In a nutshell:
A fresh, juicy and more elegant style of Argentinian Malbec from a cutting edge producer.

The lowdown:
Fermented in stainless steel and aged for nine months in concrete vats, no oak is used to allow the ripe fruits to come to the fore. The result is a wine with a lovely rich nose bursting with blackcurrant fruit, clove, violets and white pepper. It’s rich and smooth on the palate with good weight and intensity of ripe black fruit, cedar and sweet spice all wrapped up in fine, silky tannins.

The Producer:
Altos Las Hormigas hails from Luján de Cuyo, probably the premier vineyard area in Mendoza. One of the people who helped build the worldwide success of Argentinian Malbec, the renowned Italian Alberto Antonini is one of the driving forces here and has successfully steered things towards biodynamic viticulture and a minimal intervention approach in the winery.

When to drink:
A very reliable, fruit forward style this is great on its own and with all kinds of lamb dishes.