We drove for hours through untouched landscapes at the foot of the Andes. Together with the team from Kaiken, we explored old-vine Malbec vineyards – riverbeds winding between the rows, pebbles and boulders underfoot, thyme, verbena and fragrant air all around. From the very first remarks after the wines were poured, the difference was clear: while Montes focuses on elevating grape varieties and blends to their peak, Kaiken lets the terroir take the lead in its wines, with almost everything built around Malbec. The core of the range, the unmissable Kaiken Ultra Malbec, is also born here at 1,250 metres above sea level, where the days are scorching, the nights cool and the windy, rocky Uco Valley puts every vine to the test. The hand-harvested fruit was fermented in concrete tanks, then aged for a year in a mix of used and first-fill oak barrels.

Blackberry and violet on the nose, with rich spiciness, followed on the palate by rounded tannins and a warm, silky texture.