The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2BT Registered no.: 1824R

01438 741177

Where perfect vine country and the winemaker’s art combineNATURE AND NURTURE IN HARMONY

AGAUG19

For more on Argentina including our buyer’s guide, visit

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Mendoza, Argentina’s

pre-eminent wine region,

is perfect vine country,

given life by meltwater

from the Andes. The climate is continental, seasons well defined, sunlight plentiful and rainfall low, which makes for ripe and healthy grapes. Diversity is assured by an astonishing range of planting altitudes, extending from below 950m to more than 1,400m above sea level.

Between these extremes there are subtleties galore: as winemaker Susana Balbo comments, ‘you can try a malbec from ten different vineyards and they’ll taste completely different from each other’.

Natural assets are a racing start, but it’s the human element that determines planting density,

harvesting, winemaking style and maturation, be it long or short, in concrete tanks, old, seasoned barrels or new wood. It takes both to transform ripe, healthy fruit into a glass of wine that really sings of its origins.

This selection celebrates the winemaker’s art in one of the world’s truly magnificent settings, and invites you to taste the fruits of a winning combination. Four mixed cases provide the perfect way to compare and contrast; explore and enjoy!

Toby MorrhallYour buyer for Argentina

screwcapbone dry to intensely sweet

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KEY

organicO

MENDELUnderstated wines for long life and fine diningWinemaker Roberto de la Mota’s training in Montpellier gives his wines a distinctly European and gastronomic feel. He avoids over-ripeness in the vineyard and his beautifully structured wines respond to an hour in a decanter before serving.

WHITELa Primera Revancha Mendoza Chenin Blanc 2018From an old Agrelo vineyard, a special low-yielding strain of a Loire variety all but abandoned in Argentina – and a nostalgic winemaker who never forgot it – this is an intriguing dry white, partly barrel fermented, ripe and peachy, with striking freshness on the palate. Drink now to 2022. 13.5%ref AG-AR4071£12.50 bottle | £150 dozen

REDSMendel Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2016This fine-boned cabernet, aged in barrique for a year, benefits from some 1,100m altitude and the gravelly, alluvial soils that the Perdriel region is known for. Delicious already, with time in hand. Drink now to 2025. 14%ref AG-AR3901£16 bottle | £192 dozen

Mendel Mendoza Malbec 2016Pretty floral aromas and fine flavour in this cool vintage, from a vineyard planted in 1928 in Mayor Drummond, a small enclave in Mendoza’s Luján de Cuyo district, south of the city. Drink now to 2025. 14.5%ref AG-AR4051£16 bottle | £192 dozen

Mendel Unus Mendoza 2015A flagship blend of Perdriel malbec, petit verdot and cabernet sauvignon, aged in barrel for 16 months. Classically honed, long on the finish and suffused with that trademark Mendel elegance. Drink now to 2029. 14.5% ref AG-AR3911£25 bottle | £300 dozen

Travels in Wine™Read about Roberto de la Mota’s

sentimental journey to rediscover a plot of ancient chenin blanc vines and revive them

in his La Primera Revancha wine.Visit thewinesociety.com/cheninstory

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For more info and to

order these wines, visit

thewinesociety.com/argentina

SUSANA BALBOModern wines from a technical whizz‘We are making art against a background of science,’ says Susana Balbo, Argentina’s first woman to receive a degree in oenology. Her thoughtful approach to technology and oak coax perfect expression from the range of terroirs at her disposal.

WHITEFaldeos Nevados Torrontés 2018Blending fruit from the cool Uco Valley and warmer Salta to the far north, Susana tempers the heady fragrance of Argentina’s signature white grape, leaving natural peach and grapefruit-tinged characters to bewitch the senses. Unoaked, elegant and moreish. 14%ref AG-AR3981£8.50 bottle | £102 dozen

REDSThe Society’s Argentine Malbec 2018This velvety and popular red comes from prime Agrelo fruit, grown within a short hop of Mendoza City, with a pinch of bonarda for an intense brambly hit on the nose. A beautifully ripe vintage lends even more appeal. 14.5%ref AG-AR4021£7.95 bottle | £95 dozen

