Malbec

wines

So much orange peel to the dark berries and ripe fruit. But never over the top. Medium-to full-bodied with medium-round tannins and a savory finish. Just a hint of chocolate and walnut. Nice subtlety to the depth. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSFollowing the path of the 2018, the 2019 Appellation Paraje Altamira Malbec is phenomenal. It shows freshness, elegance, balance, complexity and nuance as well. It’s seamless, precise and ethereal with lots of inner energy and light. As the 2018 was, it’s expressive and floral, varietal and with the full chalky texture that is a distinct characteristic of Altamira. It’s tasty, the tannins are polished and there is an almost salty sensation in the finish. It was bottled in April 2020, and volume has now grown to 54,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPParaje Altamira is one of the most popular terroirs in Argentina. This Malbec was aged in 35% new wood and possesses a nose of fresh boysenberry, blackberry and plum plus well-defined notes of violet and herb. In the mouth it shifts from chalky texture to voluminous freshness, with tight, polished tannins that shape the long, fruity finish. A textbook wine for the terroir.Vinous Media | 92 VM

I’m splitting hairs here, because the level is so high in the Malbecs from the Piedra Infinita vineyard that it’s difficult to say, but the coup de coeur is the 2019 Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal, the single-plot bottling from the shallower soils with lots of rocks covered in calcium carbonate (hence the name: "superlime"). In a cooler year like 2019, this wine achieved a level of precision, austerity, elegance and balance that is amazing. The wine floats in the mouth, with an ethereal quality but with the clout and power from the place. The wine is juicy and fresh with a saline twist in the finish. This is approachable now because of its gobsmacking balance and elegance, but it has all the components and the balance between them to age for a long time in bottle. Bravo! 1,400 bottles were filled in June 2020. They told me that it’s always a challenge to decide the picking date for this plot, and they feel they hit the bull’s eye in 2019. And rightly so.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2019 Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal from Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley was aged in concrete and made with grapes from a parcel of soils rich in calcium carbonate. It’s purple in hue. The 2019 has an austere aromatic profile in which clear fresh plum notes are accompanied by violets, lavender and bay leaf. It’s compact yet juicy in the mouth with a pure, chalky texture. The structure is linear for a Malbec, almost skeletal in fact, ensuring that the flavors at the back of the throat reverberate with a mixture of delicate aromas over the taut palate. This wine is a successfully executed statement about winemaking and the house style.Vinous Media | 98 VMDeep but scented nose of black cherries, blueberries, dried violets, graphite, ink and chalk. Very primary, and certainly all about the intrinsic side of the fruit. White pepper and fleshy, deep black cherries on the palate. The tannin is immaculate, but so powerful, with fine austerity, which is evenly distributed, but in an electric way, seeping into the naturally concentrated and succulent fruit. Violets and spices in the finish. Probably the most powerful of the three Piedra Infinita range of reds tasted. An intellectual, austere but resolved malbec. Look elsewhere if you are after oak plushness. Intrinsic and beautiful. Around 1,000 bottles made. Unique. Better after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JS

What a nose! Complex and brooding, yet subtle and layered. The array of aromas range from scented violets and blueberries to dried herbs and minerals. Full-bodied with racy dark cherries and blueberries on the palate. Incredibly zingy and fresh, coated by a plethora of fine, polished tannins that dissipate into the fruit. That said, this is quite assertive. Chalky finish. Long and intellectual. A little more expressive than the powerful Supercal. Drinkable now, but it will reward patience over the next decade.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2019 Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal is an earthier wine with notes of graphite. It was selected from a plot within their Piedra Infinita vineyard around the beautiful winery in Paraje Altamira, where there are some 40 centimeters of soil and then the limestone-covered white and round alluvial rocks. It feels drier (despite all of them being dry) than the Piedra Infinita, which is a blend of soils, and little less refined than the Supercal that really shines in 2019. All these bottlings have achieved very high precision and purity, but somehow there is something that makes it less clean and precise than its siblings. 1,250 bottles were filled in June 2020.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal from Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley was aged in concrete and made with grapes from a specially selected segment of gravel and a seam of calcium carbonate. It’s purple in the glass. The 2019 has an outgoing nose of violet, cherry and plum with hints of mint and herbs before late developing lavender aromas appear. In the mouth, it’s vigorous with a chalky texture that’s expansive initially before tightening up in a two-stage palate: at first one gets the sweetness and taut texture of the variety before the compact, finely grained tannins, provided by the soils of Altamira, take over. The combination of the two reveals how well judged the ripeness was this year.Vinous Media | 97 VM

