Argentina on the Couch: Malbec, Terroir and Other Trends

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

An inexplicable country lurks in the far south of the Americas. Heavily influenced by the culture of psychoanalysis – the number of psychologists and psychoanalysts per capita is the highest in the world at 198 for every ten thousand inhabitants – the population of Argentina spends a lot of time on couches, both real and metaphorical, debating its achievements and drawbacks.

Although the economy is dominated by the production, processing and export of raw materials – soybeans accounted for a third of total exports in 2020, while lithium is the grand new hope – Argentina also exports nuclear and other cutting-edge technologies via INVAP (Investigación Aplicada) and launches its own research satellites. Forty percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and with the odd, short-lived bout of stability, the country has been suffering from an inflation crisis for the past 80 years. Even so, some of the country’s universities rank with the best in the world (QS World University Rankings). Argentina is also home to the largest technological unicorns on the continent; from Mercado Libre, the Amazon of South America, to Globant, a software giant. Seven of Argentina’s companies are now valued at over a billion dollars. On the labor market, 2.4 million workers are registered as self-employed, while just 9.6 million people out of a population of 45 million are officially receiving salaries, proof positive of an entrepreneurial spirit if ever there was one.

No wonder everyone’s running to their local psychiatrist.

On the cultural plane, Argentina can boast universally renowned writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, a rock scene popular across Latin America, and world-famous sports stars including two of the best footballers to ever grace the game – Maradona and Messi – not to mention the current Pope. The country provides free, universal education, and its COVID vaccination rates are the highest in the region with 70% having received at least one dose while 55% are fully vaccinated. 

So, Argentina is a country of contrasts; one that in 2013, declared wine as the “national drink”, and whose drinkers drove consumption during the pandemic to 20 liters per capita. The fifth largest wine producer in the world (after Italy, Spain, France and the United States), Argentina is, of course, the spiritual home of the universally popular Malbec, high altitude vineyards and the most southerly wine producers in the world to date. 

A country with that kind of pedigree deserves attention for those reasons alone, but I believe that three more reasons stand out. One: Argentina is home a range of terroirs that are being studied in depth with great care and scientific rigor. Two: The internal market offers a resource that allows wineries to experiment with different styles from which they can choose the best style for export. Three: There’s something about forever living on the verge of a nervous breakdown that stimulates one’s ingenuity and creativity, and that comes out in bottle.  

I tasted 1,050 wines for this report, and the chief takeaway is that these days, Argentine winemakers are extremely motivated to broaden their horizons and improve upon their past successes. In my opinion Argentina is making the best wines in its history. 

A Riccitelli Wines vineyard planted in Estancia La Carrera, Uco Valley, at an altitude of 5,700 feet above sea level with mostly Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Contrasting Scales

Most wine production in Argentina, which overall boasts 214,000 hectares of vineyards, takes place in the west, at the foot of the Andes mountain range. Mendoza is by far the most important province for the wine industry, accounting for 70% of overall production, while neighboring San Juan accounts for another 20%. The remaining output is mostly spread across the Calchaquí Valleys to the north (we published my report on the region last winter), La Rioja and Patagonia (an in-depth write-up on Patagonia will be coming soon).

Overall, Argentina produces about 2 billion liters of wine, of which ten percent gets exported. In 2020, the leading markets for Argentine wines were the USA (24.3 million liters), followed closely by Canada (21.6) and the United Kingdom (20.1). Then came Brazil (5.2), the Netherlands (3.3) and the rest of the world. Malbec accounted for 23% of the $791,0000,000 worth of overall exports in 2020.

Compared to other new world countries, the ratio of domestic consumption to exports makes for an unusual model. In fact, you might describe Argentina as still having one foot in the old world. Argentina produces a large number of commercial wines, but also plenty of wines rooted in their terroirs, some of which have been producing wine for centuries, while other terroirs didn’t even exist 20 years ago. It is out of this friction between heritage and a contemporary outlook that the best bottles arise. 

