Argentina

Even better than the 2022 release - and that’s saying a good deal - this is a superb iteration of luxury group LVMH’s iconic Argentinian red. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with support from 40% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot, it’s dominated by fruit from Las Compuertas, with 20% from cooler Paraje Altamira. Matured in 50% new French oak, it’ a wine that’s approachable young but will reward patience, with sculpted tannins, seamless layers of cassis, bramble and green herbs, a touch of cigar box and a fine, tapering finish. World class,

Mineral, wild and seductive on the nose. Aromas of red fruits, dried leaves and tobacco Attractive palate, with chalky tannins. *Silver Medal - 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards*

The 2022 Cheval des Andes is a significant upgrade to Mendoza’s historic regional blends, combining grapes from Las Compuertas (Luján de Cuyo) and Paraje Altamira (Uco Valley). The 2022 vintage allowed for a slower ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon, which take prominence in this blend alongside 30% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Aging was carried out in 40% 225-liter Bordeaux barrels, 35% 400-liter barrels and 25% 2,500-liter foudres, with 50% new oak. A bouquet of bright fruit—raspberry, blueberry and delicate cassis—and complementary bay leaf and mint tones give way to a touch of ash and mild bell pepper. Boasting serious concentration, fine tannins and a slight creaminess, the 2022 has a structure that is firm but never tight, maintaining weight without losing balance. The finish is long, energetic and full of flavor. This is an exceptionally beautiful wine. (JH)

Bid on this bottle of 2013 Viña Cobos "Bramare" Cabernet Sauvignon Lujan de Cuyo.

The 2022 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary includes 15% Malbec. This fermented with 40% whole bunches, harvested in stages across 1.5 months and aged for 15 months in concrete. Intensely complex, it opens with aromas of mountain herbs—huacatay and heterotheca—along with redcurrant, violet and red fruit. This is a dry, vibrant and fruit-driven expression. It offers chalk, airy concentration, juicy texture and a core of ash. This is weightless, stretching the flavor with crystalline definition. It is a site-driven Cabernet Franc that is shaped by its terroir and polished by the vintage. The 2022 is magic. (JH)

Extremely aromatic, with very floral aromas of lavender, violets, peaches and citrus blossoms. It’s medium-bodied with firm and crunchy tannins. Structured and solid as a rock. Only 11% alcohol. Magic. Drink now. Why wait?

Sweet tobacco, cigar box, berries and minerals. It gets a little zesty and citrusy on the nose. Really refined and juicy on the palate with lot of fine tannins. Silky, fluid and linear with a very elegant, soft-spoken finish. 46% cabernet sauvignon from Adrianna vineyard and 44% malbec and 10% cabernet franc from Nicasia vineyard. Really refined, long and Bordelais. This is already drinking really well, but it will hold like this for a long time. (ZS)

The saltiness in this chardonnay is so impressive, with aromas of sliced apples, honey, crushed stones and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied, crunchy, vivid and flavorful, with hints of peaches and grape skin.

The 2024 Malbec Appellation Lunlunta comes from Luján de Cuyo and was aged 11–13 months in French oak barrels (25–40% new, plus second- and third-use wood). Highly expressive, it opens with clear violet notes and fresh plum, framed by refined oak. It is dry, juicy and supple, with fine, flexible tannins and an enveloping flow. A classic Luján de Cuyo Malbec. (JH)

If you want to discover Torrontés and aren't sure where to start, this wine is an excellent introduction. Produced since 2005, it comes from the La Brava vineyard in Cafayate. Unoaked and elegant, it offers a delightful and delicate floral profile. It is no longer the Colomé of its early vintages, when strength and a certain rusticity dominated. Today, the style has refined considerably, delivering a subtle, fresh wine with juicy acidity that is ideal as an aperitif. It also offers one of the best price-to-quality ratios among white wines currently available in Argentina.

Produced from two of Sophenia’s three hectares of Cabernet Franc in Gualtallary, this Estate Reserva is aged for one year in barrels with 8% new oak. The wine features a juicy blend of the variety’s characteristic herbal notes alongside tart red and black fruits. Its texture is taut, defined by firm, sharp tannins. This selection pairs perfectly with pork tenderloin.

Elegant and perfumed nose with violets, spices, fresh blackberries, blueberries and touches of chiles, chocolate, cigar box and white pepper. Super juicy on the palate with compact, fine tannins and an extremely long finish. (ZS)

Perfumed, with subtle cherry, cranberry and strawberry aromas and a hint of peaches. Medium-bodied with brightness and freshness. Vivid, lively, crunchy and fresh. Always excellent and super drinkable. Drink or hold.

