February 28, 2024 - The cork disintegrated upon opening, but the contents of the bottle were fabulous! Well worth the wait - just wish I had more of this vintage in the cellar. solidly in the drinking window.
October 22, 2023 - Purple. Needs some minutes to open up, but develops over more than an hour. No decant. This hasn't changed in the last 4 years except that it may has shed some more of its tannin. Really smooth now, but with enough balancing acidity. I like the palate more than the nose since it is more complex and nuanced first. But then it adds milk chocolate, spices and gets more intense and perfumed after an hour or so of air. Plummy blue fruits, black fruits, flowery notes and licorice. Even the palate becomes more and more intense over an hour from the opened bottle. Sometimes I wonder about the high scores of Gutiérrez from the WA especiciallly for wines of the southern american hemisphere, not so here. 5/13/18/10. 2028 if perfectly cellared since release.
February 12, 2023 - Rather nondescript. Poor QPR.
This bottle confirmed my prejudice against single-varietal wines based on Malbec (see also note from SEIJARO dated 3/2/2019).
November 3, 2022 - Full bodied, but quite soft tannins. Lots of fruit: plums and blackberries
June 4, 2022 - Similar to the 6/1/19 bottle.
October 18, 2021 - How did the 2016 Altos Las Hormigas Gualtallary mature into such a seductive and vivid expression of Malbec fruit? It's bouquet is like a bowl of crushed blueberries with fresh sage and lavender, violets, a dusting of sugary spices and smoke. While this is cool-toned and feels almost weightless, it's textures are silky and creamy in feel, contrasted by tart wildberries and minerals that cascade across a spine of stimulating acidity. Fine tannins and a saturation of primary fruits linger long promising many more years of positive development, yet there's still plenty of pleasure to find here today. Consider me a fan!
July 30, 2021 - Just a touch less rich and complex than the 6/1/19 bottle.
February 6, 2021 - Inky purple. Blackberry, black cherry and quite plumy. Very full bodied but lacks complexity.
May 2, 2020 - Purple. This has a intense nose of blackberries, strawberries, earthy notes, licorice and on the palate in addition violets and cherries. Smooth tannins and enough balancing acidity result in an outstanding malbec with aging potential of at least a decade. 5/13/18/9. 96 from The Wine Advocate (Gutiérrez). -2029 This works well on its own and also with food as grilled meat or bratwurst e.g.
P.S. After more than a week in the more than half emptied bottle it remains intense, bright shining and with enough refreshing acidity as well as completely undismayed. Complex enough for an outstanding score, but it is a lack of more elegance and complexity that keeps it from being better or even extraordinary imho. 10.05.2020.
November 16, 2019 - Purple and opaque with no rim variation and long legs. The vanilla, blackberry, currant, and cooking spice. Red and black fruit is ripe on plate. The acidity is balance, mild tanning and medium plus alcohol. 5+12+16+8=91