Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Unus, a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, was sourced from the same 78-year-old estate vineyard and aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Deep crimson-colored, it offers up a complex bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, violets, black cherry, and black currant. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it reveals an elegant personality with layered fruit, succulent flavors, silky tannins, and a lengthy finish. Give it 2-3 years in the cellar to unwind and drink it from 2010 to 2018.
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Wine Spectator
Vivid and tightly wound, with a racy, superripe core of blueberry, raspberry and fig fruit held back for now by a layer of sweet, spicy toast. Yet this is well-integrated and superlengthy, with a great graphite edge underneath. Should cellar well. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2009 through 2015. 1,425 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Unus is 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, but what you need to know is that it’s 100% excellent. The nose features a rich blend of tobacco, baked plum and leather, while the palate is saturated, concentrated and tastes of cassis and blackberry. Clean, intense and complex
Mendel is the first name of the owner's father, a man who came to Argentina with nothing and ended up a successful businessman in different industries. He was also a man that loved the finest things that life had to offer, particularly wine. His daughter, Anabelle, honors her father by seeking perfection in her and Roberto's wines with his name on the label.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
With vineyards tretching along the eastern side of the Andes Mountains from Patagonia in the south to Salta in the north, Argentina is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic wine producing countries—and most important in South America.
Since the late 20th century vineyard investments, improved winery technology and a commitment to innovation have all contributed to the country’s burgeoning image as a producer of great wines at all price points. The climate here is diverse but generally continental and agreeable, with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters—a positive, as snow melt from the Andes Mountains is used heavily to irrigate vineyards. Grapes very rarely have any difficulty achieving full ripeness.
Argentina’s famous Mendoza region, responsible for more than 70% of Argentina’s wine production, is further divided into several sub-regions, with Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley most noteworthy. Red wines dominate here, especially Malbec, the country’s star variety, while Chardonnay is the most successful white.
The province of San Juan is best known for blends of Bonarda and Syrah. Torrontés is a specialty of the La Rioja and Salta regions, the latter of which is also responsible for excellent Malbecs grown at very high elevation.