The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2021
Red WineIssue 23

Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2021

Bodega Norton (Swarovski family) · Bodega Norton, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

~$1814.5% proofFrom Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco in Mendoza, Argentina, this Reserva Malbec is the culmination of a triple migration.
Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec is the taste of a grape that found its true home six thousand miles from where it started.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Expressive and inviting—ripe blackcurrant, black plum, and dark cherry lead, with violets, baking spices, and a subtle tobacco leaf note.

Palate

Medium to full-bodied with soft, silky tannins. Black plum and brambly blackberry are layered with cedar, stone dust, and a savory edge.

Finish

Medium-long, with persistent blackcurrant, cedar, and a fine-grained tannic grip that resolves into warmth.

Specifications
Blend
100% Malbec
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Cocktail — The Andean Sangria: 1 bottle Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec, 2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange liqueur, 1 cup mixed dark berries.

Food Pairing

Pair with: Argentine-style grilled skirt steak (entraña) with chimichurri.

Train These Aromas
More from Bodega Norton, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
Redbreast Lustau Edition
Irish Whiskey

Redbreast Lustau Edition

Irish Distillers (Pernod Ricard)

The Lustau Edition is Redbreast's most layered expression — a whiskey that seems to change shape in the glass. That final year in Lustau's first-fill Oloroso butts doesn't overpower the pot still character; it adds a last chapter to an already complex story.

$8092 (46% ABV) proof
Cragganmore 12 Year Old
Scotch Whisky

Cragganmore 12 Year Old

Diageo

Cragganmore 12 is the Speyside malt that rewards the patient nose. Where many single malts deliver their story in one dramatic chapter, Cragganmore reads like a novel with slow-building subplots. Those unique T-shaped lyne arms create a spirit of genuine complexity that unfolds over an hour in the glass.

$5080 (40% ABV) proof
Old Grand-Dad 114
Bourbon

Old Grand-Dad 114

Beam Suntory

Old Grand-Dad 114 is the thinking drinker's value bourbon — a bottle that punches so far above its price point it almost feels like a mistake. That 27% rye mash bill, nearly double the industry average, gives it a backbone of spice that would overwhelm a lesser whiskey, but here it serves as architecture for layers of caramel, chocolate, and charred oak to hang upon. The high proof isn't a gimmick — it's a magnifying glass, amplifying nuances that lower-proof expressions wash away. At under thirty-five dollars, this is a bottle that seasoned bourbon drinkers quietly recommend to one another.

$28114 (57% ABV) proof
Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten Casks
Rum

Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten Casks

St. Lucia Distillers Group of Companies

The Forgotten Casks is the rum world's most eloquent argument for the virtue of accidental patience. Those extra years of unplanned aging produced a rum of remarkable layered depth at a price that would be impossible if it were intentional.

$4580 (40% ABV) proof
More Red Wine Reviews