Luján de Cuyo, den argentinska malbecens vagga
15 flaskor, från 9,90 € till 59,90 €A fleshy, round Malbec with ripe black fruit and rounded tannins: this is the signature of this vineyard on the right bank of the río Mendoza, between 800 and 1,100 metres. The vines here were the first to be planted, as early as the 1920s, and in 1993 the area obtained the country's first controlled designation of origin.
Here you will find generous reds, less taut than those of the Valle de Uco next door, with a breadth on the palate that comes from deep soils and moderate altitude. The range runs from everyday wines to estate gran reservas.
Caselles & Guillaume Letang - Night Shift 2023
A distinguished Malbec grown at an altitude of over 1000 meters
Dona Paula - Estate Black Edition 2021
A beautiful red blend, from the highlands of Luján de Cuyo
Matias Riccitelli - Republica del Malbec 2020
An exceptional wine, elegant and precise with round and silky tannins
Dona Paula - Estate Smoked Red Blend 2023
A wine made to accompany your wild barbecues!
Dona Paula - Estate Blue Edition 2022
An astonishing blend of Pinot Noir, Malbec and Bonarda
Caelum - Malbec Gran Reserva 2016
A powerful and elegant high-altitude Malbec, where aromatic depth and freshness blend harmoniously. A great wine for laying down.
Caelum - Fiano Gran Reserva 2020
Mediterranean brilliance in Andean terroir, combining freshness, complexity and timeless refinement
Caelum - Malbec Reserva 2019
A Malbec from Mendoza that combines intensity, finesse and depth with remarkable elegance.
Caelum - Terroir Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
An Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon where freshness, intensity and elegance come together harmoniously.
Caelum - Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 2016
A powerful and refined high-altitude Cabernet Sauvignon, where intensity and elegance come together in harmony.
Caelum - Blend Icon 2020
An exceptional blended wine, combining power, complexity and balance
Caelum - Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2019
An intense, structured and elegant Argentinian Cabernet, with deep aromas of black fruits and spices.
Caelum - Fiano Terroir 2024
A 100% fresh, mineral Fiano enhanced by the purity of the high altitudes of Mendoza.
Caelum - Eclat Extra Brut 2017
A refined high-altitude sparkling wine, combining freshness, complexity and elegance in an ethereal harmony
Altos las Hormigas - Malbec Terroir Lujan de Cuyo 2022
A precise and vibrant terroir Malbec, where Andean freshness enhances the purity of the fruit.
Agrelo, Vistalba, Las Compuertas: vem ger vad
Luján de Cuyo is not a single block. The vineyard slopes down from the Andean foothills towards the río Mendoza, losing nearly 300 metres of altitude over some fifteen kilometres. Each step changes the timing of the harvest, the depth of the soil and the grip of the tannins.
| Distrikt | Höjd och jordar | Druvsorter | What it means in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agrelo | 900–1 050 m, djupa leriga siltjordar ovanpå ett lager av rundade stenar | MalbecCabernet sauvignon | Det bredaste distriktet: mogen mörk frukt, runda tanniner, omedelbar fyllighet. |
| Perdriel | 900 to 980 m, sandy alluvium and rounded stones, very free-draining soils | Malbec, cabernet franc | Något stramare än Agrelo, mörk frukt och en ton av bläck, fasta tanniner som behöver tid. |
| Vistalba | 1,000 to 1,100 m, poor stony sands with pockets of limestone | Malbec från gamla vinstockar Cabernet franc | Områdets blommiga sida: violer, röd frukt, fina tanniner, märkbar syra. |
| Las Compuertas | 1 050–1 250 m, den högsta och svalaste delen, magra jordar rika på karbonat | Hundraårig malbec, semillón | Stram, salt, nästan sträng som ung – det är den Luján som lagras bäst. |
| Ugarteche | 900–1 000 m, sandiga terrasser i den södra utkanten, svalare nätter | Malbec, cabernet sauvignonChardonnay | Suppler and fruitier: this is where the entry-level cuvées come from. |
| Mayor Drummond | 900 to 950 m, deep silts along the river, the oldest bodegas | Malbec, semillón, chardonnay | Roundness and immediate fruit: supple reds to drink within five years. |
Our selection covers most of this patchwork: Caelum is based in Agrelo, Doña Paula in Ugarteche, Matías Riccitelli in Las Compuertas. Altos las Hormigas even makes a cuvée named after the area.
