Award-Winning Estate Malbec from the Sierra Foothills
The 2016 Malbec Reserve was the wine that changed everything — 97 points and #1 at the International Women's Wine & Spirits Competition, sold out online before we had a tasting room. Every Malbec Reserve since has landed in the mid-90s with gold medals.
Malbec isn't easy. It wants heat, it wants stress, and it punishes sites that give it an easy life. That's exactly what we have in the Sierra foothills — sandy loam soil over decomposed granite, 100°F summer days, nights that collapse into the 40s, and vines that have to dig for everything they get.
At Apetahi, Malbec is one of our five estate varietals. The vines are hand-pruned in winter, hand-picked at harvest, and never see outside fruit. Clean farming, clean wines. What comes out of the bottle is the site speaking, undiluted.
In the cellar we cold soak for days, run extended maceration, and age in a careful mix of French and neutral oak. The goal is not to cover the fruit — the goal is to give it time to arrive.
The current release is the 2019 Malbec Reserve. It carries the site's signature — deep violet color, black plum, bittersweet chocolate, a tannin structure that softens after twenty minutes in the glass. Built to age a decade or more, drinking beautifully right now.
Currently available
Black plum, violet, bittersweet chocolate. Structured tannin that softens in the glass.
Built to age 10–15 years. Drinking beautifully now.
Buy or learn moreWhat to pour it with
- Grilled lamb — especially with rosemary
- Ribeye or New York strip, rare to medium
- Mushroom risotto or truffle pasta
- Aged hard cheeses — Manchego, aged Gouda
- Dark chocolate — 70% cacao and up
Taste it at the tasting room
Polynesian Girl Winery, 6020 Grizzly Flat Rd, Somerset CA. Open Friday 1–5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 11–5 PM.
Plan your visitFrequently asked
- Is Polynesian Girl Malbec estate-grown?
- Yes. Malbec is one of our five estate varietals, grown at Apetahi in the Fair Play AVA of El Dorado County, California.
- What award did the 2016 Reserve win?
- #1 in Class and 97 points at the 2017 International Women's Wine & Spirits Competition. The bottling sold out online before our tasting room opened.
- Which vintage is currently available?
- The 2019 Malbec Reserve. Available at the Somerset tasting room and through our main store at polynesiangirlwine.com.
- Is this a women-made wine?
- Yes. Tatiana Vander Velde farms, harvests, and makes every bottle. Women winemakers are rare in California, and her palate shapes the house style.
- How do your Malbec Reserves age?
- Our structured Malbec Reserves are built to cellar 10–15 years. The tannin integrates and the dark fruit opens up with time in bottle.
- Where can I taste the Malbec?
- At the Polynesian Girl Tasting Room: 6020 Grizzly Flat Rd, Somerset CA. Open Friday 1–5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 11–5 PM.