Argentina does Malbec better than anyone on a mass scale, much of it due to the plentiful vineyards planted at altitude in the foothills of the Andes Mountains where sunshine enhances ripening and cool night temperatures elongate the ripening season to accentuate much needed acidity in this grape. These factors combine to provide growing conditions that are unmatched anywhere else in the world that Malbec is planted on a large scale. Wines like this one are testament to the dense fruit character, spicy notes and complexity of good Malbec, often at a relatively modest price.

We love this wine and it also carries organic certification, another thing the dry climate in Argentina allows for with relative ease, but that's another story. 

If you love big reds, try this one out for size. 

Belasco de Baquedano is a leading winery located in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The winery is lucky enough to have very old vines of original Malbec vines first planted in 1910 - these old vines are the secret to Belasco De Baquedano's success. The old vines consistently produce wines that are full-bodied, juicy and complex with layers of flavour development.

100% Malbec from vines that are over 100 years old.  6 months in oak barrels.

This blend boasts an elegant aromas and flavors of plums, cherry, and violet flowers. It is ripe with strawberries and dark fruit. This full-bodied red finishes with well integrated tannins and moderate oak.

This blend can pair with a handful of dishes but a few we highly recommend trying are: baked ham with a honey, Dijon and thyme glaze or an old fashioned meat loaf.

Winery

Tapiz is one of the new and successful wineries in Argentina. Our success is based on our great terroirs, our brand new equipment and technology and, above all, our strong and experienced team. Winemaker Fabian Valenzuela was joined by Jean Claude Berrouet in 2012. Jean Claude is the recently-retired winemaker of Petrus, having presided over 44 vintages at this revered Bordeaux winery. We are proud that Jean Claude chose to work with us exclusively in Argentina.

We are a 100% family business, that started 10 years ago with a clear mission:  to produce the best wines and olive oils possible, protecting the environment and preserving regional cultures.

Our terroir defines us and our products are our finest expression of this identity. We are convinced that to achieve these goals, we must produce our grapes, so that every year each segment remains its style and quality.  We have 8 vineyards in the best and most representative wine areas, Globalgap and Good Manufacturing certified, allowing us to have lines with specific characteristics of each region.

Tasting Notes

The aromas and flavors of fresh fruit such as apple, pear, and peach are amalgamated with mineral touches and orange peel. French oak adds notes of caramel and honey. It is a long-lasting wine in the mouth.

93 Points James Suckling

Technical Information

Vineyards: San Pablo Estate  

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay.

Average Vineyard Altitude: 1350 Metres 

Fermentation: Pre-fermentative cold maceration. Alcoholic Fermentation is carried out in new and second use French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation.

Aging: 6 to 8 months of barrel.

Alcohol: 14.0% 

Winery

Tapiz is one of the new and successful wineries in Argentina. Our success is based on our great terroirs, our brand new equipment and technology and, above all, our strong and experienced team. Winemaker Fabian Valenzuela was joined by Jean Claude Berrouet in 2012. Jean Claude is the recently-retired winemaker of Petrus, having presided over 44 vintages at this revered Bordeaux winery. We are proud that Jean Claude chose to work with us exclusively in Argentina.

We are a 100% family business, that started 10 years ago with a clear mission:  to produce the best wines and olive oils possible, protecting the environment and preserving regional cultures.

Our terroir defines us and our products are our finest expression of this identity. We are convinced that to achieve these goals, we must produce our grapes, so that every year each segment remains its style and quality.  We have 8 vineyards in the best and most representative wine areas, Globalgap and Good Manufacturing certified, allowing us to have lines with specific characteristics of each region.

Tasting Notes

Garnet red color with intense violet tints. The aromas and flavours of fresh red fruits such as blackberries and plums are interspersed with aromas of flowers and spicy notes. The oak aging provides vanilla and toasted almonds notes. Balanced and voluminous.

93 Points - James Suckling

'Fortuna Terrae means luck of the land in Latin, and indeed, our vines from this parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard are lucky. The deep loamy soils are home to many varieties of native grasses which prevent erosion and attract benefic insects, singing birds and mountain foxes. Because of the freshness imparted by the deep soils and high altitude, the wines of Fortuna Terrae have optimal acidity and delicate flower aromas. It is best to enjoy this wine a few years or decades after harvest.'
98pts – James Suckling
97pts – Vinous

This cuvee takes its name from a small parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard that is completely covered with oval white stones and was the site of an ancient riverbed. The abundant stones provide optimal drainage and extreme temperatures. They absorb heat and moderate the nights, but also function like ice cubes after a very cold night. Stony soil Malbecs tend to be extremely aromatic, rich and luxurious, just like the River Malbec from Adrianna. This wine can be enjoyed young or aged for decades.

White Stones Chardonnay comes from a select 27 rows within Block 1 of the Adrianna Vineyard. The name refers to the ground beneath the vines which is covered with gravelly oval white stones.

The Adrianna vineyard is located at an elevation of almost 5,000 feet in the Gualtallary sub-district of the Tupungato region. The rocky soil prevents deep root growth and allows for ideal drainage conditions. These are very poor soils where the vines are constantly in conditions of stress. The cool nights allow for very slow ripening, optimal acid retention and low yields.

