2023 La Coste de los Andes Andillian Malbec Los Chacayes Valle de Uco 750 ml

The Argentine chapter of Château La Coste started when the team identified Los Chacayes as the right place to extend their vision—and it’s easy to understand why. Los Chacayes sits in the Tunuÿyán district of the Uco Valley, where vineyards run from 1,100 to 1,500 meters above sea level and the diurnal temperature swings between summer days and cold mountain nights can reach 15°C or more.

The soils are a patchwork of alluvial sand, stone, and calcareous deposits that drain aggressively and force the vines to work. More structure than most Mendoza Malbecs. More acidity. More grip. The appellation was only formally recognized in 2017, but it’s already being called one of Argentina’s most compelling new terroirs, and producers from Bordeaux to Burgundy have been planting here.

Their parent estate, Château La Coste, is worth knowing. Tucked into the hills outside Aix-en-Provence, the 600-acre estate has been one of the wine world’s most remarkable destinations since Irish developer Paddy McKillen purchased it in 2002. The cellar was designed by Jean Nouvel. The grounds are home to more than 40 permanent installations from Tadao Ando, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra, Frank Gehry, and Ai Weiwei, among others. The estate is certified organic, and that same commitment to terroir and sustainability extends directly to the Argentine project.

The 45-hectare Los Chacayes vineyard sits at 1,270 meters above sea level, certified organic by Argencert since 2014. Winemaker Lucas Gimenez Bachiocchi handles the cellar, with Michel Rolland consulting on every vintage. The 2023 Andillian is hand-harvested and fermented across stainless steel, concrete eggs, and oak barrels—a vinification approach built to let the place speak.

And it does. Deep in color, with black plum, cherry, and violet on the nose, backed by tobacco and coffee. The palate is muscular but refined, with firm tannins and the herbal, mineral edge that has become a calling card of Los Chacayes at altitude.