96 points Tim Atkin, MW 2022 [13.5%] Part of a brilliant range of red wines from this painterly site at 2,000 metres, Igneo is an unusual co-fermentation of Malbec with 6% Pinot Noir and 4% Cabernet Franc. Fermented with 70% whole bunches, it’s grippy, savoury, focused and complex with meaty intensity, notes of clove and white pepper and a core of tangy dark berry fruit. 2024-2035.95 points Patricio Tapia Descorchados This blend is made up of 93% malbec, 5% cabernet franc, and 2% pinot noir, and 100% was whole-cluster fermented. Barrel aging extended for a year and then another six months in cement eggs. This has all the sweet, ripe fruits that the mountain gives in a vineyard planted 2,000 meters up, well into the Andes. It’s juicy, with a tannin texture that’s dense but very smooth, like cream. The finish tastes of flowers and herbs in a red that needs years to gain complexity.94 pts Decanter Sept 2023 One of the most exciting wines to come from the Estancia Uspallata project to date, this Malbec co-fermented with Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir is filled with verve and vibrancy. A graphite-like grip is lifted by notes of wild flowers and herbs that take you straight to the wilderness of this remote corner of the Andes mountains.94 pts James Suckling Nov 2022 Deep and fresh blackberries and blueberries with tangy black-peppercorn, tar and dried-herb notes. Super-fresh and bright on the palate with lots of juicy, sour black cherries and plums. Velvety, sweet tannins are knit into the berry fruit before the long, linear and peppery finish. Polished and characterful. A dead-ringer for a cool-climate syrah. Drink or hold.94 pts Wine Advocate Nov 2023 The new red blend 2020 Igneo was produced with a majority of Malbec, a little Cabernet Franc and a touch of Pinot Noir, all the grapes they have there, trying to express the place beyond the varieties. It was co-fermented with 100% full clusters that were foot trodden and matured for 15 months in 500-liter barrels, 10% of them new. It has 13.5% alcohol and very good freshness (pH 3.35), with the austere and subtle character of the high-altitude vineyards (this is 2,000 meters above sea level). It’s similar to the Malbec; the year was warmer, and the wine is younger and feels a little marked by the élevage and also the stems. It has pungent flavors and a lively mouthfeel. It should develop nicely in bottle. 1,800 bottles produced.93 pts Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2024 – #87 An elegant version with some muscle behind it, this red offers a lovely bouquet of rose petal, pink peppercorn and wild strawberry that joins the juicy and engaging palate. Ample acidity drives the fresh raspberry flavors, yet with a firm graphite undercurrent. Finishes with herbal nuances and firming tannins. Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2040.92 pts Wine Enthusiast Oct 2024 Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir were fermented together to create this fruit-focused red blend from vines that grow at over 6,500 feet in the Uspallata Valley, Mendoza. The nose reveals aromas of ripe cherries and introduces a textured palate of spices, herbs and delicious ripe dark and red fruit.
