2017 Finca Mangato Las Estelas Malbec Alto de las Piedras Tupungato Mendoza Argentina 750 ml

Some days, we just crave a spicy, juicy, berry-loaded value Malbec from Mendoza. Other days we want something a little more sophisticated, with some serious terroir and pedigreed winemaking chops behind it. The 2017 Finca Mangato Las Estelas Malbec is a perfect marriage of both, with its 100-point Lafite Rothschild-endorsed talent, high-altitude old vines, and impressive 93-point endorsement behind it. 

We’re thrilled to have an allocation thanks to our close connections in Mendoza. Otherwise, there’s no way this wine could be available here for this price (or perhaps at all). 

We were introduced to this overachieving beauty by our friend, the inimitable Laura Catena, the superstar behind Mendoza’s legendary Bodega Catena Zapata. When Catena joined with Château Lafite Rothschild to collaborate on the Bordeaux estate’s first foray into South America, Bodegas Caro, Laura handpicked Estela Perinetti, the long-trusted Catena Zapata winemaker (who had earned several 97-100 point scores during her tenure), for the job. 

Finca Mangato is Perinetti’s project, and the skills she earned at Catena Zapata show here: Spiced blackberry aromas lead into juicy dark plum on entry, with complex hints of cracked pepper, licorice, clove, and kola nut. The ultimate 100% Malbec, it’s got a savory and deliciously rich core that finds lift in a refreshing, mineral-cut finish. So perfect already with a roasted lamb or a ribeye steak, this 2017 Las Estelas will also cellar well for another five or six years.

The Lafite team had been determined to make a Cabernet-focused wine from the outset, but Laura told us that Perinetti has an unmatched ability to find fabulous old-vine sources of Malbec and convinced the ultra-traditional First Growth to make the blend 50/50—such was the supreme quality of her complex, mineral-driven Malbec.  

So when Perinetti decided to start her independent Finca Mangato project, she used the best Malbec vines she could source—those from her family estate. A longtime Catena Zapata source, the Las Estelas Malbec is sourced from the oldest, rockiest, and highest altitude blocks on Perinetti’s family vineyard in the El Peral District of Mendoza’s Uco Valley. At their 4,000-foot elevation, these rugged old vines benefit from intense sun exposure during the day and frigid temperatures at night, enabling the grapes to develop delectably ripe fruit profiles alongside bright, refreshing acidity. 

We discovered this wine after chatting with Laura Catena following a wine panel she led in Oakland late last year. We had asked her what was new and exciting in Mendoza these days, and she said, “Give me a few days, I’ll show you.” Less than a week later, the 2017 Finca Mangato Las Estelas arrived at our office. We secured an allocation within 24 hours of tasting it. It was that impressive. 

As we waited for our new favorite Malbec to land, we caught wind that it had earned 93-points from Descorchados, South America’s foremost wine publication. With an endorsement like that, not to mention that of Laura Catena (and Lafite!), this 2017 Las Estelas is an absolute steal.