A plush, polished Malbec for steak night and dinners worth lingering over

Rutini Trumpeter RESERVE Malbec is the sort of red to pour when you want generous fruit and a smooth, settled feel in the glass. Ripe plum, cassis and wild strawberry take centre stage, followed by a gentle floral lift. The fruit carries through a long, rounded finish, while a soft, juicy grip keeps it satisfying rather than heavy.

That balance makes this an inviting bottle to open with steak or grilled beef, or alongside roast lamb on a relaxed Sunday. It has enough presence for Argentine chorizo and empanadas, while its fruit and polish make mature cheese and a charcuterie board feel like a proper occasion.

This is a Malbec for a barbecue that runs into the evening, a celebratory dinner at home or a thoughtful gift for someone who enjoys a fuller, fruit-led Argentine red with a little extra refinement.

Why you’ll love it

• It feels smooth and generous, with a soft, juicy grip that lets the fruit stay centre stage.
• Ripe plum, cassis and wild strawberry give it a rich, welcoming dark- and red-fruit character.
• A gentle floral note and fresh fruit lift keep the palate lively as well as rounded.
• It is made for steak, grilled beef and roast lamb, and is equally at home with chorizo, empanadas or mature cheese.
• Its rounded texture and lingering finish bring an extra layer of polish without masking the Malbec fruit.

The story behind the wine

Rutini’s story reaches back to 1885, when Felipe Rutini founded Bodega La Rural in Coquimbito, Maipú. It is a useful piece of context for a bottle like this: the house combines a long Mendoza heritage with an early commitment to the Uco Valley, where it began planting vineyards around 1924.

Tupungato, the source of this Malbec, lies in Mendoza’s Uco Valley and is recognised in the approved product information as a high-altitude wine area. Rutini later established its Tupungato winery, where the producer says the Trumpeter line is made. That connection gives this wine a clear sense of place within a producer that has been working with the Uco Valley for generations.

For the 2023 wine, hand-harvested 100% Malbec is fermented in stainless-steel tanks, then completes malolactic fermentation — a natural winemaking stage that softens the texture. Twelve months in French oak, using 20% new and 80% second-use barrels, helps shape the rounded, creamy feel and long finish without obscuring the plum, cassis and wild-strawberry character.

Wine details