Spanish? I can't wait to drink this wine.
