Valle de Uco, Mendoza's high-altitude vineyard
48 bottles, from €10.50 to €330The reds from here have neither the heaviness nor the jammy character still attributed to Argentine Malbec. They are straight and tight, held together by an acidity that is rare at this latitude. The explanation lies in the terrain: the vines grow between 900 and 1,700 metres, on very poor stony terraces, and night-time temperatures drop fifteen to twenty degrees below those of the day.
This section brings together the valley's most sought-after single-parcel wines and everyday bottles, from taut Chardonnay to Tupungato Pinot Noirs.
Matías Riccitelli - Hey Malbec 2023
A Malbec of the future as evidenced by the label!
Atamisque - Atamisque Malbec 2022
Atamisque's high-altitude Malbec, black fruit, leather and chocolate in the background.
Bousquet - Chardonnay/Torrontés 2023
A fresh and aromatic white wine from the heights of Mendoza
Bousquet - Premium Malbec 2021
Blackberry, plum and vanilla: a round organic Malbec, ready as soon as it is opened.
Revancha - La Revancha Malbec 2020
A lacy Malbec, produced in the heart of the Uco valley, considered the best terroir in Mendoza
Bousquet - Unoaked Chardonnay 2022
A fresh and charming Chardonnay
Bousquet - Pinot Noir Reserve 2021
An altitude Pinot Noir with notes of undergrowth and spices
Matías Riccitelli - Sobre Suelos Calcareos Malbec 2020
A Malbec reflecting the purity and expression of the Gualtallary terroir reveals freshness and purity
Atamisque - Atamisque Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
A Cabernet from the Uco Valley, blackcurrant and graphite, structured without harshness.
La Rural - Rutini Colección Cabernet, Malbec 2023
A very nice Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend with flavors of black fruit spices
Matías Riccitelli - Sobre Suelos Calcareos Chardonnay 2023
A high altitude Argentinian Chardonnay combining purity, freshness and complexity.
Matías Riccitelli - Viñedos de Montaña - Chardonnay 2021
A fine and distinguished Chardonnay, from the magical terroirs of La Carrera and Gualtallary
Matías Riccitelli - The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree Malbec 2021
A full-bodied and intensely aromatic wine, made by a Malbec master!
Bousquet - Gran Malbec 2020
An assembled Malbec, dense and complex, from the Gualtallary highlands
E's Vino - Chardonnay 2024
A Chardonnay from the high-altitude terroirs of Gualtallary, combining tension and minerality
Bousquet - Gran Chardonnay 2024
Organic Chardonnay from Tupungato, ripe peach and discreet oak: roundness without heaviness.
E's Vino - Malbec 2024
An elegant Malbec, from the high-altitude terroirs of Gualtallary, combining intensity, structure and minerality.
La Rural - Trumpeter Petit Verdot 2021
A forgotten grape variety from Medoc, Petit Verdot demonstrates all its potential here.
Matías Riccitelli - Viñedos de Montaña Malbec 2018
A clean Malbec that reflects the elegance and power of the old vines of Mendoza
Bousquet - Ameri Malbec 2019
Bousquet's great organic cuvée: a high-altitude Malbec built to be cellared.
Zuccardi - Serie A Bonarda 2018
An intense wine whose mountain altitude provides balance and finesse
Bousquet - Virgen Chardonnay 2022
A round and fruity Chardonnay, organic and without added sulfur
Bousquet - Malbec Reserve 2023
Bousquet's reserve Malbec, blackberry and cocoa on a velvet of tannins.
Zuccardi - Aluvional Gualtallary Malbec 2017
A single-plot Malbec from one of the most beautiful microclimates in Mendoza
The areas of the valley, from north to south
The valley is divided into three departments: Tupungato in the north, Tunuyán in the centre and San Carlos in the south. Within them, finer geographical indications have been delimited on the basis of soils rather than administrative boundaries. It is the first Argentine wine map drawn this way, alluvial fan by alluvial fan.
| Area | Altitude and soils | Grape varieties | What it means in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tupungato | 1,000 to 1,600 m, sandy alluvium on a bed of pebbles | Malbec, Chardonnay | The highest and coolest department. Crunchy fruit, clean acidity, never heavy. |
| Gualtallary | 1,200 to 1,700 m, pebbles coated in limestone, the famous tosca | Malbec, Chardonnay, Cabernet Francthe trio that made the sector's reputation | The valley's star area. Straight, saline wines with an almost chalky finish. |
| Tunuyán | 1,000 to 1,200 m, alluvial fans of the Río Tunuyán, deep gravels | Malbec, Cabernet Franc | The historic centre. More flesh and roundness than in the north, without losing freshness. |
| Los Chacayes | 1,100 to 1,500 m, granite boulders and pebbles at the foot of the Andes | Malbecon granite soils | A markedly floral nose, violet and pepper, fine tannin that lengthens without ever drying out. |
| San Carlos | 900 to 1,200 m, deeper soils, sand mixed with clay | Malbec, Semillón | The south of the valley, slightly warmer. Supple wines, ripe fruit, affordable. |
| Paraje Altamira | 980 to 1,150 m, rounded pebbles cemented by calcium carbonate | Malbec | Tight texture, noble bitterness mid-palate and a very recognisable saline finish. |
| La Consulta | 950 to 1,100 m, finer alluvium with some clay | Malbec, Semillón | The valley's longest-planted terroir. Black fruit, supple tannin, drink fairly early. |
| Vista Flores | 1,000 to 1,200 m, deep sands lying on a bed of pebbles | Malbec, Cabernet SauvignonBordeaux blends do well here | Fleshy, generous wines, made for the table rather than long ageing. |
Few labels carry the name of the geographical indication: many simply say Valle de Uco. The rest of the province can be found under Mendoza and Luján de Cuyo.
Who makes what in our section
The valley was planted late, mostly from the 1990s onwards. Hence a map of producers very different from that of Luján de Cuyo : long-established houses that came looking for freshness at altitude, and estates built from scratch on bare stone.
| Domain | What it does best | Price range | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bousquet | Unoaked Chardonnay, easy-drinking Malbecthe valley's entry level | €10.50 to €33.00 | Planted in Gualtallary in 1997 by a family from Carcassonne, the estate is certified organic from vineyard to cellar. |
| Catena Zapata | The single-parcel wines of the Adrianna vineyardMalbec and Chardonnay from Gualtallary | €90.00 to €286.00 | White Stones and White Bones are two Chardonnays from two soils a few hundred metres apart. |
| Matías Riccitelli | Malbec and Chardonnay from limestone soilsfrom entry level to single-plot | €19.90 to €46.00 | Its Sobre Suelos Calcáreos range makes no secret of it: here, limestone has become a winemaker's selling point. |
| Domaine Nico | Pinot Noir, and nothing elseeach plot vinified separately | €39.80 to €330.00 | Laura Catena created this small estate in tribute to her grandfather Nicola, and plants nothing but Pinot Noir there. |
| Doña Paula | Malbec and Cabernet Franc blends a comparative reading of altitude | €24.00 to €76.00 | The Altitude series puts two planting heights side by side, 1,100 and 1,350 metres, in the same range. |
| Atamisque | Cabernet Sauvignon and blendsan extra brut too | €21.90 to €38.00 | A Tupungato estate that also makes a sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, a rarity in the region. |
| Rutini | Blends for ageingMalbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc | €26.00 to €59.95 | Founded in 1885, the house makes Antología, a blend that sums up its know-how in the valley. |
| Altos Las Hormigas | A terroir Malbec without make-updeliberately discreet ageing | €28.40 | The estate bottles a Valle de Uco and a Luján de Cuyo separately, so you can compare two expressions of the grape. |
Zuccardi, Luca Wines, Revancha and E's Vino complete the selection as new stock arrives. The producers are also listed in our estate directory.
Limestone, what turned Malbec's reputation around
For a long time, the quality of Uco wines was explained by altitude alone. The real discovery came from the subsoil. Digging pits, winemakers found calcium carbonate deposits beneath the pebbles: the white crust that Argentinians call tosca in Gualtallary, and which cements the alluvial fan of Paraje Altamira.
This limestone changes everything. It holds little water, forces the roots to go deep, and gives small, thick-skinned berries. In the glass: acidity that holds, a fine bitterness mid-palate, and that saline finish missing from lowland Malbecs.
Why the nights matter
At 1,400 metres, the difference between day and night often exceeds fifteen degrees in summer. The vine works by day and rests at night: the tannins take their time to ripen while the acidity stays in place. It is this gap, more than the heat, that explains the freshness of the wines.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we are asked about the Valle de Uco
Where is the Valle de Uco?
About a hundred kilometres south-west of the city of Mendoza, along the Andean foothills. It comprises three departments, Tupungato, Tunuyán and San Carlos, and forms the highest part of the province's vineyards. The rest of our Mendoza range is gathered in our section on Mendoza.
What exactly is Gualtallary?
An area of the Tupungato department, on the highest, stoniest fringe of the valley, where pebbles mix with the limestone deposits known as tosca. Its reputation was built in barely twenty years, and today it is home to the country's most expensive Malbecs and Chardonnays.
Does the Malbec here differ from that of Luján de Cuyo?
Clearly. Lower and warmer, Luján de Cuyo produces fleshy Malbecs with velvety tannins. At altitude, the same grape becomes straighter, with less jammy fruit and a saline finish. Altos las Hormigas puts both versions side by side under the same label.
What budget should you allow for a good bottle?
Allow between €20 and €40 a bottle for a serious estate Malbec: that is the heart of this section. Below €15, the cuvées are pleasant but simple. Above €100, you enter the single-parcel wines of Gualtallary, made for ageing.
Can I buy a single bottle?
Some of this section is sold by the bottle, the rest in lots of two or three bottles, or in cases of six. The format selector on each product page shows what is available for the cuvée you are viewing. The price shown then corresponds to the whole lot.
Why does Chardonnay do so well here?
Because altitude gives back what latitude takes away. The cold nights preserve its acidity, which collapses quickly in hot climates, and the limestone gives it tension. The most accomplished versions are more reminiscent of Burgundy than California. See also our section on Chardonnay.
And Cabernet Franc – is it a curiosity?
No, it is a genuine local success and plantings are growing fast. The grape needs ripeness to lose its green edge, and high-altitude sunshine provides it, without the excess heat that would weigh it down. It appears mainly in blends with Malbec, to which it adds depth and a peppery note.
How long do these wines keep?
The entry-level cuvées are drunk within three to five years, for their fruit. Estate Malbecs easily last eight to ten years. The single-parcel wines of Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira, more structured, often need five years in the cellar before opening up and will keep for more than fifteen years.
Which dishes should you serve them with?
High-altitude Malbec calls for grilled red meat and lamb, and its freshness can handle spicy dishes. The Pinot Noirs suit roast poultry and mushrooms, the Chardonnays oily fish and pressed cheeses. Serve the reds at around 16 degrees, the whites at around 11.
What should you discover next in our catalogue?
If altitude interests you, Salta climbs even higher, with its Torrontés and its Malbecs from the Valles Calchaquíes. For a cooler, more southerly style, take a look at Patagonia and its Pinot Noirs. The whole country is brought together on our page of Argentine wines, and the king of grapes on our page for Malbec.