Andeluna – Malbec ‘Pasionado’, Uco Valley – 2019

PRODUCER NOTE:
Founded in 2003, Andeluna produces premium mountain wines from their 70 hectare vineyard situated at an elevation of 1,300 metres in the rocky terroir of Gualtallary, Tupungato in the Uco Valley, Mendoza. By night, the moon can be seen illuminating the magnificent Andes Mountains nearby and the winery has been named after this stunning scene. The vineyard is managed using sustainable practices and in 2015 the entire vineyard was soil mapped with cultivation methods adapted accordingly. Winemaker, Manuel Gonzalez (previously Head Winemaker at Pulenta Estate and Chief Oenologist at Trivento) works alongside Andeluna’s wine consultant Hans Vinding Diers, together they use minimal intervention to create outstanding wines which have propelled this producer into the global spotlight in a very short space of time.

VINTAGE:
2019 saw an absence of high temperatures, so the grapes ripened slowly and gradually. The dry summer weather and cooler temperatures resulted in grapes of excellent health and good quality at harvest time. The volume harvested was below average of the past decade, but the resulting wines are of excellent quality. The whites are very pure, aromatic, fresh, precise and vibrant.

VINEYARD:
The grapes come from the vineyard located in Tupungato, which is situated at an altitude of 1,300 metres above sea level. The area is characterised by its great diurnal temperature swings, which encourages aromatic expression and a great intensity of colour in the wine. The vines are irrigated by a drip-water system that regulates and supplies the exact amount of water that the plant needs. Grown in soils which are predominantly alluvial and sandy, the vines undergo strict canopy management in order to reduce the yields.

WINEMAKING:
Manually harvested at dawn, in April when the grapes had reached full phenolic maturity, they were carefully selected by hand, to ensure no green material or imperfect fruit entered the must. Pre-fermentation maceration took place to extract a rich colour, prior to temperature controlled fermentation. Post-fermentation maceration lasted for approximately 10 days to further extract colour, flavour and fine tannins. When this was complete, the wine was racked. It was aged for 12 to 18 months in new French oak barrels and received a minimum of eight months bottle ageing.

TASTING NOTE:
Complex aromas of ripe red fruits and sweet notes of violet are complemented by delicate hints of vanilla, tobacco and a touch of chocolate. A structured, full bodied and aromatic wine, enhanced by rounded sweet tannins and a long-lasting finish.

GRAPE:
Malbec 100%.

COUNTRY:
Argentina

REGION:
Mendoza

SUB-REGION:
Uco Valley