Altos Las Hormigas Clasico Malbec 2019
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine displays a bright ruby red color, with lively violet hues. On the nose it is intense, showing notes of red fruits, strawberry and fresh plums. As the wine opens, it also shows mineral notes of graphite. On the palate it is fresh, very drinkable, with balanced acidity and supple tannins. The finish is long, fruity, and vertical.
This Malbec is ideal to pair with various dishes, from red meats to pasta or grilled vegetables.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Their bread-and-butter red 2019 Malbec Clásico wants to show, through an early harvest and an élevage without oak, that not all Malbec from Mendoza is jammy. 2019 was much warmer than 2018, and the grapes developed full flavors like they haven't seen for years. It's mostly grapes from Luján de Cuyo and a small percentage from the Valle de Uco, mostly from their estate vineyards, from parts with limestone in the soils. The hand-harvested grapes fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts, and the wine matured in concrete vats for nine months. It's floral and expressive, clean and varietal, juicy, fruit-driven and very easy to drink. Rating: 90+
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In 1995 Alberto Antonini, a well-known Tuscan winemaker, and Antonio Morescalchi, a young entrepreneur, took a trip to visit the burgeoning wine areas of South America. It only took one stop to find what they were looking for. They were immediately impressed by the vineyards thriving in the high altitude and dry climate of Mendoza, and were captivated by the whispered traditions and blend of cultures.
They returned to Tuscany powerfully impressed not only by the region, but also by the unexplored potential of Malbec, a grape that had a strong local tradition but was largely ignored and misunderstood. While the rest of the wine world saw Mendoza struggling to shed its bulk wine image, the two young Italians saw Mendoza as a place where traditional viticultural values and unblemished land could be reinvigorated with a modern winemaking approach and international experience. Instead of planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as many others were doing during the 1990s, the team decided to invest their confidence in Malbec. Today, Malbec is the varietal for which Argentina is best known.
Against all odds they cemented their vision to become Terroir Specialists Shortly after, two friends and business partners, also enthused by the idea, joined the venture: Attilio Pagli, a renowned Tuscan winemaker with two 100 point-scoring wines in his personal record and Carlos Vazquez, an Argentine Agronomist, who work for 20 years with the early Catena group, planting new varieties, developing previously unknown vineyard sites and contributing greatly to the qualitative change of Argentine viticulture early on.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.