El Montañista "Viejas Tintas" Argentina Red Blend 2023

Vin Chicago: 91 Points

"(8/2025) We had heard about the wines from Francis​co Bugallo and Nuria Añó Gargiulo of El Montañista and were utterly delighted when we were finally able to try them! This blend of Barbera, Bonarda, Greco Nero, Rabosso Veronese, Cardin, and Freisa comes from 80+ year old vines planted at an altitude of nearly 5000 feet! The vineyards are old, dry, and very isolated--in other words, pristine. The grapes here are crushed with the stems and fermented in concrete for 14 to 21 days, after which a gentle pressing occurs. The juice is then rested on the lees in concrete for 7 months before bottling. This is such a cool wine--the blend and whole-cluster fermentation give it aromatics and flavors of a rather bold, red-fruited red with a hint of smoke and fall leaves, while the gentle hand in the winemaking preserves refreshing acidity and litheness."