Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza Blanco 2024
This blend has a youthful colour and a complex and expressive nose. Notes of white pepper, white peach, kumquat and jalapeño, combine with a tropical note reminiscent of passion fruit. The palate is very juicy and textured, with afresh mouthfeel and a strong backbone of acidity. The finish is long with saline and floral notes carrying through to the end.
The fruit for this wine isgrown on pergola-trellised 80-year-old vines, planted inthe San Carlos and Paraje Altamira vineyards, located in the Uco Valley. The deep, limestone-rich soils and excellent diurnal range help the grapes maintain a natural acidity in the warm climate.
The three grape varieties were harvested early to achieve high levels of natural acidity. Each variety was vinified separately until the final blend, as different winemaking practices were carried out depending on the needs of each grape. The semillion was fermented with 40% whole bunches and the Pedro Giménez was fermented with 20% on the skins. The Chenin was vinified traditionally, and all grapes were fermented using only indigenous yeasts inconcrete vats. The wine was then aged for 6months in concrete vats, with no oak used at any point.
| RRP | £18.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Alcoholic strength | 12% |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Mendoza |
| Subregion | Valle de Uco |
| Grapes | Chenin Blanc 80%, Pedro Giménez 15%, Semillon 5% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 1.8 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Diam |
| Winemaker | Alberto Antonini, Attilio Pagli, Federico Gambetta |
Friends and business partners Alberto Antonini and Antonio Morescalchi first visited Mendoza in 1995 and were instantly impressed by the vineyards they discovered. Nearly three decades later, the estate they founded, Altos Las Hormigas, has gone from being a youthful dream to one of the country’s leading producers.
Alberto and Antonio work very closely with Pedro Parra (widely regarded as the world’s leading expert on soil and vineyard mapping) to identify the best vineyard sites to grow their grapes. As a result, they have discovered outstanding sites across Mendoza and aim to show the distinct character of each through their wines. From Luján de Cuyo they obtain fine tannins, concentration and a dark purple colour, whereas the calcareous, high-elevation sites of Vistaflores, Altamira and Gualtallary each bring distinctive perfumes and mouth-filling textures.
In 2020, Federico Gambetta was appointed winemaker and by 2021, he was producing 100-point wines, propelling this highly respected winery into a new era. A combination of biodynamic farming, minimal intervention in the winery, as well as Alberto and Antonio’s relentless experimentation and desire to produce Argentina's best wines, has given Altos its reputation as one of the country’s leading Malbec specialists.
