Rocamadre, Criolla Paraje Altamira

2020 Criolla Chica(País) and Criolla Grande This is a very light red wine with an exciting idea behind it: elevate traditionally 'ordinary' local grapes to something exceptional. It's a field blend of Criolla Chica and Criolla Grande from an 80-year-old vineyard on alluvial soil at 1,100 metres. Paraje Altamira underwent a rapid transition from just a place people spoke highly of but which lacked formal definition, to an established 'appellation' in Argentina, only becoming so as recently as 2016. It's in the southern Uco Valley of Mendoza at high altitudes of course, roughly 1,000 metres above sea level. It is unique among Argentine appellations in being founded along scientific, geological principles rather than geopolitics. It is also typified by smaller farms in the hands of families who have been here for generations.