2019 Tapiz Alta Collection Malbec San Pablo Vineyard Uco Valley

Malbec doesn’t soar much higher than the 2019 Tapiz Alta Collection. Literally. 

Grown on one of the highest-elevation sites in the world, it’s so simultaneously complex and elegant that it ranks among our favorite Malbecs.

In a 2019 growing season that Wine Spectator thinks is the best in nearly two decades, winemaker Fabián Valenzuela—who has worked San Pablo for 20 years—and Jean-Claude Berrouet (known as the longtime winemaker for Bordeaux icon Château Pétrus) crafted a stellar 94-point wine, one whose ruby depths deliver complex aromas and a rich, multidimensional palate, framed by polished tannins. 

Its impressive credentials—94 points, a single estate vineyard, superstar winemaking, a winery that’s earned Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery honors—put it in the company of some of the greatest wines to come out of Argentina, yet it’s an impressive value.

At 4,430 feet up in Andes foothills, the sustainably farmed San Pablo Vineyard thrives in a region Vinous called a “jewel” of the Uco Valley. This microclimate boasts some of the area’s coolest growing conditions—thanks to its soaring, snow-capped setting—bringing a strikingly fresh edge to balance the ripe, dark fruit born of generous sunshine. San Pablo’s proximity to the Portillo Ridge refreshes the vines, which grow in limestone-rich soils, with chilly air from the mountains. 

The 2019 vintage was especially kind to the area, blessing the wines with “remarkable intensity,” in the words of Wine Spectator. That was the product of a growing season that started off slowly, with a dry spring and summer that concentrated berries and shrunk yields. Things warmed up for the final stage of harvest, allowing the grapes to develop a remarkable combination of ripeness and freshness. The results are stunning.

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

• ABV 13.90%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2030
• % Malbec
• Serving temperature – 58°
• Cork