2018 Tapiz Alta Collection Cabernet Sauvignon San Pablo Vineyard Uco Valley Mendoza

Cabernet doesn’t soar much higher than the 2018 Tapiz San Pablo Vineyard. Grown on one of the highest-elevation Cabernet sites in the world, it’s so simultaneously complex and elegant that it ranks among the highest-scoring Argentine Cabs of the vintage. 

At 4430 feet up in Andes foothills, the sustainably farmed San Pablo Vineyard thrives in an area Vinous called a “jewel” of the Uco Valley. This tiny microclimate there boasts some of the region’s coolest growing conditions, bringing a striking freshness to balance the ripe, dark fruit born of generous sunshine. 

In a 2018 vintage heralded as one of the Uco Valley’s best in a decade, winemaker Fabián Valenzuela—who has worked the San Pablo land for 20 years—and consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet (known for his work at Bordeaux icon Château Petrus) crafted a stellar 95-point Cabernet whose ruby depths deliver complex aromas of dark berry, violet, and dark chocolate on a rich, multidimensional palate framed by polished tannins. 

95 points. A single estate vineyard. Superstar winemaking. Napa Cabs that boast the same credentials go for $100 or more—yet this Tapiz goes for well below that.

San Pablo’s proximity to the Portillo Ridge refreshes the vineyards there with coolness from the mountains, while the limestone-rich soils evoke elements of brightness. The 2018 vintage was especially kind to the area, blessing it with “nearly ideal growing conditions,” in the words of Wine Spectator. A dry summer with cold nights kept the Cabernet in perfect balance as it ripened. 

Polished by ten months in French and American oak, this is a ticket to a unique corner of Argentine viticulture and one of the region’s finest Cabernets of the vintage.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 13.90%
• 30 mins
• Now – 2028
• 95% Cabernet Sauvignon5% Merlot
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork