The nose of smoky bacon on the 2013 Chento Malbec Vineyard Selection transported me to the Rhône, but it has no Syrah, as it's Malbec with 10% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were sourced from La Consulta in the Uco Valley and the wine matured for 12 months in French oak barrels (40% new), which had a great influence on the wine, mainly in the palate where you get the wood tannins and the sweet spices in the flavors. It needs more time in bottle. For fans of oaky reds. 30,000 bottles.
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate, 28th Aug 2015

In 2002 a group of friends bought land in the premium Gualtallaray zone of the Uco Valley. A well-known local winemaker used their fruit for his top terroir wine. His first vintage of the Malbec achieved 94 Parker points, leading the wines to be bottled under the autonomous Ambrosía label. The 2013 is the debut vintage of Ambrosía’s Chardonnay and it is impressive.

Warm lemon and white peach aromas are followed by riper flavours of yellow apple and nectarine, accompanied by toasty notes of lees-ageing. Ripe but refined with good texture and length, this is exclusive to Berry Bros. & Rudd in the UK. Match with roast loin of pork, macaroni cheese, Gruyère cheese.

Another wine from Ambrosia showcasing the potential of Argentina’s Gualtallary district. Like all the finca’s wines, this is grown at a staggering 1250 metres altitude, which accounts for its lifted aromatics and mouth-watering freshness. A dash of Cabernet Franc (5%) contributes extra acidity. As you’d hope of an Argentinian Malbec, it has considerable power too, with a rich, chocolatey texture, enhanced by 18 months in new French oak. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop - Wine Buyer

In 2002 a group of friends bought land in the premium Gualtallaray zone of the Uco Valley. A well-known local winemaker used their fruit for his top terroir wine. His first vintage of the Malbec achieved 94 Parker points, leading the wines to be bottled under the autonomous Ambrosía label. The 2013 is the debut vintage of Ambrosía’s Chardonnay and it is impressive.

If this wine’s bouquet of black fruit, cedar and pencil shavings (pointing to Gualtallary’s gravel soils) is classical and relatively restrained, the palate is downright exuberant: a juggernaut of ripe fruit and sculpted, yet velvety tannins, propelled by mouth-watering acidity. The 2013 has all the attributes to improve over the next five years, but is drinking beautifully now, preferably with rare roast or grilled beef.

Pulenta Estate is owned and run by brothers, Hugo and Eduardo Pulenta. Situated in Alto Agrelo in Mendoza, it enjoys excellent climate conditions and panoramic views from up to 980 metres above sea-level. Irrigation comes from melted water running off the Andes and the whole process is de facto organic. The brothers’ philosophy is expressed thus: “Making a great wine is an act of generosity, considering always the one who will taste it. Our mission is to produce limited series of great wines, proudly made in Argentina.”

An Argentine take on the classic Bordeaux blend, this mix of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot has a rich plum and spice aroma. On the palate the wine is full-bodied but silky, with firm tannins backed by ripe fruit. The finish unwinds with flavours of chocolate, tobacco and smoky coffee.

This is Cuarto Dominio’s top wine, sourced from two particularly well-sited parcels in La Consulta vineyard, which lies at 980 metres’ altitude before a spectacular Andean backdrop. The combination of sun-kissed days and freezing colds nights delivers grapes that are both perfectly ripe and high in acidity. For the lucky drinker, this means bags of flavour, massive yet rounded tannins and, crucially, mouth-watering freshness.

An extraordinarily concentrated and complex wine, this is hard to resist now but with the faculties to improve over the next five or more years. Blackberry, dark chocolate and dried flowers begin a long procession of aromas, which – with time in the glass or decanter – become increasingly savoury in character. Don’t stop swirling until you get smoky bacon! Like many of Mendoza’s best wines, it finishes on a beguiling saline note. Memorable stuff.