Guide to Malbec

Malbecaccounts for 20 hectares of Ferngrove’s 300 hectare estate. As of the latest available data, Australia has approximately 562 hectares ofMalbecplanted, accounting for less than 1% of the nation's total vineyard area. This makesMalbecthe 12th most planted red variety in Australia.

Frankland River is renowned for its growing season, which mirrors Bordeaux, with warm days and cool nights, an ideal climate for this variety. In 1998, the Ferngrove winemaking team recognised an opportunity to incorporate Malbec into Cabernet Sauvignon blends. Following several promising vintages in the early 2000s, the decision was made to pick, ferment, and bottle Malbec as a single-varietal wine.

Ferngrove cultivates three distinct blocks ofMalbec, all managed using vertical shoot positioning. One block runs east–west, planted along the contour beside our bushland reserve, reflecting our founding philosophy of preserving natural landscapes. Soils across the blocks vary from shallow sandy gravel over red friable clay to sandy loam over white and grey clay, imparting subtle differences in the grapes.

Situated in the deep south of Western Australia, Frankland River offers a unique microclimate that givesMalbeca distinct perfumed aroma unlike any other Australian region.Ferngrove Malbecsreveal classic varietal characters, mulberry, plum, and dark fruits, alongside notes of tobacco, bay leaf, and plush chocolate. The style leans closer to Bordeaux than the more fruit-forward expressions of Argentina.

Ferngrove Wines is one of the few in the Great Southern to produce straight Malbec. We invite you to explore this captivating variety…

Malbec, originally from Bordeaux, France, is today most widely cultivated in Argentina. Unlike other French clarets, it is unique in not having Cabernet Franc as a parent grape. Its intriguing character stems from a rare cross of two lesser-known varieties: Magdeleine and Prunelard.

Although its popularity has declined in Bordeaux, Malbec remains prominent in nearby Cahors in south-west France, and has been planted in wine regions across the globe, from Chile and Portugal to the USA and Australia.

Part of Malbec’s historical decline is due to its susceptibility to disease and variable performance. After devastating frosts in France in 1956, many vignerons took the opportunity to replant with more reliable varieties such as Merlot. Even in Argentina, where Malbec is now considered the nation’s signature grape, a government-led vine pull in the 1980s reduced plantings from 150,000 hectares to just 10,000. However, renewed demand and the commercial success of the Argentine Malbec style have brought plantings back to around 25,000 hectares.

In Australia, Malbec was largely overlooked until the mid-1990s, partly due to the limited quality of available clonal material. Nevertheless, historical records, includingThe Oxford Companion to Wine,note that the Clare Valley had a strong reputation for Malbec even before this period. With modern viticultural techniques and a deeper understanding of Malbec’s potential, plantings in Australia increased sevenfold between 1995 and 2003.

Traditionally, Malbec has been used primarily as a blending grape to soften other varietals, with few winemakers highlighting it as a standalone wine. This, however, is beginning to change. Thanks to climatic parallels between Australian and French regions, careful vineyard management now allows Malbec to shine on its own, revealing its full depth and complexity.