Wine of the Week! 05/06/2023

Bodega Chañarmuyo La Rioja Estate Malbec

Normally $13.99 / Now on Sale for $10.96
100% Malbec (La Rioja Argentina wine region)

La Rioja, Argentina is an arid to semi-arid province in the northwest of the country. Spanish conquistador Juan Ramírez de Velasco named it in the late 16th Century after his home province in Spain. (You might have heard of that one. ;) )

Locals claim that the La Rioja wine region was one of the first places that invading Spaniards planted grape vines. Dry and mountainous, the region sits in the foothills of the Andes. Though the province is close to the equator, the region’s elevation offers cooler temperatures than you’d expect. Strong exposure to daytime sunlight followed by cool nights lead to long ripening seasons which produce grapes balanced between their fruit and acid. Unlike its European namesake, La Rioja Argentina is an area that’s known chiefly for its whites, specifically Torrontés Riojano. They also grow red grapes — Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec, like with this beauty here.

Bodega Chañarmuyo in the Chañarmuyo Valley was founded by Jorge Chamas Honnorat in 2001. The thought was it was too cold to grow grapes there, but Honnorat and his workers found their way. This Malbec comes from their San Gabriel estate at more than 5,500 feet above sea level. After hand harvesting the grapes, Chañarmuyo ferments them and then ages them in French oak for eight months.

What they’ve built with their hard work is a charming cabin of lush fruit under a roof of acid, with a low railing of tannins surrounding the deck. Made for the mountains of northwest Argentina, but good enough for the mountains of central Virginia.