Kaiken Ultra Las Rocas Malbec 2018 (Argentina) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I continue the series on some lovely Malbec wines from Argentina. This particular bottle is arriving at the LCBO as part of the December 12, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Kaiken Wines, the name of which comes from the Caiquén wild goose from Patagonia that flies across The Andes between Argentina and Chile. Like the border-crossing Caiquén, Aurelio Montes, founder of Chilean winery Bodega Montes, made several trips across the Andes to Argentina and in the year 2000 he rediscovered Mendoza as a generous land, filled with superb vines and hardworking people. Although the winery was built in 1920, it was in 2001 that Aurelio realized Mendoza was the perfect place to make Kaiken Wines.

Today, the winemaking team consists of Chilean Gustavo Hörmann and Argentinean Rogelio Rabino, with support from Aurelio Montes. Kaiken owns vineyards in some of the most prestigious regions of Argentina with the goal of crafting wines that faithfully express the terroir they come from. The philosophy at Kaiken has always been to produce premium wines with respect for the environment and our collaborators, promoting a sustainable culture in all stages of the winemaking process, including the use of biodynamics.

Although this Malbec is generically labelled from Mendoza, the grapes were actually grown in three separate vineyards located in the sub-regions of the Uco Valley. The first batch comes from Los Chacayes in Tunuyán at an elevation of 4,101 ft. (1,250 m) where the climate is temperate with cool nights and the soils are rocky and mixed with coarse sand and some lime with low fertility and high permeability. The second parcel of Malbec comes from Altamira in San Carlos that was grown at 3,937 ft. (1,200 m) above sea level and has a large diurnal temperature range with cold nights and warm days. The soil in Altamira is chalky with sand, lime, and stones. The third and final parcel of Malbec comes from an extremely high-elevation vineyard in Gualtallary, Tupungato, at 4,265 - 5,249 ft. (1,300 - 1,600 m) above sea level. This area in Gualtallary also has a large diurnal temperature range, along with instances of Zonda wind - a strong, dry wind - and has alluvial, poor, and stony soils, with an important quantity of calcium carbonate and sand. All of the grapes were manually harvested and fermented in concrete tanks and aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels for 12 months. The name of this delicious wine "Las Rocas" comes from the hundreds of rounded boulders that lie among the vines at their Los Chacayes vineyard in Tunuyán.

Tasting Note:

KAIKEN ULTRA LAS ROCAS MALBEC 2018 - Mendoza, Argentina (#50849) (XD) - $19.95
100% Malbec from three separate vineyards across the Uco Valley grown at 3,937 - 5,249 ft. (1,200 m - 1,600 m) above sea level. Spicy, medium+ intensity aromas are layered over blackberry, dark berry, and smoky dark minerals with touches of oak. Lovely floral and peppery spice aromas arrive with time in the glass. It's medium-bodied on the palate with nice dark berry, dark mineral, blackberry, and touches of violet on the flavour profile. Succulent acids are juicy and well-balanced, while gritty tannins seem just a bit tight at the moment. Dark berry and mineral notes linger on the tight finish, with very good length. Enjoy over the next 5 years. Score: 89 pts

Other lovely wines from Kaiken can be found at the LCBO or through their Agent - Trajectory Beverage Partners.