Alta Vista : Terroir Selection Malbec 2013

A Powerful and Complex Argentine Malbec

The Alta Vista winery was founded by Count Patrick d'Aulan, heir to a distinguished lineage of 13th century European nobility and to 250 years of winemaking savoir-faire. Setting his sight on the Andes Mountains of Argentina, d'Aulan established Alta Vista Wines with the aim to apply French winemaking technique to New World terroir. Since the first harvest in 1998, the team has worked tirelessly to produce wines that fully express Argentina's flagship grape variety and the characteristics of the land in which it grows. The estate's 211 hectares of vineyards in Mendoza are divided into five vineyards, each with its own personality. The vines here are all planted over 1000m above sea level. The Alta Vista Terroir Management program began in 2001 with the aim to fully understand the difference between Argentina's Malbec terroirs. In 2007, the estate signed an agreement with the National Institute of Viticulture to establish and authorize the registered name Single Vineyard, paving the way for other Argentine wineries with similar values to do the same.

Alta Vista also produces a line of Terroir Selection wines, which combine Malbec from 5 different terroirs in Lujan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. The Terroir Selection Malbec 2013 is a blend of Malbec sourced 60% from the Albaneve Vineyard of Campo de los Andes, 15% from the Azamor Vineyard of Las Compuertas, 10% from the Serenade Vineyard of Alto Agrelo, 10% from the Alizarine Vineyard of Las Compuertas and 5% from the Ternis Vineyard of El Cepillo. Malbec from Lujan de Cuyo contributes ripe, long-lasting fruit on the palate, while Valle de Uco brings a certain strength, youth and roundness on the palate. After fermentation in small concrete vats, the wine is aged in French oak barrels, among which some are new and other one or two years old, for a period of 12 months. It is then aged in bottle for an additional 6 months before release.

The Terroir Selection Malbec 2013 of Alta Vista shows off a deep, dark purple color in the glass. On the nose, this Argentine Malbec is quite spicy, with ripe fruit and wild berry aromas blending beautifully with more earthy notes and wet stone minerality. On the palate, this wine shows off a certain grandeur, with generous fine tannins and a beautiful freshness. Simultaneously powerful and elegant, this wine is truly complex, a perfect Argentine red to pair with a grilled ribeye or roast fowl dish.