The 2023 Malbec Clásico Organic is made from grapes grown in Luján de Cuyo and was aged nine months in concrete. The nose reveals ripe fruit, plum and a hint of jam, lifted by a subtle balsamic herbal note. Dry and clingy, with solid extract, it offers depth of flavor alongside a loose, lightly grippy texture. This is a well-achieved 2023 Malbec, darker in profile than overtly fruity. (JH)

The 2022 Malbec Catena Alta brings together historic vineyards from Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley to capture the best of both regions: Luján’s generous, supple tannins and Uco’s juicy, fresh fruit. Aged for up to 18 months in barrel, this wine is the essence of Mendoza Malbec. Intense aromas of fresh plum and delicate balsamic notes float over oak and a floral hint in the background. With indulgent depth and a juicy flow, the 2022 balances plush tannins with refined texture to produce a long and sapid palate with a touch of intensity and subtle concentration. This is a rich wine that raises the bar for Mendoza Malbec. (JH)

The 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon Año Cero has a sun-kissed aromatic profile. It opens with notes of currant, subtle oak, ash and a hint of wild herbs. Indulgent, with fine tannins and an enveloping flow, it finishes attractively with fruit on the back palate. This tastes like it is from a higher price tier. (JH)

A juicy, vibrant and fruity blend of malbec, bonarda and petit verdot. Aromas of red cherries, berries and touches of citrus and potpourri. Fresh and brambly, with a medium body and small-grained fruit tannins. (ZS)

A full-bodied and expressive malbec with 5% cabernet sauvignon. Minerals, black cherries and cool blue fruit. A touch of cocoa powder, but there is nothing plush. Concentrated but austere, with tons of juicy fruit and dusty tannins treading into a long, bright finish. Fermented in concrete and aged 24 months in foudres. Drink or hold. (ZS)

Catena Alta Chardonnay was one of the first demonstrations of Chardonnay's true potential in the Uco Valley. Its initial vintages in the late 1990s displayed a clarity of fruit and freshness previously unknown in Argentina, showcasing the influence of the Andes. This new edition, sourced from the Adrianna and Domingo vineyards in the Uco Valley, offers a delicate yet incisive interpretation of the variety, featuring prominent herbal notes and ripe fruit undertones. The wine presents a smooth texture, a medium body, and crisp acidity.

Finca Sophenia is one of the pioneering estates of Gualtallary, a high-altitude subregion of the Uco Valley in Mendoza that has become one of Argentina's most celebrated terroirs. Founded in 1997 by Roberto Luka, the winery was among the first to recognize the potential of Gualtallary long before it became fashionable. The estate consists of approximately 130 hectares planted between 1997 and 1998 at around 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) above sea level at the foot of the Andes. The combination of cool mountain temperatures, large diurnal shifts, and rocky alluvial soils produces wines with vibrant acidity, freshness, and a distinctive mineral character. Rather than chasing richness, Sophenia has built its reputation on precision and elegance. The 2024 Inconsciente Sauvignon Blanc is made entirely from estate-grown fruit in Gualtallary. Hand-harvested grapes undergo 48 hours of cold skin maceration before fermenting on their skins, then spend six months aging in concrete eggs.

Familia Zuccardi’s Concreto takes its name from the concrete vessels used for fermentation and aging, without oak. This 2024 Mendoza Malbec comes from a family producer whose winegrowing history dates to 1963, when Alberto Zuccardi planted his first vineyard in Mendoza.

Fresh nose of cranberries, red cherries, crushed stones, orange peel, mushrooms and dried flowers. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and very fine tannins. Vibrant and wild. From organically grown grapes.

This is one of the pillars of the Altos Las Hormigas portfolio and has been produced since the late 1990s, when the winery bet everything on malbec. This version, as usual, is a blend based on Altamira's own vineyards (80%) and Gualtallary (20%), both in the Uco Valley. It is a precise photograph, in HD, of Andean malbec. Violets and ripe red fruits, a palate rich in those tannins of calcareous soils that feel like chalk, the light weight, but the firm and taut structure. Due to depth of flavors, due to Andean character, this is the best version of this wine that we at Descorchados have tried.

Founded in 2011 by brothers Gerardo, Matías, Gabriel and Juan Pablo Michelini together with Daniel Sammartino, SuperUco is a small, family-run winery in Los Chacayes in Mendoza’s Valle de Uco. The project was born from the Michelini brothers’ desire to create wines that express the character of their place with as little intervention as possible. Their vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically, with fruit sourced from some of the Uco Valley’s most distinguished sites, including Los Chacayes, Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. In the cellar, they favor native-yeast fermentation and vessels such as concrete eggs and amphorae, with restrained use of oak, resulting in wines that emphasize purity, texture, freshness and terroir over heavy-handed winemaking. The winery itself—an octagonal building surrounded by circularly planted vines—beautifully reflects the Michelinis’ philosophy of working in harmony with nature.

Wow. This is really complex, with sliced apples, lemons, flint, stones and a hint of limes on the nose. It’s floral and aromatic with white flowers. Long, long finish. Complex and thoughtful.

This shows plums, bark and charcoal on the nose. The palate is precise, sharp, linear and super elegant, with velvety tannins and crunchy fruit. It’s long, refined and very stylish. Drink now. (JGA)

The category of "chillable red" is hotter than ever, no pun intended, and the NN Malbec from MAAL fits into this somewhat elusive category perfectly. Pale ruby red in color, with bright juicy fruit notes on the nose – Bing cherry, strawberry, plum – this wine has little in common with the typical oaked style of Malbec that is widely available. In fact, this wine sees no oak at all, just very gentle handling and a brief period of aging in stainless steel to preserve the fruit aromatics. Served with a slight chill, it has all of the fresh aromatics of a rosé wine, but with more body and a subtle texture that make it excellent with food. This wine is so fun and flavorsome – grab a bottle, chill it down in the fridge and enjoy on a warm day!

An herbal cabernet with dark fruit and graphite on the nose. The saline, chewy palate has a delicate thread of fruit that runs through the long, savory finish. Sourced primarily from grapes grown in San Pablo. (JGA)

A juicy and fruity malbec with blueberries, plums and orange rind on the nose. Medium-bodied, fresh and supple. Very drinkable. (CN)

Argentina’s Bonarda is the same grape known as Douce Noire in France, and it ranks among Argentina’s most widely planted red varieties. La Posta’s 2023 “Armando” puts this grape in the spotlight in Mendoza, the country’s principal winegrowing province, set along the eastern foothills of the Andes.

Founded in 2011 by brothers Gerardo, Matías, Gabriel and Juan Pablo Michelini together with Daniel Sammartino, SuperUco is a small, family-run winery in Los Chacayes in Mendoza’s Valle de Uco. The project was born from the Michelini brothers’ desire to create wines that express the character of their place with as little intervention as possible. Their vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically, with fruit sourced from some of the Uco Valley’s most distinguished sites, including Los Chacayes, Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. In the cellar, they favor native-yeast fermentation and vessels such as concrete eggs and amphorae, with restrained use of oak, resulting in wines that emphasize purity, texture, freshness and terroir over heavy-handed winemaking. The winery itself—an octagonal building surrounded by circularly planted vines—beautifully reflects the Michelinis’ philosophy of working in harmony with nature.

The 2025 Blanco, a blend of Sémillon, Pedro Giménez and Chenin Blanc from the Uco Valley, opens with herbs, lime and white peach, showing a lively aromatic profile. Cheerful in style, the palate is driven by acidity, with a lightly creamy texture and agile flow. (JH)

Product details coming soon.

MAAL Wines is a modern Argentine winery known for its creative, unconventional approach to winemaking. It was founded in 2010 by Matías Fraga and Alfredo Merlo, who began by making small batches of wine from an abandoned vineyard in Mendoza. The project is built around a simple idea: to produce only Malbec wines with strong personality and authenticity. MAAL focuses on expressing the terroir of the Uco Valley and Las Compuertas while allowing the winemakers’ creativity to shine through.

The Passionate Wines “Vía Revolucionaria” Criolla Grande from Mendoza is 100% Criolla Grande, a traditional Argentinian variety that is genetically part of the same extended family as País (Chile) and Mission (California), all ultimately tracing back to Listán Prieto from the Canary Islands. The fruit is sourced from a single vineyard within the Uco Valley, one of the cooler, high-altitude subregions of Mendoza, and the wine is produced by Passionate Wines, the personal project of winemaker and agronomist Matías Michelini, whose philosophy centers on low-intervention, experimental wines that highlight terroir; his “Vía Revolucionaria” line specifically focuses on unconventional, small-production, single-vineyard bottlings fermented with native yeasts and typically made without oak. The wine is made from hand-harvested fruit grown at around 3,400 feet in alluvial, rocky soils, fermented and aged in concrete vessels rather than barrel, reinforcing its minimalist approach . More broadly, the Mendoza region—Argentina’s largest and most important wine area, responsible for the majority of the country’s production—is known for its dry, continental climate at the foothills of the Andes and is historically associated with Malbec, though projects like this reflect a growing interest in revitalizing heritage grapes such as Criolla Grande and exploring fresher, nontraditional styles

Oyster shells, iodine, salted lime and chalky green fruit. Fresh and succulent on the palate with a crisp medium body and a bright finish. One feels the ocean influence and freshness despite the warm weather conditions in 2023. (ZS)

Bid on this 6-bottle lot of 2019 Susana Balbo Nosotros Nómade (99JS, 94RP), the flagship Malbec from Susana Balbo, Argentina’s first female winemaker, and James Suckling’s Argentine Wine of the Year, ranked #1 on his Top 100 Wines of Argentina 2022. True to its “Nómade” name, the wine is sourced each year from whichever single vineyard performs best. In 2019, one of the estate’s best harvests in two decades, that was a 36-year-old Malbec vineyard at 1,150 meters in Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley. It is aged 16 months in French barrels, 80% new. Expect black cherry, cassis, blackberry and plum layered with violet, vanilla, dark chocolate and crushed stone, on a juicy, round, plush, medium- to full-bodied palate with velvety tannins and a remarkably persistent finish. A collector’s case-quantity lot of one of the greatest Malbecs ever made in Argentina.

