Tapia’s top 12 from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area

1 Catena Zapata, White Bones Chardonnay 2016 98£ 68.42 Hedonism From the Adrianna Vineyard’s most chalk-rich soils. Pungent acidity, like a freshly sharpened razor. 80% of the wine is matured under flor, accounting for the saline, almost iodised notes. Notes of white fruit and intense minerality in a complex yet delicious and refreshing white. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 13.1%

2 Michelini i Mufatto, La Cautiva 2016 98 N/A UK michelinigerardo@gmail.com Above 1,600m in Gualtallary, Andrea Mufatto and Gerardo Michelini buy grapes from a highly chalky vineyard. After a year of ageing in old barrels, this red shows a firm, tense structure, with mineral tones and herbal notes. The acidity seems to have claws, the flavours complex and profound. Charming. Drink 2019-2027 Alc 13%

Per Se, Uni del Bonnesant 2016 98 POA Indigo Wine 100% Malbec from a corner of highly calcareous soils in Monasterio, with minimal production (312 bottles). Generous in mineral notes, wrapped in a structure of firm yet elegant tannins. Pure red fruit, radiant and deep in one of the best examples of the area. Drink 2019-2027 Alc 13.5%

3 Catena Zapata, Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae 2015 97 £ 175.48-£ 232 Albany Vintners, Hedonism Of the three single-parcel Malbecs from Catena in the Adrianna Vineyard, this is by far the most radical. From heavy calcareous soils, this is more than fruit – it smells of stones and chalk, has a tense, sharp structure with no hint of sweetness. Fresh and vivacious fruits towards the end. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.3%

4 PerSe, La Craie 2016 97 £ 115 (2015) Indigo Wine Two-thirds Malbec with Cabernet Franc, all from the high areas of Gualtallary and from soils generous in chalk. Fruity, herbal flavours with mineral notes. Succulent and delicious, supported by a structure of firm acidity and tannins that seems to be made out of concrete. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.5%

Vistalba, Tomero Parcela Unica 2017 97 POA Bibendum Wines This shows an accent in the freshness of the fruits and herbs, far from the maturity and unctuousness usual in the wines of this winery. A new release, it has fine and firm acidity, and a powerful and ample body, but all in a refreshing and tense balance.

Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.5% ➢

5 Bodega Aleanna, Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Gualtallary 2015 96 £ 54.28-£ 58.68 (2014) Alex Marton, Crump Richmond Shaw, Farr Vintners, IG Wines With 85% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec, all from Adrianna’s calcareous soils, the fruits here feel red and refreshing, decorated by herbal tones accentuating that freshness. Contrasting with that exuberance, the texture is firm and rigid, with those typical tannins of the area. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 13.5% 6 Lagarde, Primeras Viñas 2016 96 N/A UK www. lagarde.com. ar To emphasise the freshness of this Malbec from the Gualtallary heights, winemaker Juan Roby advanced the harvest and aged the wine in large foudres so that the wood does not intervene in its delicious red fruit flavours. It is bright, juicy, tense and full of crunchy tannins that ask for food. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.8%

7 Zuccardi, Aluvional Gualtallary

2016 96 £71.99 Alliance Wine Pure in its fruity, herbal expression, this comes from a selection of chalk-rich vineyards in Gualtallary. After a year of ageing in concrete tanks and old barrels, the wine feels refreshing and vivacious, with granular tannins and a herbal finish that invites continued drinking. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 13.7%

8 Zuccardi, Polígonos

Gualtallary 2017 96 £ 22.25 Alliance Wine Malbecs selected from some of the Gualtallary’s highest areas, planted on chalk. Aged in cement so the fresh, intensely red fruit comes through clearly: at once deep and juicy, so it can quench thirst now or be considered for ageing. Pretty, pure. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.2% 9 Benegas, Benegas Lynch Malbec 2015 95 £ 55 (2013) Ake & Humphris, The Good Wine Shop, Tiny’s Tipple, Topsham Wines From the La Encerrada vineyard, one of the highest and most chalk-rich spots in Gualtallary, this Malbec represents a shift in the house style towards much fresher and more tense reds, less focused on the wood and more on the fruits and the expression of the place. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.5% Viñalba, Gran Reservado 2016 94 £ 16.99 Majestic From one of the highest places in the Uco Valley, at 1,600m. From that cold climate and in highly calcareous soils, this Malbec feels austere and firm, with a space for red fruits but mainly for herbs and spices in a wine for the cellar. Drink 2019-2024 Alc 14.5%