Ancestral White Blend 2021

Mauricio Lorca

We talk a lot these days about the Argentine white wine revolution and small wonder with wines like this finding their way to our shores. This stunning blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Sauvignon and 30% Viognier is an extraordinary example of how far Argentina has come in recent years with white wines. The three varieties are co-fermented in 400 litre clyvers (ceramic barrels) following individual berry selection. The nose is exotic and irresistible, with notes of bergamot, white peach, asparagus, mandarin and gooseberry with no single varietal dominating but each putting its had up and smiling at various points throughout. The texture is sublime, very fine and lean yet wonderfully rich and round on the mid palate with an incredible finish redolent of pineapple, pear, grapefruit and wild honey. Only 1,000 bottles were made, and we have managed to buy 10% of that so this won’t be around for long. A wine more than capable of ageing beautifully for a decade or more.

92/100 points Tim Atkin’s Argentina Special Report 2023 (2021 vintage)