2014 Mendel Unus 750 ml

Back By Popular Demand

After our last allocation of the 2014 Mendel “Unus” sold out in under 24 hours, many of you wrote in asking for another shot at the “powerful and seamless” blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. We won’t tell you how many times we called the winery, but suffice it to say our middle-school Spanish is now at a high school level. Most importantly, 500 bottles are available for Wine Access clients. James Suckling awarded 93 points to this tour de force from 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. If you missed the boat last time, don’t hesitate!

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.

— Wine Access Wine Team