La Rural Felipe Rutini 2018

Felipe Rutini is La Rural's prestige cuvée, dedicated to the founder of the house. It brings together grapes from two high-altitude terroirs in Mendoza: the Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec come from Gualtallary, in the Uco Valley, at around 1,400 metres, while the Merlot comes from Paraje Altamira. These Andean foothill vineyards benefit from intense sunshine and cool nights that encourage slow ripening and fine acidity.

The grapes are harvested by hand, then fermented in truncated-cone wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks. The wine is aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels from the Tronçais forest. The varieties are blended after twelve months, and the wine undergoes regular bâtonnage, which gives it a broad texture and great ageing potential.

This wine reveals notes of cherry, plum, strawberry, fresh mint, cocoa, tobacco, leather, dark chocolate and sweet spices. Ripe fruit opens the bouquet, followed by fresh touches and the toasty, spicy nuances of long ageing. The palate is deep and balanced, carried by firm yet elegant, silky tannins, through to a long, persistent finish.

Although Argentina is often considered part of the "New World," its winemaking tradition is much older than one might think, dating back to the Spanish colonization of the 16th century and later to Italian settlers. Unlike Chile, wine has long been an integral part of the country's culture. No other wine-producing country in the world made more progress in the latter years of the 20th century (in viticulture, oenology, and, of course, finance), which allowed the country's winemakers to raise quality levels and successfully establish an international export market. Argentina is now the fifth largest wine-producing country in the world, after France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. Viticulture is practiced primarily in the foothills of the Andes, particularly in Mendoza, where the desert landscapes and high altitudes combine to create aromatic and intensely flavorful wines. Some vineyards are even planted at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters! The terroir here is well-suited to the grape variety adopted by Argentina: the ubiquitous Malbec. Originally from Bordeaux, it is now the source of some of Argentina's most famous wines, characterized by their brilliance and intensity, with floral notes and dark fruit flavors. Other red varieties produced in Argentina include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Bonarda, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Pinot Noir. Among white wines, the emblematic grape of the Argentine wine region is Torrontés, which yields a wine with a floral and tropical taste. The country also produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. Today, Argentine wines are recognized worldwide for their full-bodied reds and as being of high quality.