Argentina

99 Points! The purity of fruit and transparency is mind-blowing here with fresh blackberries, white pepper, salt and chalk. It’s crunchy and flawless in its expression of high-altitude malbec. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and a long and breathtaking finish. Made in concrete and aged 16 months in cask. From a small vineyard at 1,500 meters on the slopes of the Andes. Only 3,000 bottles made. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! A very elegant nose with subtle red fruit, dried flowers, underbrush and herbal nuances, alongside tapenade and pepper. The palate is equally refined, with succulent dark fruit. The quality of the tannins brings tremendous balance and definition—velvety yet precise. Juicy but serious, with an almost effervescent energy. 20% whole-cluster fermentation. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Extremely aromatic, with very floral aromas of lavender, violets, peaches and citrus blossoms. It’s medium-bodied with firm and crunchy tannins. Structured and solid as a rock. Only 11% alcohol. Magic. Drink now. Why wait? - JamesSuckling.com

96+ Points! The 2024 Cincuenta y Cinco was sourced from vines planted in 1955 on sand-dominated soils with silt and a small amount of clay content. It offers a hauntingly multidimensional expression of the Chacra project with a weightless allure than sets it apart within an impressive roster of wines. It opens with a detailed, blue-fruited nose radiating violet and rose petal aromas with an undercurrent of turned earth. The palate deftly balances a sleek, suave profile with nimble energy and palpable grace, effortlessly transitioning into a long, nuanced, ethereal finish whose complexity and dimension dramatically juxtaposes its slender frame. While I feel the Treinta y Dos bottling offers a slightly more complete expression of the Chacra project, this is a spectacular example of Patagonian Pinot Noir and one to measure others against. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

97 Points! A sophisticated and complex red with blackberries, blueberries, sea shells, terra cotta, crushed stone and sea salt. Medium-bodied, savory and juicy on the palate with a creamy yet firm texture. Opens and softens in the end. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96+ Points! From silty soils at the estate Jardín Altamira site, the 2021 Malbec Appellation Altamira is another benchmark example of Altamira's distinctiveness. A broad, expansive and expressive bouquet of crystal-clear purple flower aromas bounds from the glass, supported by a rich yet measured bed of black and purple fruits. The palate is both wide and broad, with a laser-focused, tensile core, releasing into a finish that is equally high and refreshing yet deep and grounded. This is all about flowers and textural breadth, sitting lower in the mouth with a pronounced horizontal richness, juxtaposing the equally fantastic Appellation Gualtallary bottling, which exudes a more vertical, stony profile with a distinctly herbal bouquet. Even while attempting to correct for vintage variation, I find the Altamira wine a touch more complete and three-dimensional, but it really is splitting a hair. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

96 Points! Salty and spicy, with aromas of ginger, cardamom, lemons and sea salt. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, sharp and pungent, with a precise, saline character. Rich, focused and delicious. From grapes grown in Gualtallary. Fermented and aged in French oak, of which 35% was new. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay El Enemigo comes from Gualtallary, Uco Valley. Aged in 500-liter French oak barrels, it opens with green apple, chamomile, white peach, herbs and a subtle vermouth note. Dry, compact and saline, the oak broadens the palate where richness is otherwise restrained. The 2023 is a modern, refined profile for Gualtallary Chardonnay in a warm vintage. - Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

94 Points!  Ale Vigil is partial to a touch of flor in his top whites, as long as it occurs naturally in the winery. This left-field Gualtallary Chardonnay is savoury, spicy and slightly salty, with a brine-like top note, lovely texture, subtle 35% new wood, hints of aniseed and wild thyme and a core of beeswax and citrus zest. - Tim Atkin, MW

93 Points!  The 2023 Chardonnay derives from Adrianna Vineyard, was vinified in 500-liter barrique and incorporates some biological aging and a small portion of a five-year-old solera. Leading with a bright, citrus-driven nose bolstered by an elegant nutty richness, the palate is vibrant, textural and seamless, concluding with a succulent and nuanced finish. As with the whole El Enemigo range, this offers a fantastic value that entirely transcends the price point. - Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com