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2018 Bodega Chacra “Cincuenta y Cinco” Pinot Noir Río Negro Patagonia (98RP, 97JS), from Piero Incisa della Rocchetta’s acclaimed biodynamic estate, a member of the Sassicaia family, whose old-vine Patagonian Pinot Noirs are among South America’s most coveted wines. Whole clusters were fermented with indigenous yeasts and the wine was aged eight months on its lees in concrete and used barrels, never racked, with minimal sulfur and a low 12.5% alcohol. Wine Advocate writes: “The 2018 Cincuenta y Cinco follows the breathtaking 2017 with an extra degree of elegance and filigree. This wine has reached an amazing level of sophistication and nuance... There is cleanliness, there’s purity and, again, light and energy, and there is no reduction. (LG)” (10/2019)

Subtle roasted spices, sour cherries, hibiscus and bramble berries. Youthful and quite lively palate with a fruity core of ripe, juicy berries and cherries. Flavorful finish (ZS)

The heart of this red is in Paraje Hilario, with very old vineyards planted primarily to cereza. It was fermented with native yeasts and their skins and then aged in concrete for seven months before being bottled. This is a wine to drink by the liter—it's juicy, refreshing, and light-bodied with vibrant acidity. One to quench your thirst in the summer and a good example of the character of this area 1,600 meters up in San Juan."

TintoNero was born of the long-time friendship and professional collaboration of Alejandro Sejanovich and Jeff Mausbach, colleagues at Bodega Catena Zapata for almost 15 years. As Wine Education Director for Catena, Jeff traveled the world preaching the gospel of the unique character of high-altitude Malbec from Mendoza, explaining the character and expression of its many different terroirs. As Vineyard Director at Catena, Alejandro had extensive, firsthand experience growing Malbec in many diverse terroirs, from the fruit-driven, easy-drinking style of Lujan de Cuyo to the concentrated, complex profile La Consulta. His intimate knowledge of the top vineyards in each region means TintoNero wines are made from only the best fruit each area has to offer.

Aromas of blue and purple berries with a splash of peppery spices and violets. Lightly chewy tannins on the palate, with a medium body and a direct, fruity finish. (ZS)

A mysterious blend, otherwise known as “M blend.” Fresh, exotic herbs, hibiscus, red berries and some blood oranges. Some sweet spices, too. Really juicy and bright on the palate with plenty of succulent fruit. Quite nervy and silky on the palate. (JS)

The 2024 Malbec Biutiful comes from Campo Los Andes in the Uco Valley. It opens with red and black fruit, balsamic herbs and a hint of violets. Fine tannins, moderate juiciness and a light fruit note on the finish bring flavor and energy to the palate. (JH)

This shows peaches with orange blossoms and a touch of melon. The agile palate is medium- to full-bodied with a balanced concentration of flavors and a subtle texture. An approachable but substantial blanc de noirs. (JGL)

Sour plums, black pepper, agave, blackberries and wild grilled herbs to the nose. Broad and juicy on the palate with a medium to full body and lots of fine, chalky tannins. Excellent length and texture. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (ZS)

Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda is one of the most distinctive and approachable wines produced by Altos Las Hormigas, showcasing the winery’s commitment to organic farming and minimal intervention in Mendoza. Made from 100% Bonarda grapes—one of Argentina’s most widely planted yet historically underappreciated varieties—the wine reflects a fresh, vibrant style rather than heavy extraction or oak influence. Sourced primarily from pergola-trained vineyards in Luján de Cuyo, the grapes benefit from warm days and cool nights, helping preserve natural acidity and balance. Altos Las Hormigas emphasizes fermentation with native yeasts and aging in concrete, avoiding oak to highlight purity and terroir expression. The 2025 Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda follows this philosophy closely, with an earlier harvest that enhances energy, texture, and freshness in the final wine.

Founded in 2002 by Chilean vintner Aurelio Montes, Kaiken takes its name from a wild goose that crosses the Andes between Chile and Argentina. This 2022 Torrontés comes from Cafayate in Argentina’s Salta province, a high-elevation winegrowing area closely associated with the country’s signature white grape.