Cheval des Andes 2016

The story of Cheval des Andes began exactly twenty years ago. At its origin is the Argentine winery, Terrazas de los Andes, one of the pioneers in wine growing in Mendoza. Pierre Lurton, General Manager at Cheval Blanc, studied the "terroirs" of Las Compuertas with Roberto de la Mota and had the ingenious idea of blending the expertise of Cheval Blanc with the purest, Originl expression of Malbec, king of the Argentine grape varieties.

Conceived in 1999, Cheval des Andes has inherited 200 years of expertise in the art of blending from Cheval Blanc. Without a doubt, this vision of wine growing is completely unusual as it combines two very different "terroirs" coupled with two legendary grape varieties and a desire to create complexity out of diversity. Today, the vision of committed viticulturists has been achieved through twenty years of daily care in these unique vineyards which now produce a genuine "grand cru" of the Andes.

"The new vintage to be released in September 2019 is the 2016 Cheval des Andes, which was cropped from a completely unusual year—cooler than the average and with an exceptional amount of rain (around 600 liters), yet the wine has achieved exceptional freshness. It's 13.9% alcohol, and there's more red fruit on the nose, which is subtle and elegant, a little closed at first, shy and subtle. They have done great adjustments in the élevage, with the wine matured in 30% to 40% 400-liter barrels and only some 40% new wood. It's 58% Malbec (approximately 50/50 from Luján and Valle de Uco, where they have 15 hectares in Altamira), 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. This has less structure than the 2015, but there's more tension; this is a wine that should develop beautifully in bottle. This is a vintage of precision and with great aging potential. I think this wine is the most elegant produced so far. Bravo! 64,000 bottles produced." - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (8/30/2019, Issue 244), Ratings: 97+, Drink: 2020-2036