2021 Tapiz Alta Collection Malbec San Pablo Vineyard Uco Valley 750 ml

Malbec doesn’t soar much higher than the 2021 Tapiz Alta Collection. Grown on one of the highest-elevation sites in the world, it’s so simultaneously complex and elegant that it ranks among our favorite Malbecs, in any vintage. 

But in the 2021 season, winemaker Fabián Valenzuela—who has worked San Pablo for 20 years—and Jean-Claude Berrouet (known as the longtime winemaker for Bordeaux icon Château Pétrus) turned in a stellar wine that racked up some serious honors. In addition to 93 points from Tim Atkin MW and 92 from Vinous and James Suckling, it placed in the TOP TEN of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 values of the year—a momentous achievement. 

At 4,430 feet up in Andes foothills, the sustainably farmed San Pablo Vineyard thrives in a region Vinous called a “jewel” of the Uco Valley. This tiny microclimate boasts some of the area’s coolest growing conditions—thanks to its soaring, snow-capped setting—bringing a strikingly fresh edge to balance the ripe, dark fruit born of generous sunshine. San Pablo’s proximity to the Portillo Ridge refreshes the vines, which grow in limestone-rich soils, with chilly air from the mountains. 

Tapiz stands as one of the most influential estates in Argentina. It’s one of three wineries responsible for earning San Pablo its GI (Geographical Indication) status, a designation acknowledging the area’s unique terroir. 

Valenzuela and Berrouet took fruit from 12-year-old vines for this bottling, giving their grapes a five-day cold-soak to extract extra fruit and richness while keeping tannins soft. After a 15-day fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, they polished the wine with ten months in French and American oak. The result is one of the world’s best values, a ticket to a unique corner of Argentine viticulture and one of the region’s finest wines of the vintage.