Valle de Uco, Mendozas högt belägna vinområde
48 flaskor, från 10,50 € till 330 €The 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.
Bousquet - Virgen Malbec 2021
Utan tillsatta sulfiter och utan barrique – Malbec i sin renaste form, full av frukt.
Atamisque - Atamisque Assemblage 2020
Atamisques blandning, med mörka bär och tobak och ett decennium framför sig.
E's Wine - Malbec 2024
An elegant Malbec, from the high-altitude terroirs of Gualtallary, combining intensity, structure and minerality.
Dona Paula - Altitude Series 1100 2019
Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah come together to create this complex and balanced cuvée
Bousquet - Ameri Malbec 2019
Bousquet's great organic cuvée: a high-altitude Malbec built to be cellared.
Revancha - Primera Revancha Malbec 2016
A Malbec with velvet tannins, from the best plots of the estate
Dona Paula - Alluvia Malbec 2018
A single-parcel Malbec from the Uco Valley: dense, floral and built to last.
Dona Paula - Los Indios Malbec 2018
Malbec från svalt klimat i El Cepillo: peppar och viol i en fast stomme.
Dona Paula - Altitude Series 1350 2019
Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Casavecchia form a complex trio within the famous Gualtallary terroir
Domaine Nico - Histoire d'A Pinot Noir 2022
A fine and precise Argentinian high-altitude Pinot Noir, where Andean freshness meets Burgundian elegance.
Domaine Nico - Grand Père Pinot Noir 2022
An Argentinian Pinot Noir from high altitudes, combining freshness, finesse and aromatic intensity.
The Rural - Rutini Antologia LIII 2018
A blend of the best grapes of the vintage, from a selection of 3 exceptional terroirs
Domaine Nico - La Savante Pinot Noir 2022
An Argentinian high-altitude Pinot Noir that combines finesse, freshness and aromatic depth.
Domaine Nico - Le Paradis Pinot Noir 2018
An Argentinian high-altitude Pinot Noir combining aromatic finesse, freshness and elegant texture.
Catena Zapata - Adrianna White Stones 2023
A great Argentinian high-altitude Chardonnay, precise, mineral, and with remarkable tension.
Nico Winery - Grandma Pinot Noir 2022
An Argentinian high-altitude Pinot Noir that combines finesse, freshness and aromatic depth.
Catena - Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
An Argentinian high-altitude Cabernet, combining aromatic intensity, Andean freshness, and an elegant structure.
Luca Wines - Dante's Kiss 2019
An Argentinian red from high altitudes, combining Andean intensity, freshness and Bordeaux elegance.
Catena Zapata - Nicasia 2020
A high-altitude Malbec from Catena Zapata, combining aromatic intensity, Andean freshness, and textural depth.
Catena Zapata - Adrianna Fortuna Terrae 2022
A high-altitude Malbec of great finesse, where Andean freshness meets the depth of Gualtallary's limestone soils.
Catena Zapata - Adrianna White Bones 2023
A great high-altitude Argentinian Chardonnay, taut, mineral, and deeply marked by its Gualtallary limestone terroir.
Altos las Hormigas - Malbec Terroir Uco Valley 2022
A precise and juicy high-altitude Malbec, where the freshness of the Uco Valley enhances the expression of the limestone terroir.
Catena Zapata - Adrianna River 2022
A high-altitude Malbec, precise and profound, that brilliantly expresses the unique minerality of the Adrianna vineyard.
Catena Zapata - Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae 2021
A high-altitude Malbec, with rare mineral precision, that finely expresses the uniqueness of the Adrianna vineyard.
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.
| Område | Höjd och jordar | Druvsorter | What it means in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tupungato | 1 000–1 600 m, sandiga alluvialjordar på en bädd av rundade stenar | Malbec, chardonnay | Det högsta och svalaste departementet. Krispig frukt, tydlig syra, aldrig tungt. |
| Gualtallary | 1 200–1 700 m, stenar täckta av kalk, den berömda toscan | Malbec, chardonnay, cabernet franctrion som gav området dess rykte | The valley's star area. Straight, saline wines with an almost chalky finish. |
| Tunuyán | 1 000–1 200 m, río Tunuyáns alluvialkoner, djupt grus | Malbec, cabernet franc | Det historiska centrumet. Mer kropp och rundhet än i norr, utan att förlora friskheten. |
| Los Chacayes | 1 100–1 500 m, granitblock och granitstenar vid foten av bergskedjan | Malbecpå granitjordar | Tydlig blommig doft, violer och peppar, fina tanniner som ger längd utan att någonsin torka ut. |
| San Carlos | 900–1 200 m, djupare jordar, sand blandad med lera | Malbec, semillón | Dalens södra del, något varmare. Mjuka viner, mogen frukt, prisvärda. |
| Paraje Altamira | 980–1 150 m, rundade stenar cementerade av kalciumkarbonat | 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 | Dalens tidigast planterade terroir. Mörk frukt, mjuka tanniner, drick ganska tidigt. |
| Vista Flores | 1 000–1 200 m, djup sand ovanpå ett lager av rundade stenar | 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.
| Vingård | Vad den gör bäst | Prisklass | Vad som utmärker den |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bousquet | Chardonnay utan fatkaraktär, lättdrucken malbecdalens instegsvin | 10,50 € till 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 och chardonnay från Gualtallary | 90,00 € till 286,00 € | White Stones and White Bones are two Chardonnays from two soils a few hundred metres apart. |
| Matias Riccitelli | Malbec och chardonnay från kalkjordarfrån instegsvin till parcellvin | 19,90 € till 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, och ingenting annatvarje parcell vinifieras för sig | 39,80 € till 330,00 € | Laura Catena skapade den lilla vingården som en hyllning till sin farfar Nicola och planterar bara pinot noir där. |
| Doña Paula | Blends av malbec och cabernet franc en jämförande läsning av höjden | 24,00 € till 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 och blendsäven en extra brut | 21,90 € till 38,00 € | A Tupungato estate that also makes a sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, a rarity in the region. |
| Rutini | Blends för lagringmalbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc | 26,00 € till 59,95 € | Founded in 1885, the house makes Antología, a blend that sums up its know-how in the valley. |
| Altos las Hormigas | En terroirmalbec utan sminkmedvetet diskret lagring | 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.
Kalken – det som förändrade malbecens rykte
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.
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Det här undrar man om Valle de Uco
Var ligger 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.
Vad är egentligen 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.
Skiljer sig malbec härifrån från den från 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.
Kan man köpa en enda flaska?
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.
Varför lyckas chardonnay så bra här?
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.
Hur länge kan de här vinerna lagras?
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.