Malbec’s Universe

There’s no doubt that Argentina has plenty of Malbec, and the more it produces, the more wineries explore its virtues and test its limits. “It’s a variety that expresses the place it came from, or the style of the producer, first and the qualities of the grape itself second,” says Sebastián Zuccardi, director of the family winery behind some of the standout Malbecs in this report. Essentially, a Malbec can be a great many different things; it varies so widely and subtly that the variety alone isn’t an adequate description. From first-hand experience, I know that Malbecs can be as skinny and fruity as a Pinot Noir or, as dense and tarry as a Carménère. Among the thousand or so bottles I tasted, 481 were Malbecs hailing from 80 different terroirs and presenting at least half a dozen identifiable styles, proving how malleable the variety really is. The top scoring examples show how strong quality can be when its qualities are well-harnessed. 

A superb view of snowfall in the Andes seen from this Rutini Wines vineyard in Gualtallary, Uco Valley. At 3,900 feet above sea level, this vineyard is planted mostly with Malbec.

Terroirs & Malbec

Of the 43,000 hectares that have been planted with Malbec in Argentina, 85% are in Mendoza. The image that Mendoza projects to the world is a land of snowy peaks and vast deserts. And, to a point, that’s fair. The province is only slightly smaller than the state of Washington, but has six times the surface area under vine, about 150,000 hectares, and its soils and altitudes vary widely. 

To put it simply: if you drive 35 miles from the City of Mendoza up into the vineyards in the Andean foothills (about 40 minutes), you’ll have arrived at the top of the Uco Valley and risen to an altitude of 5,000 feet. On the way, you’ll have travelled from an area as warm as the Lodi Valley, where the soils are finely grained, to one as cold as Champagne, where they’re much stonier.  

Saying that a wine comes from Mendoza is about as useful in Argentina as saying that a French wine comes from Bordeaux; however, Malbecs can be a useful guide to the range of temperatures and soils in the province. “Malbec reflects variations in terroir very clearly,” says Martín Kaiser, technical director of Bodega Doña Paula and the author of a study on these nuances entitled, Characterization Project for Argentine Wines. “Even slight variations in the terroir come out clearly,” he says. In keeping with the conclusions of these tasting, I found that from about $20.00 upward, the Malbecs offered a diverse range of flavors that reflect their specific points of origin.   

A consumer looking for light, fresh Malbecs is best served heading up to the higher areas of the Uco Valley, in the Geographic Indications (GI) of Gualtallary, Los Chacayes, San Pablo and Paraje Altamira, all of which will be indicated on the label. Those who prefer the sweet tannins and voluminous feel that made the grape famous will prefer to look to Luján de Cuyo and GIs such as Las Compuertas, Vistalba, Perdriel and Agrelo. The key lies in the place of origin – which is labeled much more clearly these days – and on the producer.

But, it’s become a mantra among producers that if you get the harvest time wrong, you can forget about terroir all together. One of its leading proponents, Alejandro Sejanovich, who runs the Buscado Vivo o Muerto winery, explains, “Harvest when the grape is still firm and springy, not overripe, and Malbec will deliver the character of the place it came from.” These words represent the tip of an iceberg that rewards further exploration.  

Alluvial soils can vary markedly. On the left, we see a top layer of loam with sand, clay and lime over a bed of gravel. The center is a close-up of an alluvial gravel substratum in which round clasts sit in a bed of sand. On the right, another bed of gravel that reaches a depth of 14 feet while the top layer is fine sand deposited by the wind over a transitional layer of calcium carbonate.

Malbec from Parcels & Polygons

In addition to Malbecs from specific terroirs, at the elite level, wines are being made from parcels smaller than a hectare in an effort to isolate the specific flavor bestowed by a certain soil type. The relationship between vines and soils is hardly a new concept, but it takes on a distinctive tone in Argentina.

Alluvial soils, which are predominant in the Andes, were formed by rivers running down from the high mountains. In the Uco Valley, the differences are clearer, mostly thanks to the fact that vineyards weren’t leveled off, so they could take advantage of drip irrigation. All this to say, within a single Uco Valley vineyard, you can find soil profiles in some places where clay and lime soils go down three feet or more, but you can also find plenty of rock and gravel just six inches below the surface. The two profiles can easily sit side by side in the same vineyard, within thirty feet of each other; one might be an old riverbed subsequently filled in with fine materials by the wind, and the other might be a slope that was treated less harshly by the elements.

