2020 Altos Las Hormigas, Mendoza Malbec Clásico - Liberty

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.

The ‘Colonia Las Liebres’ Bonarda Clasica is certified organic and offers a juicy red with soft tannins. The Mendoza Tinto, a blend of Bonarda, Malbec and a small amount of Semillon, is their interpretation of the classic Mendoza red blend which existed before winemakers started focusing on single varieties. The Blanco is a new addition to the range, and is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Pedro Giménez and Semillon, grown in the Uco Valley on deep, lime soils. The certified organic Malbec Clásico offers a fresh, fruity yet elegant expression made primarily from grapes grown at the Luján de Cuyo estate, on silty soils. Also sourced from Luján de Cuyo, the ‘Terroir’ is sourced from an organic vineyard with limestone soils and shows a different expression of Malbec from the traditional Luján region, where predominantly alluvial and clay soils tend to produce wines with more weight and structure.

Their other wines are made exclusively from fruit sourced from select sites in the Uco Valley. The ‘Terroir’ Uco Valley Malbec perfectly combines Uco Valley florals with stunning purity of fruit. The Malbec Reserve offers more depth and complexity, as it is sourced from distinguished calcareous terraces, with 75% of the wine aged for 18 months in 3,500 litres untoasted French oak foudres, and 25% aged in concrete tanks, before a further 12 months ageing in bottle.

Altos Las Hormigas also produce two single-vineyard Malbecs from the renowned Uco Valley appellations of Altamira and Gualtallary. The Altamira vineyard is planted at 1,200 metres above sea level and the Gualtallary vineyard at 1,300 metres above sea level. The ‘Appellation Altamira’ Malbec is more elegant and aromatic, whereas the ‘Appellation Gualtallary’ Malbec is rounder and more powerful with great concentration, perfectly highlighting the Uco Valley’s site diversity.

Also located in Altamira, the `Jardín de Hormigas` vineyard is certified organic with 40% of its 32 hectares planted with native flora, ensuring biodiversity corridors grow among the vines. This vineyard is separated into 22 plots which were mapped and analysed by Pedro Parra when the vineyard was planted in 2017. Each plot (on average less than 1.5 hectares in size) is farmed and harvested individually, producing incredible wines with unique personalities across 23 different soil types. `Meteora` is a wine sourced from four plots within the ‘Jardín de Hormigas’ vineyard. Made from 100% Malbec, it is vinified in concrete tanks with 15% whole cluster, before ageing in concrete for 12 months. Originally intended to offer a more straightforward style of Malbec from this vineyard, the final wine is quite the opposite, offering a unique, diverse and complex expression, with Tim Atkin awarding the wine 95 points in his 2024 Argentina Special Report. Also sourced from `Jardín de Hormigas`, `Los Amantes` is produced from 100% Malbec grapes grown in a 1.2-hectare single plot in the southern part of the vineyard. Vinified in the same way as `Meteora`, the resulting wine is then aged in untoasted 3,500-litre French oak foudres for 15 months before a second ageing of 12 months in bottle. Awarded 98 points by Tim Atkin for the 2022 vintage, this wine is elegant and aromatic, with a delicate freshness from the silt-rich topsoil.

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.

2020 proved to be a very dry vintage in Mendoza, with average rainfall below the region’s historic records. The intense heat produced small berries with thick skins and concentrated flavours, and with amazing potential. February brought some cooler weather, which enabled the team to begin harvesting at the perfect time. All plots were in the winery by the beginning of March.

Grapes from different vineyards were all harvested by hand and vinified separately. After a careful double sorting process, the grapes were gently pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, in order to express the character of each vineyard. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks for 10 days at controlled temperatures of between 24°C and 28°C. Each tank was tasted three times a day to determine what was needed, and the wine then blended. Finally, it was aged for a minimum of nine months in concrete vats, with no oak seen.

This Malbec is an intense ruby-red in colour with violet hues. The expressive nose displays characteristic notes of red fruits, plum, and raspberry, with hints of orange rind and jarilla – a native Mendoza plant. This wine is all about freshness - the palate is supple and juicy, with soft but structured tannins and a long finish.