Argentina’s signature grape was introduced to the country’s biggest wine region, Mendoza, by Frenchman Michel Pouget in the mid 1850s, but it has since been discovered that not all Malbec vines brought into the country were exactly the same. And the family that has done more to advance the understanding, high quality expression and understanding of Argentinian Malbec is the Catena family, whose Zapata Malbec is one of our favourite wines in store; big, bold and full bodied but with elegance to burn, thanks to its silkiness. 

The Catena family has arguably done more for the quality and reputation of both Malbec and the Argentinian wine industry than any other company, advancing the understanding of growing grapes at altitude, high up in the foothills of the Andes where hot days, high sunshine hours and cool nights ripen the grapes and retain elegance.

This is an outstanding next level Malbec, as all of Catena's wines are. Here is a wine that tastes outstanding now and can definitely age for the long haul - up to and beyond a decade in a good wine cellar. 

“This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.” 99 Points - James Suckling

"Once upon a time, a bee (or two) went from the flowers of a Cabernet Franc vine to the flowers of a Sauvignon Blanc vine, and a seedling child began to ripen inside the mother grapes. Then came war, and the vineyard was abandoned. Years later, the vintner returned to his land and found a new vine. He tasted the grapes and fell in love. It was Cabernet Sauvignon. Our allegory of the vines as animals gives a whimsical rendering of the story. The fox - Cabernet Franc - has attributes of Cardinal Richelieu, the first famous lover of the said grape. The siren - part woman, part bird - represents Sauvignon Blanc in all her savage glory. On the right, their
child - Cabernet Sauvignon- is depicted as a world traveller, adventuring from the French Pyrenees to the Catena Zapata pyramid, at the foothills of the Andes, in Argentina."

James Suckling 96 points

Located in the far southerly growing region of Altamira en La Consulta, the Nicasia vineyard is the only planting of the special Catena Selection of Malbec cuttings in this traditional area for Malbec. La Consulta was Nicolás Catena’s father Domingo’s prefered Malbec location.

10% whole cluster and 90% whole berry fruit is hand-loaded into 225-500 liter new French oak barrels for a 100% barrel fermentation for a period of 17 days, allowing seamless oak integration. The fermentation temperature is kept low, extracting intense aromas, and the cap management is done by hand to ensure soft, gentle flavors and tannin extraction. Wild yeasts. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel leaves considerable lees and sediment. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 24 months, followed by 24 months of aging in bottle before release.

Nicasia Vineyard: 3,593 ft (1,095 m). Altamira in La Consulta District, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. Very shallow loamy topsoil with surface gravel and gravelly (large stones) dry river bed subsoil - optimal drainage. Malbec. Plant selection: Catena Cuttings malbec selection.

“This is really complex and exotic with dark fruit, flowers and asphalt undertones. Full-bodied, soft and silky with a long and flavorful finish. A soft and sexy red. Drink now, but will improve with age.” 

96 /100

James Suckling 

The Payada is a competitive composing and singing of verses native to Argentina, usually accompanied by guitar. The performer is called a Payador and in performances two or more payadores will compete to produce the most eloquent verse, each answering questions posed by the other, often insulting. 

El Payador is a contemporary and fruit driven Argentinian Malbec created in partnership with third generation Mendoza wine-maker Jorge Daniel Falasco. The wine is sourced from a single high altitude vineyard at over twelve hundred metres above sea level and primarily matured in season French oak.

Dark, dry and full bodied Argentinian Malbec made from a blend of grapes from two great Malbec vineyard areas, Agrelo and Lulunta. This accessibly priced, drink-me-now red has no oak maturation, which accentuates the bold fruity flavours of this wine. 

Agrelo is situated 35 km south of Mendoza city and considered to be a great area for intensely flavoured Malbec grapes. Lulunta is another well regarded sub region of Mendoza area.

Wow we don't see a lot of Semillon from Argentina but it is actually one of Argentina's oldest planted varieties. This rare barrel-fermented expression is harvested from 80 year-old vines and has fresh, clean citrus aromas with a hint of oak. Flavours of citrus, tropical fruit, coconut and caramel follow through on the palate

South America is known for many things, including dark and spicy Argentinian Malbecs, such as this one by winemaker Ernesto Catena. He is the man responsible for this tasty  Malbec from Mendoza; the heart of the country's wine industry and a region equally renowned for its spectacular beauty at the foot of the Andes Mountains.

The fruit for this succulent Malbec is 50% from the Uco Valley, with a majority of calcareous soils and 50% from Luján de Cuyo with loam clay soils. The vineyards are located between 950 and 1.400 metres above sea level. In our vineyards, we do not use any herbicide or systemic product, managing it in an agro-ecological way.

The wine is vinified with 20% whole clusters grapes, and the rest is destemmed. Fermentation is in small concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and at temperatures between 24º and 26ºC. Maturation continues in small concrete vats until next harvest.

This is a succulent juicy expression of Malbec (as it should be) with red fruits combining with floral aromas and black pepper. Ripe tannins lead to a soft and opulent finish.