2016 Matervini Malbec Alteza
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100% Malbec. The first three vintages of this wine were made at Tacuil winery. The one-hectare block is in a vineyard mainly on decomposed granite right at the foot of Andes. 500 m north of San Pedro winery, it belongs to the Domingo brothers. This small scale is such a contrast to the Argentine norm of hundreds of hectares in a block! Rich, intense nose. Very voluptuous. Some saltiness. Slightly drying, polished finish. (JR)
Critic scores
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Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Alteza is pure Malbec from old vines from Cafayate, 0.8 hectares from the Domingo family, planted on old terraces in a property they bought. It fermented in an open-top 1,000-liter Slovenian oak vat and matured in 160- and 225-liter oak barrels for 17 months. This grape has a different character from the grapes from Rupestre that they use for their Ante Andes Valles Calchaquíes. This is subtle and has detail, complexity and freshness. It's somewhat salty, with a leafy touch, a tender texture and fine tannins. 2,136 bottles produced.
Bright ruby. Aromas of black cherry, chocolatey oak, brown spices and pungent herbs. At once sweet and penetrating, with its tight flavors of dark cherry, currant and herbs still in need of time to absorb some of the wine's high acidity (7.13 g/l). Like the Antes Andes Malbec, this is tough going today. (just 1.6 tons per acre produced from vines at an altitude of 8,000 feet)