Riccitelli & Father 2019 Red Blend

PRODUCER INFO

• Matías Riccitelli started his boutique winery in 2009, located in Las Compuertas at 1100 meters above sea level. It is the highest area of Lujan de Cuyo, and here he tends 20 hectares of ungrafted old vineyards. Matías also works with small, independent growers that own their lands at the bottom of the Andes halfway between 1000 and 1700 meters above sea level – in Gualtallary, Chacayes, Altamira and La Carrera.
• All harvests are conducted by hand and fermentation takes place in small concrete vats and concrete eggs. Purity and delicacy in winemaking are prized by Matías and great care is taken in preserving the fruit’s singularity in order to obtain vibrant wines.
• In 2015 a new project was begun: old vineyards of Semillon, Merlot and Malbec were discovered and reclaimed in Argentinian Patagonia. The vineyards are located in the Rio Negro high valley and were planted in the late 1960’s. The resulting wines are fresh, intensely aromatic and highly balanced.

ABOUT THE WINE

• Riccitelli and Father arose after the joint work of Matias and his father Jorge Riccitelli.
• Matias and Jorge were seeking to enhance old Malbec vines of traditional areas with the same intensity that Cabernet Franc develops in the Argentine mountainous soils.
• 80% Malbec planted in 1927 from ungrafted vines in Las Compuertas, Lujan de Cuyo, (over alluvial soil) with 20% of Cabernet Franc coming from a vineyard in Chacayes, Uco Valley.

Vintage: 2019 | Wine Type:  Red Blend
Varietal: 80% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc
Origin: Argentina | Appellation:  Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley
Elaboration: For its vinification Riccitelli uses only a small amount of whole bunches and the rest are destemmed. The grapes are then put into small French oak vats. Fermentation goes on without adding anything at a temperature from 26º to 28º C. During several weeks a gentle punch down is carried out by hand in order to obtain a slow extraction. Aging continues in Foudres of 2000 litres for more than a year.
Winemaker: Jorge & Matias Riccitelli

TASTING NOTES

“Aromas of walnuts, black tea and berry character.  Perfumed.  Full-bodied, tannic and chewey.  Lots of berries.  Flavorful finish.  So much going on here…” -James Suckling

TECHNICAL DATA

Production:  5001 cases | Alcohol: 14.5% | TA:  g/l | RS:  1.8g/l | pH: 3.5/6.2

PRESS & POINTS

2019 – 96 Points, “Top 100 Wines of Argentina 2022”, James Suckling
2019 – 96 Points, Wine Advocate
2019 – 93 Points, Wine Spectator
2019 – 95 Points, Descorchados

“This is an intriguing red, with floral peppercorn and berry notes paving the way for a palate of prickly acidity, lending olive and orange peel nuances amid ripe plum and berry preserves at the core. Offers enough tannins to chew on without getting in the way of the finish, which adds a hint of thyme.”
– A.R., Wine Spectator, 2019