Felix Blend 2018
Vallisto
Essentially a Tannat, with a portion of Malbec and a touch of Barbera, this is the definitive statement from Vallisto, underlining their innate understanding of Cafayate’s incredibly challenging terroir patchwork. The vines are planted on rich loamy soils with a deep stony subsoil on the western slope of the Punta Alta mountain, thus there is protection from the extreme sunshine. At 2,000 MASL there is also a cooling effect even in the hottest part of the day.
The Tannat vines, grown on the traditional parral system, are more than 100 years old, whereas the Malbec vines are relatively young and trained on a modern trellis system – a fitting metaphor for the style of the wine, which is incredibly dense and rich with a nod to ‘old school’ practices, but with a freshness and approachability which is thoroughly 21st Century.
The wine is micro-vinified in 225 litre new French oak barrels and displays generous licks of posh oak on the nose but the judgement is lovely, not overblown at all. This intensely concentrated, black, heady, indulgent wine is a liquid ambassador for Cafayate and Salta in general.
93 / 100, Descorchados 2021 (2019 vintage)