Faldeos Nevados Malbec 2018Made exclusively for us by Susana at her Agrelo base, Dominio del Plata, this rich, round, black-cherry scented malbec, underpinned by soft tannins, is a Society bestseller. 14%ref AG-AR4011£9.25 bottle | £111 dozen

Susana Balbo Chacayes Single-Vineyard Mendoza Malbec 2017From a 1,200m high vineyard in Chacayes, southern Uco, this floral, red-fruited malbec brims with the freshness and energy achieved at altitude. 11 months in oak, a fifth of it new, add opulence. Drink now to 2023. 14%ref AG-AR3931£12.50 bottle | £150 dozen

Susana Balbo El Peral Single-Vineyard Mendoza Malbec 2017 Hailing from a slightly lower vineyard, planted on rocky, heat-retaining soils, this is an altogether rounder, lusher, more full-bodied malbec than the Chacayes bottling, but barrel aged exactly in the same way. Drink now to 2023. 14%ref AG-AR3941£12.50 bottle | £150 dozen

Susana Balbo Private Edition Blend for The Wine Society 2016A roughly equal blend of three classic Bordeaux varieties in a cool vintage, so ripe, yet fresh on the palate. Petit verdot contributes structure, cabernet sauvignon attractive blackcurrant fruit and cabernet franc a cedary top-note. Ten months in barrel do the rest. Drink now to 2022. 13.5%ref AG-AR3631£13.95 bottle £167 dozen

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To order visit thewinesociety.com/argentina or call 01438 741177

The impressive Balbo family - Susana with Ana and José

CATENAA new infusion of brilliancePoached from Argentina’s state agricultural development body, Alejandro Vigil is now technical director at Catena, an early ambassador for fine Argentine wine. A rare blend of academic and practical, his pioneering research into grapes, vineyards and winemaking is fantastic news for the Catena portfolio.

The Society’s Exhibition Mendoza Malbec 2017In the warm 2017 vintage, we found the best malbecs were from super-cool Altamira and Eugenio Bustos, in southern Uco. Aged in barrels for about 14 months, this is a beautiful, floral malbec with violet-scented nose, sweet tannins and a fine, concentrated palate. Drink now to 2021. 13.5%ref AG-AR3991£10.95 bottle | £131 dozen

BODEGAS WEINERTA coup de foudre for claret loversThe Weinert way involves long ageing in large old casks, or foudres. The result evokes comparisons with Lebanon’s Chateau Musar and Gran Reserva Rioja: smooth, mellow and comforting with aromas of leather, tobacco and cedarwood.

Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2008Some notes of mellow maturity here, underpinned by a still firmish and vigorous palate. Lovely now but it will improve even further with time. Drink now to 2025. 14.5% ref AG-AR4131£13.95 bottle | £167 dozen

Weinert Cavas de Weinert Mendoza 2007A fine vintage for this traditionally styled wine, enduringly admired by fans of Bordeaux. The blend is 40% malbec, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot, aged in cask for three to four years. Drink now to 2023. 14.5%ref AG-AR3761£21 bottle | £252 dozen

Weinert Tonel 111 Malbec 1994More than 22 years in a small oak barrel have transformed the youthful fruit of this remarkable malbec into tertiary aromas of burnished leather and fine cigars and its natural concentration into a wine of soft and gentle power. Drink now to 2025. 15.5%ref AG-AR3691

£30 bottle | £360 dozen

CHAKANAA new and organic supplierThis is our first purchase from Chakana who are based at Agrelo, a short hop from Mendoza City. Organic cultivation and minimal intervention are the order of the day here.

NEW Nuna Mendoza Syrah 2018We were very much taken with this organically grown syrah. Packed with invigorating black-fruit flavour and with a lovely balance between fresh tar and black-pepper notes. Drink now to 2022. 14.5%ref AG-AR4141£10.95 bottle | £131 dozen

ZAHATrue freedom of expressionAlejandro Sejanovich applies his impressive credentials from Catena to this smaller, more personal and hands-on operation in the southern Uco Valley. A dab hand in both vineyard and cellar, he never lets winemaking dominate the raw material, allowing the style and character of the vineyard to shine in the bottle.

