Malbec Unplugged

Valot goes “Bare” with nation’s first white Malbec

By Michael Alberty

Consider MTV’s “Unplugged” a cautionary tale for people making white wines with red grapes. Stripping down something familiar to its basics can result in Korn (awful) or Nirvana (transcendent). The new white Malbec from Valcan Cellars fits happily in the latter category.

If you’ve never tasted a white Malbec, you’re not alone. There are as many “Jumanji” movies (four) in the world today as there are white Malbec producers. Valcan Cellars recently joined the club with its 2019 “Bare” White Malbec ($22).

“Bare” is the first white Malbec released by an American winery. No surprise it’s made by a guy born and raised in the modern Mecca of Malbec: Mendoza, Argentina.

Juan Pablo “JP” Valot’s ancestors packed their love of growing grapes and making wine when they left Italy and France for Argentina over a century ago. Many of Valot’s relatives, including his grandfather and father, worked in Argentina’s wine industry.

Valot is, however, the first member of his family to ponder making a white Malbec. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while now, but I wondered if the reason I didn’t see anybody making one was that it was a bad idea, or if they just hadn’t thought of it yet,” Valot said.

Another reason Valot hesitated had to do with Brix, the measurement of a grape’s sugar level. He needs low Brix numbers to give his white Malbec elevated acidity and lower alcohol. The Malbec grapes he received from Southern Oregon over the years were typically in the 24 to 25 Brix range, too high for Valot’s elusive great white Malbec.

In 2019, he finally struck white gold. Valot was introduced to a Rogue Valley vineyard owner hoping to unload his Malbec crop. “The grapes were picked in October, but the tests said 20 Brix. The seeds were brown, and there was a lot of flavor. I couldn’t believe my luck,” Valot said.

Valot didn’t know why the Brix numbers were so low that late in the season, but he suspects a combination of cooler temperatures, rain and possibly overcropping. No matter the reason, he wasn’t looking this gift horse in the mouth.