Because of this variation in soils, in their quest to define unique terroirs, wineries have put a lot of effort into exploring each parcel of their vineyard. Guillermo Corona, a geo-physicist, who has become a kind of guru of this strand of research and is the author of The Geography of Wine, a study of the Uco Valley, explains, “Alluvial soils are the rule in the Andean foothills, but that doesn’t mean they’re all the same. The material they’re made of, changes markedly.”

Parcel wines reflect this state of affairs. Some of the highest quality wines in this report come from plots of vineyard as small as half a hectare, some rich in calcium deposits, others clay or granite. Each affects the texture of Malbec, resulting in refined chalky tannins, sharp juiciness and a smooth, broad feel respectively. It’s here that consumers will find the most extreme expressions but also the most vibrant. Fair examples include: the 2018 Zuccardi Valle de Uco Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal, which comes from gravel and carbonate-rich soils, the 2019 Catena Zapata Malbec Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae, from another gravel-rich parcel, the 2017 Corazón de Sol Malbec Single Parcel, produced by stony soils in Los Chacayes, and the 2018 Michelini & Sammartino  Malbec Calcáreo Granito de Tupungato, another from calcareous granite soils.

Spring in El Peral, Uco Valley, at an altitude of 5,085 feet. The vineyard is Cepas del Plata, planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are mainly used in sparkling wines.

Mendoza Malbec

Mendoza Malbec is a popular style of Malbec in which different terroirs are combined. In the 2000s, when the industry began to place greater emphasis on the export market, the core of the blends usually came from Luján de Cuyo. Nuance was provided by combinations of specific terroirs in the Uco Valley grown at different temperatures and in different soils. The category is just as important today as it was back then; it’s just far more refined. 

Some high-priced wines fall into this category. There are plenty of examples, but a couple of the best are the new 2018 Viña Cobos Malbec Vinculum and the 2018 Terrazas de Los Andes Malbec Grand, blends of grapes in different proportions from vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. When crafted with care, these blends make for Malbecs rich in nuance.  

Meanwhile, in the lower price ranges, the category makes for a reliable style. Sugary with moderate freshness, these reds are the embodiment of approachability. Good examples include the 2019 Nieto Senetiner Malbec Don Nicanor and the 2020 Durigutti Malbec. The interesting thing about Mendoza Malbecs is that even below $20.00, they deliver quality and consistency to such a degree that moving up into the next price range doesn’t always represent value for money.

By March, the peaks barely have any snow left other than the glacier on the slopes of the Tupungato volcano (22,300 feet high). In Gualtallary, where this photo was taken, the vineyards sit amongst mountain flora while the rocks offer an idea of the alluvial flooding that formed the soils.

Natural Power

In line with the global trend, Argentina has its share of organic, ecologically conscious wines, Malbecs made with minimal intervention and no added sulfites. This year, a group of producers got together under the banner Vinosdinámicos; ten wineries – including Chakana, Casa de Uco, Krontiras, and Piedra Negra, among others – have formed a partnership to share their experiences, certify their practices and consolidate their place in the market. 

The most common organic variety is, unsurprisingly, Malbec, but there are also several local Criolla grapes and blends. The sizeable amount of polyphenols bestowed by the Andes sun and slightly higher alcohol content ensure stability, so long as the acidity is preserved (which is the great challenge, resulting in ever earlier harvests). Once again, altitude plays a key role. I tried a dozen, and overall, the results are promising. The most consistent of them all is the 2020 Bodegas Krontiras Malbec Krontiras Natural followed by the 2019 Chakana Malbec Ayni and the 2020 Bodega Piedra Negra - François Lurton Malbec L’Espirit de Chacayes. 

