Marcelo Pelleriti Seleccion Blend of Terroir 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Marcelo Pelleriti is one of Argentina’s most travelled winemakers, known for splitting his year between Mendoza and Bordeaux, where he has made award-winning wine at Chateau La Violette. That double life shows in his own label, which brings a French sense of balance to Argentine fruit.

The Seleccion Blend of Terroir is his multi-vineyard red, sourced from sites in the Uco Valley high on the flank of the Andes. It is a blend led by Malbec and rounded out with other classic red varieties, made to show elegance and layering rather than sheer power. Exact proportions vary by vintage, so this is best understood as a Malbec-driven blend of terroirs.

The 2016 growing season in the Uco Valley was cooler and more classic in style, favouring freshness and finer tannins over sheer ripeness. The wine was aged in French oak for close to two years, which lends structure and a slow, savoury development, and the high-altitude sites keep its acidity bright.

On the palate it is more savoury and refined than fruit-forward, with dark berries, plum, sweet spice and a note of vanilla on the finish. The tannins are firm but polished and the length is impressive. Decant it and serve with grilled beef, roast lamb or a mature cheese.

If you like Argentine reds that lean towards subtlety and structure, this is a rewarding step up from a straight varietal Malbec, and a good showcase of Pelleriti’s crossover style. Give it time in the glass and it keeps opening out, well suited to a considered dinner.