Amalaya Calchaquí Valley Malbec 2024
This wine is a brilliant ruby colour with purple edges. The nose boasts aromas of ripe strawberry and raspberry, with floral notes and subtle hints of pepper and spice. Flavours of red fruit, spice and vanilla fill the mouth, and the well-integrated tannins are balanced beautifully by an elegant freshness.
The estate's vineyards are located in Cafayate in the very heart of the Calchaquí Valley, distinguished for being one of the highest wine regions in the world at 1700 metres above sea level. The climate is very dry, with just 150 millimetres of rain in an average year and huge diurnal temperature fluctuations of around 20°C. The soils here are rocky, poor and sandy so the roots of the vines are forced to dig deep to find the vital nutrients and water they need, which results in fruit with hugely concentrated flavour.
Once at the winery, the grapes underwent a four day cold maceration. Fermentation took place at a controlled temperature of 24°C with two pump overs per day. This was then followed by maceration on the skins for 20-25 days, to extract good levels of colour and tannins. Malolactic conversion then took place in stainless steel tanks to give the wine greater balance. It was then racked to both stainless steel tanks (75%) and used barrels (25%) to undergo an eight month ageing period prior to blending and bottling.
| RRP | £15.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14% |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Salta |
| Subregion | Calchaquí Valley |
| Grapes | Malbec 85%, Tannat 10%, Petit Verdot 5% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 3.73 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Screwcap |
| Winemaker | Jorge Noguera |
In the indigenous language of the now-extinct Calchaquí tribe, Amalaya translates to ‘hope for a miracle’. Situated in the Calchaquí Valley in Salta, the Amalaya winery sits at a staggering elevation of 1,828 metres and is now part of the Hess Family Wine Estates of Hess Collection, Napa Valley fame. They run Amalaya with the same dedication to quality, sustainability and social responsibility as the other famed Hess estate in the region, Bodega Colomé.
Amalaya comprises 80 hectares of vines planted with Malbec, Torrontés, Riesling, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot, with an additional 40 hectares in development. Their grapes are sourced from two vineyards: ‘Finca Las Mercedes’ (located at 1,770 metres above sea level, with deep sandy soil) and ‘Finca San Isidro’ (located at 1,800 metres above sea level with rocky soils). Amalaya’s vines are also drip irrigated using mountain run-off water stored in reservoirs, as the climate is semi-arid and average annual rainfall is between just 120 - 180mm.
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