Kaiken Terroir Series Malbec Bonarda Petit Verdot 2022
This wine is garnet red in colour with ruby highlights. On the nose are vivid aromas of ripe red and black fruit, roasted pepper, thyme and liquorice. The medium-bodied palate combines ripe fruit flavours with firm but well-integrated tannins and balanced acidity.
The grapes for this wine are sourced from vineyards located in both the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo. The Uco Valley vineyard lies 100 kilometres south of the city of Mendoza at 1,250 metres above sea level. The climate here is temperate with severe winters and warm summers with cool nights. This can cause a large diurnal temperature range of up to 20ºC during the ripening period, allowing the grapes to retain their fresh aromatics. Soils are rocky, mixed with coarse sand and limestone, and with low fertility. The vineyard in Luján de Cuyo is situated 40km south of Mendoza at 950 metres above sea level. The climate is semi-arid and windy, with cold winters and hot summers, again with a large diurnal range. The soils are deep and consist of loamy silt which retains moisture and sustains the vines during the hot summer months.
All varieties were handpicked in April and transported quickly to the winery, where they were carefully selected to ensure only those in pristine condition were vinified. The grapes underwent a pre-fermentation maceration on the skins at a cool 10ºC for 7 days. Fermentation followed in concrete tanks at a controlled temperature of 26°C for one week, using selected yeasts. Post fermentation, the wine macerated on the skins for a further 20 days to extract additional colour and tannins. It was then transferred to French oak barrels, a third of which was new and the remainder second and third use, to age for 8 months before being bottled and aged for a final 3 months prior to release.
| RRP | £14.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14% |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Mendoza |
| Grapes | Malbec, Bonarda, Petit Verdot |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 2.46 |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Natural Cork |
Kaikenes are wild geese, native to Patagonia, that fly across the Andes between Chile and Argentina. In the same way, legendary Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes crossed the Andes to make wines in Mendoza. After several exploratory trips, Aurelio saw the enormous potential for premium viticulture in this region and founded the Kaiken winery in 2002. His aim is to make great wines in Mendoza and, in doing so, show the best of both sides of the Andes. His efforts have clearly yielded great results, with Kaiken named ‘New World Producer of the Year’ by the Sommelier Wine Awards in 2024. In addition, they have now achieved B-Corp certification, illustrating their commitment to both responsible and sustainable business practices.
Kaiken’s estate vineyards are planted in the heart of Mendoza and further south in the Uco Valley, where many premium producers are now sourcing fruit. Their focus is primarily on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety once almost forgotten in the region. As a result of Kaiken’s protection, there are now several old vine Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Mendoza that produce excellent wines, including Kaiken’s vineyard in the Vistalba district of Luján de Cuyo, which was first planted in 1910.
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