Matervini is the new wine adventure of Santiago Achával and Roberto Cipresso, two world renowned winemakers from Argentina and Italy, respectively. It was born in 2008, in an attempt to answer the question “what’s next after Malbec?” Our answer was, “More Malbec! From different places, with different personalities.”

Place of origin: Pre-Cordillera hillsides in El Challao, Las Heras, Mendoza.

Grown on steep Pre-Cordillera hillsides at 5200 feet of altitude, Piedras Viejas is the utmost agricultural

challenge. It is one the most extreme vineyards in the world. Small vineyard blocks of wildly different non alluvial soil types, like limestone ranging from 40 to 450 million years old, and broken basaltic rock. This geological diversity shows itself in distinctive flavours and aromas. First harvest was carried 7 years after planting.

JAMES SUCKLING - 97 POINTS

This is really cool with blue fruit, black licorice and dried violets and lavender. Full-bodied, dense and layered with ripe tannins and a juicy finish. The tannins have a slightly austere edge, adding an extra dimension. Pointed and poised. Try after 2023.

El Challao is what Santiago Achával calls a “lunar” landscape, located west of the city of Mendoza at 1,600 metres. Planted as recently as 2008, it’s a site with incredible promise and intensity. Focused and fresh, with the concentration of very small berries, it has amazing balance and purity with dense black fruits and a frisson of chalky minerality. 2022-28

LCBO Classics# 23096   $263/750ml.