Alpasión Private Selection Malbec Syrah Petit Verdot 2014 Los Chacayes, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Alpasión began with a group of friends who shared long conversations over wine, and in 2009 found their land deep in Los Chacayes in the Uco Valley. The name joins the Spanish alma, soul, and pasión, passion, and that spirit runs through the estate and its wines.

This Private Selection is a blend led by Malbec, with Syrah and Petit Verdot adding spice, colour and structure. Farming here is organic, with much of the estate’s vineyards worked without synthetic chemicals, and the wine is aged for around eighteen months in French oak to build depth and polish.

The fruit comes from high, stony ground in Los Chacayes, one of the Uco Valley’s most talked-about sub-zones, where altitude and cold nights slow ripening and preserve freshness even in a warm, full-bodied style like this 2014. The stony soils also lend the wine a firm, mineral edge beneath the fruit.

Expect a generous nose of ripe plum and blackberry, with vanilla, coffee and a savoury, peppery lift from the Syrah. The palate is full-bodied and rich, with firm but ripe tannins and a long, warming finish. Give it a decant and serve it at the table with grilled red meat, slow-roast lamb, or a rich beef stew.

For anyone who loves a powerful Uco Valley red with genuine complexity, this blend delivers real character and a story to match. If you enjoy a robust Argentine Malbec, the addition of Syrah and Petit Verdot here takes it somewhere a little more layered and intriguing.