Argentina: Resiliencia e Ingenio Estilístico en Pleno Funcionamiento

Argentina: Making It Work with Resilience and Stylistic Ingenuity

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | NOVEMBER 03, 2022

In a world racked by rampant inflation, haywire logistical supply chains and a European war, Argentina looks pretty good right now. Down at the world’s end, the issues affecting industries across the globe are being taken in stride. For years, Argentine wine producers have had to deal with crisis after crisis: the climate, energy and economy. However, Argentina always finds ways to make it work through ingenuity, resilience and creative winemaking.

The Pedernal Valley in San Juan sits at 4,600 feet above sea level and is sheltered to the east by a ridge of calcareous rock on which most vineyards are planted. Wines made here tend to be of excellent quality.

Since I started working on this report in July 2022, Argentina’s resilience has become increasingly apparent. I’d barely stepped through a winery’s door before the lamentations began, ranging from complaints about the exchange rate to the climate. Still, oenologists and owners would soon move on to excitedly talk about their latest projects, achievements and enthusiasm about the long-term future. It’s almost as if all that winemakers care about is getting into the barrel room or cellar to open their wines. They’ve never been particularly fazed by challenges – which, admittedly, are legion – buoyed by the knowledge that they’ve always been able to overcome them in the past. That is Argentine wine in a nutshell. 

Some of the areas I visited were truly suffering. I went pretty far off the beaten track to taste more than 1,200 wines featured in this report. I traveled to the east of Mendoza, to witness the effect of years of drought for myself: abandoned vineyards and a general loss of business focus. But even here, one freezing night, I found one or two desert stars offering a twinkle of hope thanks to a new wave of young producers looking to revive the region. “We need to explore authentic flavors, to depend less on oenology and more on ideas,” winemaker Matías Morcos told me.

On my return home, I tied it all together, linking overlooked corners with up-and-coming terroirs such as Pedernal in San Juan or the highest parts of the Uco Valley. What I found is that Argentine wine is an excellent metaphor for the country’s character: here, resilience is king; everyone does the best they can with the tools at their disposal, and, sometimes, with the country’s distinctively bullet-proof optimism and plenty of ingenuity, the results can be quite brilliant. 

From raw, primary reds to wines where the aging process takes center stage, whites made from red grapes, deeply rational oenological approaches and some that seem simply nuts, a fondness for both experimentation and the classics, new research and the tried and tested... it’s all part of a scene in which some bottles offer genuinely spine-tingling quality while plenty deliver superb value for money, while others are best described as eminently forgettable. In any case, in this chaotic world in which we live, drinkers will never be bored in Argentina.

The Malbec Paradox

Of the wines in this report, 478 are 100% Malbec (which is also featured in numerous blends). Malbec is clearly the variety that producers know best. There are still plenty of versions that will disappoint anyone looking for something striking or new.   

It might be a good idea to adjust our gaze a little. If you start comparing different areas, the variety often takes a back seat to expressions of terroir. Drinking a Malbec from a high part of Gualtallary, which is rich in calcareous deposits, alongside one grown in similar soils but in Paraje Altamira (both of which are in the Uco Valley) can be an illuminating experience that delivers quite different textures and points of ripeness. If you continue your comparison with one from Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo or Pedernal in San Juan, you’ll find that the range of sensations and flavors only keeps growing. It’s not dissimilar to tasting Cabernets from different terroirs in California.

A small but intense minority of producers are going even further and achieving bewitching results. They are beginning to isolate the flavors produced by different soil types on the same property, with each vein and its associated height and exposure, adding greater nuance to the palette of flavors Malbec is capable of. When done well, this can be an extremely virtuous circle. Look out for terms on the label such as parcel, polygon, island or pocket, all of which indicate that such approaches are being taken. They might well lead you to rich but fresh and juicy Malbecs such as the 2019 Gran Reserva Altocedro, 2020 Catena Nicasia Vineyard or 2019 Terrazas de Los Andes Parcel N12S Licán, or, on the other side of the scale, skinny, vibrant incarnations such as the 2019 Zuccardi Piedra Infinita Supercal or 2019 Per Se Iubileus.

Malbec presents quite the paradox: it’s a safe bet for consumers with an ample comfort zone (especially in Luján de Cuyo, on which I’ll be doing a Terroir in Focus at the end of the year), but it can also be quite an adventure. To orient yourself, keep an eye on the stylistic records of specific regions and producers.  

Los Chacayes is one of the new GIs in the Uco Valley. This photo was taken on July 6 this year, a cold morning when snow fell in the Andes, just a few miles away.

Los Chacayes, an Emerging Region

One of several areas on the rise, Los Chacayes in the Uco Valley boasts multiple virtues that put the location at the front of the pack. Los Chacayes is the home of several successful real estate ventures such as The Vines, Casa de Uco, Alpasión and Los Arbolitos; while in the northern half the Clos de los Siete estate, almost 300 hectares, also falls within the region. To date, this Geographical Indication contains 1,000 hectares under vine at the height of 3,200 to 5,600 feet in poor, stony soils.

Los Chacayes is an area where real estate ventures cover lots between half to two hectares on average, resulting in the presence of many small producers. The approval of Geographic Indication status in 2017 was an essential step for the region. At the time of writing, about 100 wines are officially declared from Los Chacayes. The area is increasingly in the mouth of the industry. In addition to the producers mentioned above, Corazón del Sol, Piedra Negra and Ver Sacrum are all bottling a diverse range of well-made wines.

Outside the Box

Beyond its traditional redoubt of Malbec, Argentina offers plenty more flavors. There is an exciting, current trend of making pure Cabernet Francs, of which I tried about a hundred for this report. The first Cabernet Franc clones were planted in the 1990s. To date, about 1,600 hectares are under vine (+300 hectares since my latest report). Where many of the wines from Argentina go heavy on fruity flavor, Cabernet Francs offer more herbal and ashy components combined with palate-cleansing freshness. These qualities are advantageous when blended with Malbec: the fruit and generous palate of the latter goes very well with Cabernet Franc’s herbal qualities and stricter character, striking a balance that will rarely let you down.