The 2021 Malbec Single Vineyard Organic Wine from El Cepillo, Uco Valley is purple in the glass. It has a fragrant, expressive nose highlighting fresh plum, raspberry, hoppy and grapefruit notes along with mint and violet aromas. In the mouth, it’s bold and juicy with a taut profile and well-defined, long-lasting flavor. A pleasantly modern red.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2021 Escorihuela 1884 Single Vineyard Organic Grapes Malbec comes from their organic and biodynamic vineyard in El Cepillo in San Carlos (Valle de Uco), where they work organically and biodynamically and try to express the variety and place in a pure way with no oak in the wine. It has 13.1% alcohol and mellow acidity. It feels young and has some puppy fat to be rendered by some time in bottle, as I have seen while tasting the 2015 and 2018 next to it. It’s an unoaked Malbec of great purity and balance, juicy and primary now, but it will develop further complexity and nuance with a bit more time. 40,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPBlackberry and rose-petal aromas and flavors with some sandalwood. Medium-bodied with firm, polished tannins and a long finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2021 Malbec Jardin de Hormigas Meteora originates from Paraje Altamira and was aged for 12 months in concrete vessels. Purple in hue. The subtle, nuanced nose features violet, sage and fennel notes alongside plum and blackberry. It has a dry, lean, chalky texture with an athletic, focused profile in which the energy and mouthfeel enhance the light-footed character. The 2021 is a modern, beautifully sculpted red.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The 2021 Malbec originates from a 1932 plot planted in Mainqué, Río Negro, and underwent aging for up to two years in barriques and 500-liter French oak barrels. It was born in the cool and balanced 2021 vintage. Vivid purple-red in hue, the inviting nose reveals delicate notes of fresh plum, elderberry and violet, complemented by hints of chamomile and sweetbriar over a subtle layer of cedar. Dry and juicy, with fine-grained tannins, it stands out as one of the most flavorful Noemías I’ve ever tasted. With an additional year in the bottle, it will become even silkier and deeper. I would love to revisit it in five years.Vinous Media | 98 VM

The 2021 Malbec La Cautiva hails from La Cautiva vineyard, planted 1,500 meters above sea level in Gualtallary, Uco Valley. It was fermented with whole clusters. Purple in color. The nose presents violets, sage, lavender, crushed plums and hints of cinnamon from the stems. Dry, lean and juicy, the restrained palate flows with a compact feel, becoming even tauter due to its chalky texture. This high-altitude Malbec is compact yet almost velvety, offering a flavorful experience.Vinous Media | 96 VM

The 2022 Malbec originates from the Uco Valley and is a blend of various regions and winemaking techniques. Purple in hue. The nose reveals enticing notes ranging from crushed plums to violets atop a faintly herbal backdrop. Indulgent and juicy, the plush texture and refreshing flow lead to a rich and satisfyingly long-lasting palate. This wine is built upon different components that come together to achieve a relatively complex flavor.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The more ethereal and mineral-tinged of the two Altamira single-plot bottlings, the 2022 Jardín de Hormigas Los Amantes hails from limestone gravel soils with less topsoil than the Meteroa bottling. It leads with an expressive yet coiled nose that dynamically gains dimension with every swirl. While also exuding the floral, lifted bouquet typical of Altamira, there is austerity and focus here that sets it apart from the Meteora bottling. This difference is fully realized on the palate, where a compelling combination of sleek, polished focus and mineral-drenched lift releases into a soaring, discreetly juicy finish that lingers with crushed-stone nuances, managing a completeness that is rare in such overtly mineral-driven wines, which can easily feel like they are lacking depth. That couldn’t be farther from the case here. This is a stunning, definitive and transparent example of Altamira Malbec rendered in high definition.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RP