2014 Mendel Unus Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina 750 ml

Roberto de la Mota’s “brilliant talent and spirit,” bottled

Each year, devotees of the Mendel “Unus” from Mendoza await this very email, signaling the race is on for Wine Access clients hoping to secure some of our never-ample-enough allocation.

Now that the 2014 Mendel “Unus” is here, our share of the “powerful and seamless” blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot is surely dwindling as you read. James Suckling awarded 93 points to the latest tour de force from the impeccably pedigreed Roberto de la Mota, who hails from Argentinian wine royalty and received his enology degree at France’s prestigious École Nationale Agronomique. De la Mota’s “brilliant talent and spirit,” captured in this 2014 “Unus,” prompted Robert Parker to rank Mendel Wines among the “Best of the Best” in Argentina. It is full-bodied, dense, and silky — a Bordeaux-style stunner from a 92-point vintage that marries Pauillac minerality with Oakville decadence. Years of hearing from disappointed “Unus” aficionados encourages us to encourage you to hit “Buy Now” if you want in on this coveted but tiny allocation.

The stunning quality-to-price ratios of top Argentinian wines have long impressed savvy American wine lovers. But there are a handful of producers pushing the envelope of what Master of Wine and Argentine expert Tim Atkin lauds as the industry’s “dynamism and vitality” — and Mendel leads them all. Modeled after the Bordeaux “garagistes,” the estate was planted by proprietor Anabelle Sielecki’s father in the 1930s. The extreme temperatures and arid summers at Mendel’s perch in the Andes foothills spur the ancient vines to eke out small clusters of gorgeous and concentrated fruit.

In the deft hands of winemaker Roberto de la Mota, the French-trained son of a revered Argentine winemaker, the wine fulfills its promise. It has the luscious core of an Argentinian blockbuster, with the liveliness and supple tannins that put its Bordelaise inspiration on full display. This beauty shows why Mendel is the best of Argentina.