“Republica del Malbec” 2020 – Matias Riccitelli

The Republica del Malbec Matias Riccitelli is made from old vines were planted in Las Compuertas in Lujan de Cuyo in 1908. The vines are meticulously cared for and undergo deleafing and precise pruning during January. The manual harvest takes place in small trays of 20kg in order not to damage the grapes. A second manual sorting takes place prior to vinification to ensure the best grapes are selected. “This wine is made in honour of all the immigrants who planted, worked and taught us, gave us the blessing of our flagship varietal, who for over 100 years live in this land, which has taken a unique identity in the world”.

The grapes were vinified in French oak vats of 1,000-litre capacity. Maceration of five days took place prior to fermentation with indigenous yeasts at controlled temperatures of between 26 to 28°C. Post fermentation maceration lasted 10 days, to extract the desired levels of colour, flavour and fine tannins. 50% of the wine was aged in first, second and third use barrels; the remaining 50% was aged in French
oak foudres of 1,000-litre capacity for 18 months.

Matias Riccitelli is the son of renowned winemaker Jorge Riccitelli. Having worked at some of the most prestigious wineries in Argentina and several vintages around the world, Matias used his experience, knowledge and passion and set up his own winery in 2009. His vineyards cover 50 hectares located in three selected sites within the premium growing region of Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. This is a young and dynamic project in which Matias is seeking to express the full potential of Argentine terroir.