2017 Viña Alicia Malbec Paso De Piedra Luján De Cuyo Mendoza 750 ml

Eked out from one of the oldest Malbec plantings in Mendoza, the 92-point 2017 Paso de Piedra Malbec achieves a smoky, ancient-vine, full-throttle power that is pure Argentina. To have access to this critically acclaimed purple beauty for less than $17 per bottle should leave you with the same question we had: How much can we get?

Don’t wait: An under-$20, 92-point Malbec crafted from 110-year-old vines is a prize that won’t hang around long.

James Suckling hailed this 2017 bottling—the fruit of a six-generation winemaking family—as offering “a wealth of crushed violet flowers,” defined by “rich and ripe, dense tannins.” What we were left marveling over were the smoky black plum and fig notes on the nose, and the rich, full palate that evoked black pepper, cigar ash, seared ribeye, and savory herbs.

This just cries out for comfort food. Opulent and full-bodied, today’s offer is an incredible bargain that lovers of big red wines can’t allow to pass by.

It’s surprisingly easy to drive right by Viña Alicia. If you come down here to visit sometime, give a call before you go. Otherwise, you’ll never find the place. On a wine route now crowded with pricey, high-design tasting rooms, the sixth generation of the Arizu family remains discreet, hardly calling attention to their incredible and historic vineyard blocks.

When we first visited, there was no sign on the big metal gate. No mention of the property that’s stolen Mendoza’s thunder over recent years with their amazing old-vine wines. Just a massively talented, multi-generational family inside, working one of South America’s impressive vineyards.

25 years ago, Alberto Arizu decided to experiment with a few small cuvées, which gave expression to specific single parcels. The Paso de Piedra Malbec comes from a heritage property in Las Compuertas. Up here, the soils are rugged, the vines stressed, and the diurnal temperature varies as much as 50 degrees. Toss in the 4,100-foot perch high in the epicenter of the Luján de Cujo region, and you’ve got the makings for one of the more intense Malbecs of Argentina.

The culmination of centuries of Arizu experience, old vines, and impeccable farming and viticulture is a 2017 release that straddles the line between juiciness and gravelly, Médoc-like sophistication. That’s a big deal for this price.