Kaiken Clsico Malbec is a bold and carefully crafted Malbec, deep purple in colour. On the nose, aromas of plums, blackberries, and chocolate offer a unique and inviting experience prior to tasting. Flavours of tobacco and freshness captivate the palate, while soft tannins create the perfect balance. Enjoy this bold red with steak, red meat dishes, cheese, and charcuterie boards.

Kaiken Clsico Malbec is alsocurrently available by the glass inThe Wine Press, Dundee’s finest Wine Bar.

About the Producer

Kaikenes are wild geese, native to Patagonia, that fly across the Andes between Chile and Argentina. In the same way, Montes, the Chilean winery, crossed the Andes to set up in Mendoza. Their vineyards are situated in the heart of Mendoza and further to the south in Valle de Uco, where many of the premium producers are now sourcing their fruit. The focus is primarily on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety that has been somewhat forgotten as Malbec has surfed one wave of success after another in the past decade. As a result, there are many old vineyards in Mendoza that produce excellent fruit. Kaiken’s own vineyards supply 70% of their production requirements and 30% is from vineyards that they control.

Visit the Montes website.

Vineyard and Winery

The grapes come from vineyards in the Agrelo zone, 40 kilometres south from the city of Mendoza and at an altitude of 950 metres above sea level. These vineyards feature soils composed of silt, clay and sand with stones at two metres derived from erosion from the Andes Mountains. The regions climate is warmer than that of the Uco Valley, which allows Kaiken to obtain grapes with more fresh fruit aromas and flavours as well as very ripe, soft tannins.

The grapes were hand harvested and transported in 300-kilo batches, and once in the winery, individual berries were carefully selected. The juice was fermented in small tanks, which allowed the fermentation process to take place within optimal conditions, preserving important vineyard characteristics and qualities. Alcoholic fermentation followed by maceration lasted around 20 days. Fifty percent of the wine was aged for eight months in French oak barrels and the rest remained unoaked. The wine was then blended in order to highlight the fruit flavours and aromas and maintain its soft and silky tannins. To finish, the wine was slightly filtered before bottling.