Two Different Sides to Cabernet Franc

This report contains about a hundred Cabernet Francs, which is surprising, given that only 1,350 hectares are planted in Argentina (1,057 of them in Mendoza). In 2002, that figure was just 252 hectares. Reincorporated as a variety for blends in the 1990s, French clones adapted quickly to their new homes, and producers soon took note. Alejandro Vigil, the oenologist owner of El Enemigo explains: “Cabernet Franc seduced me for the same reasons that Malbec did: the place takes precedent over the variety.” Vigil uses grapes from four separate vineyards for his Gran Enemigo line in which the El Cepillo and Gualtallary incarnations, from the Uco Valley, stand out. 

From the Cabernet Francs I tasted, I see two clear trends. Those from Luján de Cuyo (286ha), especially Agrelo, where the soils are clay-based, offer more spice and herbs. Good examples are the 2018 Bodega Luigi Bosca Cabernet Franc Luigi Bosca De Sangre and the 2018 Viñas De Vertex Sa Cabernet Franc Reserve Grand Sposato Premium. Those from the Uco Valley (579ha), especially Los Chacayes, Paraje Altamira and Gualtallary, deliver fruit and freshness; good examples here are the 2019 Mendel Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Rutini Cabernet Franc Single Vineyard and the 2019 Bodega Teho Cabernet Franc Zaha.

Although Cabernet Francs are a long way from replicating the Malbec phenomenon, they’re more promising than Cabernet Sauvignon right now. Excellence in this variety is still proving elusive on this side of the Andes; however, there are a few jewels out there.

Winemaker Alejandro Sejanovich in his Manos Negras barrel room.

Stylish Pinot Noirs

No one outside of Argentina expects a worthwhile Pinot Noir to come out of these latitudes. But they may well be surprised. Internal demand for lighter bodied, more subtle wines has led to experimentation with the grape. Of the 1,993 hectares planted in Argentina, three quarters are in the high-altitude areas of Mendoza. 

Proper handling of a delicate variety in an extreme terroir takes a few years of trial and error to get right. But judging by the handful of wines I tasted this year, when it comes to value for money, they offer an intriguing option for lovers of the grape, delivering tension, a silky texture and hints of fruit and undergrowth. Excellent examples include the 2019 Domaine Nico Pinot Noir Histoira d’A, the 2016 Bemberg Estate Wines Pinot Noir La Linterna Finca Las Piedras Parcela #12 and the 2016 Rutini Wines Pinot Noir Antología LII. 

A Nursery for Small but Creative Producers

Unsurprising for an entrepreneurial culture like Argentina’s, the wine scene is well-stocked with small producers. For this report, I tasted a number of wines only made in batches of less than 1,000 bottles (others on the list are produced in runs of over 100,000). Of course, their sights are generally set on the domestic market, but if you’re on the lookout for producers that might have something to offer in the future, it’s a segment very much worth paying attention to.  

Some are well-established, such as the wineries run by the oenologists Matías Michelini and the couple Andrea Muffatto and Gerardo Michelini, who experiment with small bottlings of styles that ignore market trends under their SuperUco and La Cautiva labels respectively. Others, like Mauricio Vegetti, have a talent for fruity, easygoing wines. Some produce from their garage, while others had to rent a winery to make their wines, like Desquisiado Wines, whose labels can now be seen in the coolest restaurants of Buenos Aires. The latter group also includes Matías Riccitteli, who, in a brief period of time, has established a reputation for high altitude whites and reds of great precision that explore new and subtle veins of flavor.

Among the smallest producers, Onofri Wines stands out. Run by a sommelier with tastes that are a far cry from mainstream preferences, Mariana Onofri produces and bottles Rhône and Italian varieties that are enthusing her fellow sommeliers with their novel flavors and originality. Another working along similar lines is Ver Sacrum who makes lively whites and reds. And speaking of unusual varieties, Bira Wines are well worth looking into as they center on Sangiovese. Federico Isgró, the oenologist at the latter establishment, speaks for many when he says, “We focus on a part of the country’s heritage that has been forgotten: grapes that were once widespread, and we use them to offer new flavors.”  

Matías Riccitelli among the Sauvignon Blanc vines at La Carrera.

