Argentina Reloaded! A tasting by Paz Levinson showing the cutting edge of Argentina’s wine offering
Website: https://argentinareloaded.com/eng/
This was a special masterclass presented by Paz Levinson, an Argentine sommelier who now works for Ann Sophie Pic in France. Paz was supported by Christina Rasmussen of Littlewine, who had recently been on an Argentina Reloaded tour. The idea behind the ‘reloaded’ term is that this is a chance to change peoples’ perceptions about Argentine wine. Argentina is associated closely with value-for-money Malbec, and also some fancy Malbec made with the help of expensive consultants who pick too late and use too much oak. But things have changed, and if you look hard you can find some exciting, compelling wines. And while Malbec is an important story, it’s not the only one.
Some facts. Argentina is an important wine country. It has just under 200 000 hectares of vines, with a significant focus on the Malbec grape: there are 47 000 hectares of this variety in the country, and while overall vineyard area is decreasing slightly, Malbec is stable. But another important story is the family of 50 or so Criolla varieties, almost all the result of crossing Listan Prieto (Criolla Chica, or Pais, or Mission) with Moscatel de Alejandria.
Mendoza is the main region, with 76% of Argentina’s vineyard area, at 140 665 hectares (40 000 hectres are Malbec). And the Cuyo area which includes Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja makes up 94% of the country’s vineyard.
3.4% is in the Norte area, which is Salta and Juyjuy, while Patagonia down south is 1.9%.
Interestingly, half of Argentina’s vineyards are planted with parral (a pergola system). And there are lots of ungrafted vineyards, too.
Christina remarked that she was taken by the diversity of plant material, with lots of massal selection ungrafted vineyards, and also historical varieties. The Criollas, she noted, are a real gem: European Vitis vinifera heritage but born on Argentinean soil. There’s also the diversity of terroirs: elevation and latitude are helpful here.
We began with whites. Paz noted that the whites used to be made to a recipe, and they were largely boring. Now things have changed: wild yeasts and creative elevage. And with Torrontes, all the rules have been questioned and now this once monolithic variety is beginning to perform. It has a lot of potential for skin fermentation, for example.
Aside from Malbec, Grenache shows promise. There are just 63 hectares of it in Mendoza, but it could do really well here.
And for Malbec, it’s a variety that’s very sensitive to oak, and in the past this wasn’t understood. Too much of it was used, and it overwhelmed the variety.
So, here are the wines we tried, plus a few I tried after the masterclass.
Juan Pablo Michelini Altar Uco Edad Antigua Branco 2018 Mendoza, Argentina
11.6% alcohol. This is 50% Chenin Blanc (80 year old vines, pergola), 25% Chardonnay, 25% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are co-fermented in concrete egg and aged for three years in Stockinger foudre. Full yellow gold colour. Powerful and intense with lime, honey and straw. Concentrated and mineral with real complexity and intensity. Quite beautiful. 95/100
Riccitelli Old Vines from Patagonia Sémillon 2024 Argentina
12.5% alcohol. Vineyard planted in late 1960s on alluvial loams. Skin macerated at low temperature for 5 days then fermented and aged in foudre. Fresh, linear and chiselled with a lovely acid line under the powerful citrus fruit. There’s also some straw, honey and pear complexity. Mineral and fine. 94/100
Macollo Wines Moscatel 2025 Mendoza, Argentina
Santiago Vignoni is the winegrower behind Macollo. His family has a history of growing grapes in the East Zone of Mendoza, which is an older area making half of Argentina’s wine, with a lot of bulk production. This is from Moscatel Rosado, a distinctive variety, grown on pergola and then fermented in old barrels after a very short skin ferment (1-2 days) to finish fermentation. It’s fruity and terpenic with some grapey notes, but also some delicacy. Nicely textured with lovely balance. Dry and appealing, and delicate and fine. 93/100
Susana Balbo Signature Barrel Fermented Torrontés 2025 Mendoza, Argentina
13% alcohol. Grown from cuttings that came from Salta, cultured yeasts, new French oak. Very floral terpenic nose, which is pure and aromatic. There’s a brightness and energy on the palate with very subtle oak influence adding a spicy sheen. Nice energy here. 93/100
Bodega Chacra Sin Azufre Pinot Noir 2022 Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina
This is made in oak (52%), concrete (39%) and amphorae (9%), and it’s made without any added sulfites. Supple, elegant and fine with red cherry and berry fruit as well as some savoury spiciness. There’s real elegance here with a stony, savoury, mineral edge to the fruit, and it finishes slightly drying. Classy and really interesting. 94/100
Riccitelli Wines Garnacha 2025 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
12.5% alcohol. From calcareous soils at 1400 m. This is fermented infusion style in concrete (25% whole bunch), then raised in foudres. Fresh, fine and pure with brisk cherry and raspberry fruit as well as some redcurrant. Linear and pure with high acidity, a touch of reduction and youthful fruit. So pure and tightwound. 94/100
Macollo Wines Sangiovese 2025 Rivadaria, East Zone, Mendoza, Argentina
12% alcohol. 80 year old vines grown as pergola, 20% whole bunch fermentation then aged in old oak. This is juicy and bright with a stony edge to the raspberry and cherry fruit. Nicely textured, this is stylish, showing a tight savoury undercurrent. So satisfying. 93/100
Rocamadre Malbec 2025 Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
13.5% alcohol. Juanfa Suarez makes this with 30% whole bunch in concrete. It’s deeply coloured, fresh and concentrated with sweet blackberries and black cherries, showing real freshness as well as grippy structure. Pure, with detail, and unresolved in a nice way. Crunchy and fresh. 94/100
Cultor Wines La Naissance Malbec 2024 Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
14.5% alcohol. Aged in concrete and 500 litre barrels. Floral, ripe and expressive with a distinct spicy edge to the fresh berry fruits on the nose. The palate is supple, chalky and mineral with some freshness as well as ripeness and generosisty. Nice saline finish. 95/100
Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Malbec 2019 Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
14% alcohol. Fresh and vivid with nice raspberry and cherry fruit. Salty, with a hint of nice reduction. Good acidity. Salty, mineral, fine and really expressive. 95/100
Cultor Wines La Prière Malbec 2024 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
14.5% alcohol. Marcelo Belmonte has made this from the famous Monasterio sub region with its high calcium carbonate soils. 20% fermented in barrel, the matured in a mix of oak and concrete egg. Brooding nose of lush black cherry and blackberry fruit. Lush, textured and bold with with real finesse on the palate. Mineral notes as well as ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit. Salty and grainy. 95/100
Ruitini Wines Single Vineyard Gualtallary Malbec 2023 Mendoza, Argentina
13.9% alcohol. 50% oak, 50% concrete. Floral aromatics, with sweet blackberry and black cherry fruit. Classic in style. The palate is ripe and lush with a hint of chocolate, sweet berries, and an appealing spicy character. Ripe but nicely balanced. 94/100
Susana Balbo Wines BenMarco Sin Limites Malbec 2023 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
14% alcohol. Classic and structured with lovely balance. Sweet black cherries and blackberry with well integrated oak. Stylish, polished and modern. 93/100
PerSe Inseperable 2022 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
14% alcohol. Infusion style with submerged cap, then matured in concrete eggs. This is from the Monasterio sub-region. So expressive, with salt and iron notes as well as black cherries, blackberries and mineral detail. Such finesse. 96/100
El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec 2017 Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
13.5% alcohol. 95% Malbec, 5% Semillon (skins, co-ferment). 100% whole bunch with 80 day post-ferment maceration, then 64 months in foudres. Lush, ripe and textural with some nice spicy detail. Grippy and grainy with nice focus and some stony minerality. Good balance, with nice grip on the finish. 95/100
Noemia Malbec 2022 Río Negro, Argentina
13.5% alcohol. 1.5 hectare vineyard planted in 1932, massale selection, flood irrigated. Powerful aromatics of aniseed, cherries and red berries with nice olive and cured meat savouriness. Some spicy oak influence. Stylish. 94/100
Valle Arriba El Cateño Malbec 2023 Calchaqui Valley, Salta
14.5% alcohol. Aged in stainless steel. Concentrated, fresh and supple; salty and mineral. Nice ripe black cherry fruit. Harmonious and elegant, this is quite beautiful, with fine-grained structure and finishing with a hint of dried tomato and olive. 95/100
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Chacayes Cabernet Franc 2021 Uco Valley, Mendoza
13.5% alcohol. 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Malbec. Fresh, supple and floral with a slight chocolatey edge to the saline black cherry and blackberry fruit. Great balance with real finesse. 95/100
Noemia A Lisa 2023 Rio Negro, Argentina
Floral and expressive with nice mineral undercurrents to the sweet blackberry and black cherry fruit. Lush but well defined with elegance and a chalky edge to the finish. 95/100
Cultor Abisal 2024 Salta, Argentina
13.6% alcohol. This comes from a vineyard at 2700 m. So floral and expressive with vivid, saline-licked cherry and raspberry fruit. Pure, expressive and mineral with lovely floral detail and good acidity. 96/100
Lagarde Guarda Malbec 2022 Mendoza, Argentina
14% alcohol. Fresh, supple and elegant with fine red cherry fruit and nice fine-grained structure. Supple and quite elegant with a twist of liquorice. Nice weight and balance. 94/100