Malbecens två ansikten i Mendoza – så väljer du
This is the most common confusion when buying: the two areas lie in the same province, an hour's drive apart, and many labels simply say Mendoza. The wines, however, have nothing in common. Here are the six criteria that determine the style, here as in the Valle de Uco.
| Kriteriet | Luján de Cuyo | Valle de Uco |
|---|---|---|
| Höjd | 800 to 1,100 m, on the terraces of the río Mendoza | 1,000 to 1,600 m, on the alluvial fans at the foot of the Andes |
| Jordar | Djup silt och lera ovanpå ett lager av rundade stenar, god vattenreserv | Magert grus, sand och kalkfickor, snabb dränering, vinstockar som får kämpa |
| Age of the vines | Historiska planteringar, malbec från före 1930 som fortfarande ger skörd i dag | Vineyard mostly planted since the 1990s, young parcels and clonal selections |
| Malbecens stil | Köttig, rund, mogen mörk frukt, mjuka tanniner, märkbar alkohol, bred smak | Stram, blommig, hög syra, fina och täta tanniner, salt och rak eftersmak |
| Lagringspotential | Five to ten years, up to fifteen for old-vine gran reservas | Eight to fifteen years, even longer for single-parcel cuvées |
| Prices in our selection | From €9.90 to €59.90, half the bottles under €25 | From €10.50 to €330, with a median of €33 |
In practice: choose a Luján for grilled meat or a bottle to open tonight, and keep an Uco for the cellar. Both areas are brought together in our section on Mendoza.
Why this Malbec is rounder
It all comes down to two variables. Altitude first: between 800 and 1,100 metres, the nights stay milder than at 1,300 metres in the Valle de Uco. The difference between day and night is less extreme, more acidity is lost during ripening, and the grapes reach the vat with more sugar and less tension.
Then the soils. The terraces of the río Mendoza have laid down deep clay silts over a bed of pebbles. The vines find water there, they do not suffer, and the berries swell: the wine is fuller and the tannins more rounded. On the poor gravels and limestone of Uco, the wine tightens up.
The role of old vines
An eighty-year-old vine bears little fruit and regulates its own crop. The juice is more concentrated, but above all more consistent: fewer swings from one year to the next, and tannins already polished at harvest. This, more than the work in the cellar, is what gives the Malbec from this area its velvety feel.
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Det här undrar man om Luján de Cuyo
Var ligger Luján de Cuyo exakt?
South-west of the city of Mendoza, on the right bank of the río Mendoza, half an hour from the centre. This is the area Argentinians call the Primera Zona, the province's first quality vineyard. The Valle de Uco lies further south and higher up.
Vad tillför ursprungsbeteckningen från 1993?
It is the first in the country, and it is reserved for Malbec. It imposes a delimited area, capped yields and barrel ageing before release. Its significance is mainly historical: it set a standard when Argentina was still selling its wine by volume, and it saved old parcels.
How does it differ from a Malbec from the Valle de Uco?
Luján is fleshier and rounder, with ripe black fruit and rounded tannins. Uco, planted between 1,000 and 1,600 metres on poor, stony soils, produces tauter, more floral wines with high acidity and a saline finish. The former is drunk sooner; the latter rewards patience.
What budget should you allow for a good bottle?
Our selection starts at €9.90 and goes up to €59.90 a bottle, with a median of €25. At around €15, you already get a properly aged estate Malbec. Between €25 and €35 you will find the reservas and gran reservas, which spend longer in barrel and gain in depth.
Which dishes should you serve these reds with?
The local reflex is the asado: grilled beef, lamb, chorizo. The roundness of the wine handles fat and flame without hardening. Blends with Cabernet Sauvignon also go well with a rib of beef or a spicy dish. With an aged pressed cheese, a gran reserva does the job.
Ska man karaffera, och vid vilken temperatur ska man servera?
Serve between 16 and 17 degrees, no higher: above that, the alcohol in these sun-drenched wines takes over and flattens the fruit. An hour in a decanter helps young cuvées and tannic blends. With an old bottle, simply open it about thirty minutes before sitting down to eat.
Hur länge kan man lagra de här vinerna?
Allow five to ten years for an estate Malbec, up to fifteen for a gran reserva or an old-vine cuvée. The older vintages in our selection are already ready to drink. The entry-level wines, on the other hand, are made for their first three years, when their fruit is at its most vivid.
Are white wines made in Luján de Cuyo?
Yes, although they remain a minority. Chardonnay and Semillón occupy the highest, coolest parcels. You will also find less expected things, such as a Fiano, a grape variety from southern Italy planted in Agrelo, and a sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. See our section on white wines.
Kan man beställa en enda flaska?
It depends on the cuvée. Some are sold individually, others in lots of three or cases of six: you choose the format on the product page, in the variant menu, and the price shown then corresponds to the whole lot. If in doubt, get in touch via our contact page.