Winemaker Notes
Tinto de la Casa is a deep purple color. It has a floral and spicy nose. A complex, rich wine and soft tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The juicy, aromatic and expressive 2021 Tinto de la Casa is redolent and violets, wild berries and herbs, with good ripeness, 14% alcohol, notable acidity and freshness, very fine tannins and a chalky texture. It finishes dry. It fermented with 50% full clusters in oak vats with indigenous yeasts where it matured until the following harvest, but there's no noticeable oak at all. It comes 50% from Gualtallary and 50% from Las Compuertas, but the grapes were picked the same day and fermented together.
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Wine Spectator
A very quaffable Malbec, with an effusively generous bouquet of hibiscus, while the palate is equally generous, offering tiers of juicy blood orange and wild blueberry. Offers plenty of mineral-laden acidity to keep the flavors going on through the finish, around fine tannins and notes of spice and baker's chocolate. Drink now. 2,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.