WHITESZaha Marsanne 2018Lovely aromas of greengages and orange zest abound in this classic Rhône variety, happily transplanted to Chacayes. Ripe and full on the palate, fresh and long on the finish and altogether delicious. Drink now to 2023. 13.5%ref AG-AR4111£16 bottle | £192 dozen

Zaha Tunuyan Mendoza Chardonnay 2017 A superb chardonnay, made in an unusually firm and taut style, with a steely backbone and freshness born of its high-altitude origins and captured by fermentation and lees-ageing in tank, with no oak at all. Drink now to 2023. 13%ref AG-AR4101£18 bottle | £216 dozen

REDZaha Toko Vineyard Paraje Altamira Malbec 2015 A touch of limestone, a lot of altitude and a cool vintage find expression in the exquisite, fine-grained texture of this outstanding malbec, co-fermented with a little cabernet franc and petit verdot for added complexity and matured in barrel for at least a year. Drink now to 2025. 13.5%ref AG-AR3851£25 bottle | £300 dozen

ZUCCARDIA concrete proposalThe Zuccardi family has been making wine in Mendoza since the 1960s, and can claim to have seen it all, notably a move away from small oak barrels, which can dominate flavour if used carelessly. Large wooden barrels and concrete vats or piletas (which are easy to clean and neutral) are back in fashion.

Las Piletas Luján de Cuyo Malbec 2016The best wines we tasted with Sebastián Zuccardi this year come from Luján de Cuyo, notably this balanced, mid-weight malbec aged in piletas and some wooden barrels to round out the palate and sweeten the tannins. 13.5%ref AG-AR3971£9.75 bottle | £117 dozen

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The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2BT Registered no.: 1824R

01438 741177To order visit thewinesociety.com/argentina or call 01438 741177

LTU winemaker Cristobal Undurraga with viticulturist Mario Toso and vineyard owner Ricardo Toso

LTUAn exciting new alloy of copper and silverSensibly setting aside any rivalry between two highly competitive mining neighbours in the name of friendship and wine, this joint venture brings Chilean winemaking to Argentine vineyards. ‘LTU’ stands for the names of those involved, represented by silver and copper stars on the label (Chile is the world’s biggest copper producer, while silver is important for Argentina.)

LTU La Consulta Malbec 2013Superb, firm, floral-scented malbec from southern Uco, and an excellent, cool year, matured for 28 months in 30% new barrels. Gorgeous at six years of age but with yet more complexity to come with time. Drink now to 2029. 15%ref AG-AR3791£36 bottle | £432 dozen

The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2BT Registered no.: 1824R

01438 741177

Mixed Cases

THE MALBEC COLLECTION CASEref AG-MX19161Explore the delicious diversity of Argentina’s star red. A 12-bottle case containing two bottles of each of the following:

• The Society’s Argentine Malbec 2018• Faldeos Nevados Malbec 2018• Las Piletas Luján de Cuyo Malbec 2016• The Society’s Exhibition Mendoza Malbec 2017• Susana Balbo Chacayes Single- Vineyard Mendoza Malbec 2017• Susana Balbo El Peral Single- Vineyard Mendoza Malbec 2017

EXPLORE ARGENTINA CASEref AG-MX19164From classics to curiosities, this case rounds up some of the most exciting wines in Argentina. A six-bottle case containing one bottle of each of the following:

REDS• Nuna Mendoza Syrah 2018• Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2008• Susana Balbo Private Edition Blend for The Wine Society 2016• Faldeos Nevados Malbec 2018

WHITES• Faldeos Nevados Torrontés 2018• La Primera Revancha Mendoza Chenin Blanc 2018

THE CASE FOR WEINERTref AG-MX19162Mellow, mature and absolutely delicious reds from this fine bodega. A six-bottle case containing two bottles of each of the following:

• Weinert Cavas de Weinert Mendoza 2007• Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2008• Weinert Tonel 111 Malbec 1994

THE CASE FOR MENDELref AG-MX19163A case of Roberto de la Mota’s fine, understated red wines that lend themselves beautifully to food. A six-bottle case containing two bottles of each of the following:

• Mendel Mendoza Malbec 2016• Mendel Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2016• Mendel Unus Mendoza 2015

£125

£110 £125

£69

FREE UK DELIVERY

This offer is open until Sunday 8th September, 2019 while stocks last.

thewinesociety.com/argentina