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SommSelect’s “Explore 4” surveys the vast landscape of wine and breaks it into small, digestible bites. Each month, we select four bottles that fit a theme, allowing members to experience a diversity of styles while developing their own palate preferences. It’s an ongoing exploration of wine through a sommelier’s eyes and there’s no more effective, and enjoyable, way to learn about wine
Argentina is the world’s seventh-largest wine producer, and a significant chunk of that production is red wine from the Malbec grape—a variety which, outside of its home region of Cahors, France, was nearly extinct when a French agronomist brought it to Argentina in the 1850s. Today, Argentina is home to 75% of the world’s Malbec plantings, but even still, Malbec isn’t the only story. Time to explore! Here is what is in the box:
Bueyes, Valle de Uco Criolla Grande “La Jirafa y El Enano” 2022
Located south-southwest of the city of Mendoza, the region boasts slightly higher altitudes (and thus cooler nighttime temperatures) than the Luján de Cuyo and Maipú regions further north. Bueyes is one of several labels produced by Familia Cánepa Martín, a collective of four winemakers based in the Luján de Cuyo region whose first wines were released in 2009. Although the label may say “Rosé Wine,” this is a light magenta-hued red reminiscent of some of the ultra-light reds of France’s Jura region. This is a softly contoured quaffer with some spice and dried flower notes to complement its red and “purple” fruit sensations: wild strawberry, black cherry, boysenberry, damp violets, underbrush, and wild herbs.
Cara Sur, Valle de Calingasta Tinto 2020
Cara Sur was created in 2011 when Sebastián Zuccardi (of Mendoza wine fame) and Marcella Manini teamed up with a couple from the Calingasta Valley, Nuria Año Gargiulo and Pancho Burgallo. Located in the Calingasta Valley is one of the subzones of San Juan, a growing zone just north of Mendoza. This wine is a blend driven by what its makers say is the Piedmontese (Italian) Bonarda (85%) with Barbera and Grignolino comprising the remainder. The wine is a deep ruby-black in the glass, with a wild and spicy aromatic profile: black plum, and underbrush drive a tangy, somewhat rustic wine that should be enjoyed with food for best results.
Familia Bonfanti, Malbec Joven 2021
Luján de Cuyo is one of the most prestigious sub-zones of Mendoza, named for a village situated on the banks of Mendoza River. The Bonfanti family goes back three generations in the village of Perdriel, where they acquired their first Malbec vineyard in 1915. This is 100% Malbec from vines planted in 1915 in the sandy, loamy soils of Perdriel, at roughly 1,000 meters of elevation. Deep ruby in the glass, this is a departure from the inky, often chocolatey styles of Malbec that dominate the consumer consciousness these days.
Altos Las Hormigas, “Terroir” Luján de Cujo Malbec 2021
This innovative winery estate was founded in 1995 by winemaker Alberto Antonini (Antinori) and entrepreneur Antonio Morescalchi. This wine hails from the Luján de Cujo district, one of several wines included in the estate’s “Terroir Project,” which is designed to highlight the characteristics of these diverse subzones of Mendoza. The wine is then aged in both concrete vats and untoasted oak foudres for 18 months before bottling. It is then aged another six months in bottle before commercial release. Ink-black with magenta reflections at the rim, this is meaty Malbec, as savory as it is fruity.
