Mendoza Wine Tour: Alta Vista

Our last stop of the day was Alta Vista. We arrived on the gorgeous grounds through the security gate. We were earlier than the other people joining our tour, so we lounged outside under the arbor and they shortly brought us a glass of the 2011 Alta Vista Malbec Rose. It was not as good as Achaval Ferrar, but better than Belasco de Boquedano.

We had almost finished our glasses when the pair we were waiting on arrived. We began with a brief tour of the grounds. One of the oldest winery buildings in the area, constructed in 1899 and restored in 2003 it was interesting to see how they had adapted the old to the new.

Many of the concrete fermentation vats we raised, hailing back to the days when they needed fires underneath to raise the temperature, rather than the current day hot and cold water pipes. We visited the beautiful cellars; my favorite was the private library of the owners temptingly on display in the cage.

Our tasting was held in one of the largest old fermentation vats, with 18 inch walls. We tasted multiple wines and then splurged (an extra $15-$30 total) to taste their premium wines.

The first tasting was of their 2010 Torrantes. A varietal referred to as â€œThe Liarâ€ itâ€™s a sweet smelling wine, that tastes dry â€“ floral and mineral. It was a cool experience, and with unlimited suitcase space I would have brought some home for others to try, but although a cool concept, I was not a fan of the flavor.

We then tasted their entry level Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, but they were nothing special.

We then tried their 2007 Terroir Selection Malbec, which was nice, but more along the lines of what we could get in the US, lacking the beautiful fruit of others, and heavy on the oak. Doing side by side tastings, it was better than their â€œClassic Malbecâ€ but neither were exciting.

At the end we splurged on their Single Vineyard (canâ€™t remember which one) and a tasting of their Alto, a lovely blend of their best Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were great, both would have been better with food, but we found ourselves drawn to the richness of flavor in the Alto. It was not however, a great value and we could get better flavor at the same price point.

At the very end our guide generously poured some Atemporal Sparkling Malbec Rose, and that stole the show. So much flavor, pleasantly dry, it went down smoothly and made for a good day. In the end, that was what we bought to take back to the room for later.