Crazy Folk from the Sierras and Beyond

In the 1930s, the planting of vines in supposedly unsuitable areas was banned in Argentina. This was done to protect regional economies sustained by wine and partially explains the concentration of vineyards in the west of the country, especially Mendoza.

When the law was repealed in the 1990s, entrepreneurs began to plant small vineyards in obscure regions. Some appeared in the Province of Buenos Aires, in the pampa húmeda by the Atlantic coast (150ha) – I only tasted one producer from the region this year: Costa & Pampa – while others popped up in Chubut (80ha) in southern Patagonia where they’re beginning to flourish.

Of these projects, some of the most interesting are found in Córdoba, a province in the middle of Argentina that boasts an ancient range of sierras running from north to south, and where there are 450ha under vine today. Consisting mainly of granite and metamorphic rock, the soils also contain calcareous pockets, while rainfall between 500 and 1,200mm a year sustains spiny, native hardwood forests. This year, I tried a few wines from the region made by the oenologist Gabriel Campana who believes that in Córdoba “the natural flora ensures the wines are more aromatic. The soils make for a medium body and good freshness, and the rainfall is very different than further west.” Some of these unique qualities come out in wines such as Patente X and Terra Camiare, but they are at their best in the bottles of Achala Wines, which also boasts one of the prettiest vineyards in the region.

Stylistic Movements

The quest for new flavors in Argentina is very much in keeping with the restless spirit of its population. Where in the past oak was a central ingredient, today it’s taking more of a back seat. An interesting phenomenon is occurring in the cooler, high altitude regions where a bunch of wines that one might call raw or reductive are attracting the limelight. They deliver a range of fresh, fruit flavors, and good texture in the mouth is anchored in precisely judged freshness. This is the result of the pendulum swinging away from the oxidative, ripe wines of the recent past. Whereas in some parts of the world modernity means riper, richer palates, in Argentina, it’s the opposite. In that sense, again, it’s more old world than new.

Challenges

Even in a country where psychoanalysis is widespread, not every flaw has a psychiatric explanation. There are also real challenges and threats from within the country and overseas that are hitting the local industry hard. Inflation is a major issue, and it doesn’t look like the situation will get better any time soon. Similar to the previous two years, the figure will be 50% this year. This makes it difficult for a business to plan long term. Today, it’s hitting lower priced wines harder, pushing producers to establish themselves in the $20.00 range to ensure they have some margin with which to absorb fluctuating costs.  

On the logistical side, there are supply issues due to an inflation-induced reduction in investment. Additionally, problems in the global glass industry, exacerbated by a fire at a major bottle factory, have resulted in a critical shortage of bottles this year. Some small and mid-sized producers simply can’t get their hands on them. On top of the complications with bottling, a scarcity of containers for export has made the situation even trickier.    

Another long-term issue is drought. Since 2010, winter snows, which provide the water for irrigation, have dropped sharply (50 to 60% below average each year), resulting in insufficiencies that have become critical in some areas. This year, the 2021 snowfall, which is supposed to provide the water for the 2022 harvest, was the lowest of the past five years. Rivers in southern Mendoza are suffering from a severe dry spell, while the Tunuyán basin is seriously low and the Mendoza River moderately so. 

Today, vineyards are competing for water with the growing population. Although domestic consumption accounts for about 30% of agriculture, the threat of desertification is a constant for vines in the lower and more remote areas at the end of irrigation systems. In the higher areas, where the water comes from wells, the drought hasn’t hit so hard yet, but specialists from the province’s Irrigation Department warn that it will hit them soon enough.

Obstacles aside, Argentina is a country where wine drinkers can give their inquisitive spirit free rein, whether they’re looking to judge recent developments with familiar favorites or explore entirely new profiles. In addition to a handful of reds that have truly raised the bar, the majority are delivering consistent quality in a diverse range of flavors. If I were to sum up the Argentine wine scene right now, I’d have to invent a new word, something that conveys a mixture of youthful enthusiasm and creative maturity. In its absence, perhaps the only way to truly understand what I mean is to try a few for yourself. 

I tasted the wines for this report at my office in Buenos Aires in August 2021.

© 2021, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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