97 Points! A sophisticated and complex red with blackberries, blueberries, sea shells, terra cotta, crushed stone and sea salt. Medium-bodied, savory and juicy on the palate with a creamy yet firm texture. Opens and softens in the end. - JamesSuckling.com 

96+ Points! From silty soils at the estate Jardín Altamira site, the 2021 Malbec Appellation Altamira is another benchmark example of Altamira's distinctiveness. A broad, expansive and expressive bouquet of crystal-clear purple flower aromas bounds from the glass, supported by a rich yet measured bed of black and purple fruits. The palate is both wide and broad, with a laser-focused, tensile core, releasing into a finish that is equally high and refreshing yet deep and grounded. This is all about flowers and textural breadth, sitting lower in the mouth with a pronounced horizontal richness, juxtaposing the equally fantastic Appellation Gualtallary bottling, which exudes a more vertical, stony profile with a distinctly herbal bouquet. Even while attempting to correct for vintage variation, I find the Altamira wine a touch more complete and three-dimensional, but it really is splitting a hair. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

96 Points! A consistently impressive chardonnay that highlights purity and saline minerality. Salted lemons, sliced apples, seashells and stones drizzled with a touch of oak spice. Full-bodied yet tense and lightly saline on the palate, with bright acidity and a pure, lengthy finish. Nervy and simply delicious. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2022 Chardonnay hails from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, with some under velo de flor, this bright green-gold wine reveals aromas of peaches and pears with a hint of cashew and a slightly oaky backdrop. Dry and lean, the palate lingers with a chalky mouthfeel. This is a modern high-altitude Chardonnay. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous Media

98 Points! Cassis, tobacco, wet stones, iron and baking spices to the nose, showing class, restraint and complexity. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with super fine tannins. Dry, super elegant and silky with a lengthy, polished finish. Really Bordeaux-like. Juicy and long. 54% cabernet sauvignon from Gualtallary, 25% cabernet franc from Altamira and 21% malbec from both areas. The highest portion of cabernet franc this year helped retain its nervy freshness! This is classy and beautiful. Harvested on March 12th and 13th. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Wonderfully aromatic and nuanced on the nose, so alive and open. Energetic and lively on the palate, this has so much spark and brightness to it. Really compelling from the first sip, the tannins ample and cushioning the slick black fruit and accompanying savoury spices. Feels lean and taught, but with so much flair. Really a lovely expression, so generous and well defined. Youthful as you'd expect right now but when this softens it will be a beauty. Just gorgeous, with a minty fresh finish. - Decanter Magazine

98 Points! The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; when they arrived, they had finished picking the Malbec, which surprisingly was fresher in Las Compuertas (because of the higher percentage of clay?) than in Altamira (where the vines suffered more stress), saving the freshness. They now harvest using cold trucks (for the first time), and they also started earlier in the morning (six in the morning, impossible earlier in Mendoza...), which he reckons was very good for the precision of the wine. They used 40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 400-liter oak barrels and 20% 2,500-liter foudres, half of them new and with an élevage of 15 months on average, depending on the lots and varieties from 12 to 18 months. The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback as it was not used since 2016. The key was to finish the fermentation of the Petit Verdot without skins, and that way, they have been able to use it in the blends of 2021, 2022 and 2023 in small but increasing percentages. This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other—this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. They produced their usual 100,000 bottles (since 2018), as they are renewing their vineyards and want to keep the volume stable. They produce this volume from the 36 productive hectares they have in Las Compuertas and Altamira. There are some more changes: in 2020, they went for a lighter bottle, weighing 100 grams less than the one they used in 2018 and 2019, but close to 300 grams less than the bottle from before. It's also a slimmer bottle, always thinking about the environment. They are very focused on agroecology, accelerating the regenerative viticulture and using cover crops; they have planted 1,900 trees in the last three years, creating small clusters of biodiversity for birds. They have transplanted some centenary olive trees and keep their sheep and lamas on the property. Very green-minded. - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate