Vistalba Corte C, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

Producer

Grapes from the estate’s vineyards just under a kilometre above sea level, in the Luján de Cuyo region surrounding Mendoza, are selected for this blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Malbec makes up 82% of the blend, the grapes coming from a vineyard planted in 1948; the Cabernet vineyard though much younger, as it was planted in 1999, is nevertheless fully mature.

The vineyards are farmed sustainably without the use of herbicides and pesticides; rye is planted as a cover crop in alternate rows. Hand-harvested grapes are vinified in concrete vats; following a three-day cold maceration, fermentation is started and continues with regularly punching down of the cap and pumping over to extract colour and tannins. About a fifth of the blend is aged in French oak barrels for about a year. The finished wine shows red fruits, prunes and cherry flavours, with silky tannins on a full-bodied finish.