2018 Kauzo Estates Malbec Terroir Expressions Hostage Altamira Vineyard Uco Valley 750 ml

When you can find a bottle from a rock-star winemaker and one of the world’s premier sites for a grape variety, stock up on as much as you can. That’s exactly what we did with the 2018 Kauzo Malbec Terroir Expressions Hostage Altamira Vineyard from Argentina’s Uco Valley. 

An intense yet ethereal 94-point Malbec grown in one of Argentina’s best zones and crafted by Marcelo Pelleriti—one of the few South American winemakers to earn a perfect score from Robert Parker—it’s a wine that “shows the pedigree of its origins in spades,” according to our Master Sommelier, Sur Lucero. 

It comes from Altamira, whose diverse palette of soils, high elevations, and dry climate produce what Vinous calls “some of Argentina’s most exhilarating, vibrant wines.” Indeed, iconic single-vineyard bottlings like Zuccardi’s Finca Piedra Infinita and Catena Zapata’s Nicasia Vineyard  hail from the same region.

In 2018, Altamira experienced “nearly ideal growing conditions,” according to Wine Spectator, yielding beautifully ripened grapes with plenty of fine-grained tannins. Kauzo’s 58-year-old vineyard, at an altitude of 3600 feet, offers a combination of plentiful sunlight and cool nights that nurture ripe fruit flavors while preserving refreshing acidity. 

Pelleriti’s team handpicks the grapes and ferments them in stainless steel, then ages the wine for 12 months each in barrel and in bottle. The result is today’s elegant, wonderfully poised 2018—a striking value from a world-class vintner and a prime Malbec locale.