Altos Las Hormigas Organic Mendoza Malbec Clásico 2022
The wine is lively ruby red in colour. The nose boasts aromas of plum, gunpowder, black pepper and eucalyptus. The palate is fresh and juicy with a fine acidity and balanced tannins.
The fruit for the Clásico is sourced from vineyards in Luján de Cuyo (70%) and the Uco Valley (30%). The region has a semi-desert climate with hot days and cool nights, which allows the grapes to ripen beautifully while still retaining good levels of acidity. The soils have a fine silt-sandy texture that provide good drainage and encourage deep root development, assisting the vines in coping with the intense summer heat in Mendoza.
The 100% organic Malbec grapes were harvested by hand. Fermentation was carried out in stainless steel tanks at 24°C for ten days with 5% of the fruit remaining whole cluster. Only indigenous yeast was used to enhance the expression of the vineyard. Extraction was minimized to preserve the delicate aromatics. The wine was aged for nine months in concrete vats with zero oak influence.
| RRP | £16.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Mendoza |
| Subregion | Luján de Cuyo |
| Grapes | Malbec 100% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 2.5 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | Yes |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Screwcap |
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.
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