2020 Salentein Single Vineyard La Pampa '97 Malbec

Salentein is the very prestigious wine project of the Dutchman M. Pon started in 1997. Trendsetter in Argentinian wine and eminently good for top quality wine. In the heart of the province of Mendoza, in the vineyards of the Uco Valley, Bodegas Salentein has begun to transform winemaking in Argentina. Bodegas Salentein's goal is clear: to produce first-class wines, dedicated to the earth they come from. During its preparation, Salentein respects nature and at the same time participates in the life of the community in the area, because the people become an essential part that is reflected in the wine expression.

Bodegas Salentein is located in Mendoza, an Argentine province synonymous with wine. The soil in this region is sandy and loamy, and the weather is dry, with very hot days and very cool nights. The presence of more than 900 bodegas and 145,000 hectares of vineyards explain why this region is the most important wine region in the country. However, this country has much more to say. This is the conviction of Bodegas Salentein, and it acts as a result by spreading the emergence of first-class bodegas in Argentina at an international level.

A new vision of quality – with classic grape varieties, preservation of old vines, reapplication of traditional European techniques and the use of cutting-edge technology – produces wines of international quality.

The bodega is located at an altitude of 1200 meters (4000 feet), right in the center of the vineyard. More than 49 hectares of native desert habitat have been preserved and are part of the daily landscape of the bodega. The western horizon is dominated by the densely snow-capped Andes, which have an elevation of more than 6,100 meters (20,000 feet). Two aspects have been taken into account in the design of the beautiful bodega: the form and the function. The cross shape allows careful management of the grape and the wine, while being able to shorten the path that both the fruits and their product take through the stages of the process. Each wing is itself a small bodega with two levels. In the former, stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels allow fermentation and storage. While the wine is aged underground in oak barrels.

Both floors allow the circulation of the liquid from the tanks to the vessels through a traditional system of gravity transfer. The four wings come together in a circular central chamber, similar to an amphitheater, built inspired by the classical temples of antiquity. The underground bodegas are located nine meters underground and have a constant temperature of 12 °C (54 °F), with 80% ambient humidity. The wine is aged in small French oak barrels of 225 liters each. In total, this level houses 5,000 barrels. Another feature of the basement is the stone floor. Seen from the upper level, the floor of the central chamber shows an important design with a strong symbolic content: it is based on the compass rose, with each end facing the cardinal points. In this way, it represents its relationship with the rest of the world. Natural stone from the Cuyo region was used for the construction of this floor, including the yellow quartzite sandstone, the green chlorite of slate and the red limonite sandstone.