Escala Humana - Malbec, El Zampal, Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoz, Argentina (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Brighter and fresher style that demonstrates the new approach Argentinians are taking to Malbec. While there is still evident and familiar fruit and tannic structure, it is not jammy and super full-bodied, rather fresher, crunchier with a touch of chalkiness to the palate. Lovely stuff!

Escala Humana Wine was started in 2015 by husband and wife team Ayelén and German Massera. German began making wine since 2003 while studying Enology and Viticulture in Mendoza and he has worked with Matias Michelini since 2016.

German became interested in the history of the Uco Valley and it’s forgotten places and varietals. While the majority of the oldest vines are in Lujan and Maipu, there are a small handful of 4th and 5th generation producers in the Uco Valley who brought vines from Europe. Aye and German fell in love with two of these small vineyards where they grow Malvasia, Bequignol (a light bodied red varietal from Southwest France), Sangiovese and a few other varietals.

These vineyards are located in El Zampal, a sub region of Tupungato in the Uco Valley where the soils are comprised of clay, loam and sand.

The grapes are sustainably farmed and the wines are fermented naturally and made with minimal intervention. We love these fresh, light bodied wines and we are proud to import these almost forgotten varietals that are windows in to Argentina’s wine history. Their twenty-year-old Malbec vines are planted on alluvial calcareous soils at 1200m above sea level. The grapes are destemmed into concrete egg for fermentation but 30% are added back in for complexity. After maceration, the wine is pressed back into concrete for élevage.