Chakana Estate Red Mendoza is made from 70% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Deep red color with violet hints. Dark fruits and exotic spices with tobacco and mocha hints. Elegant, well balanced, harmonious, long persistence with chocolate flavors.
Vineyard: Gualtallary in Valle de Uco.
2 days maceration on skins in temperature controlled steel vats; 12 days fermentation with selected yeasts allowed to rise to a maximum of 28°C.
Review:
 
"Notes of fresh blackcurrants and dark cherries with subtle hints of nutshells, cocoa and spice box. Rich and flavorful on the palate with a medium to full body and ripe, glossy tannins. Succulent, lightly spicy finish. Malbec, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Vegan. Drink or hold."
 - James Suckling (February 2024), 91 pts 
  
Chakana Estate Malbec is made from 100 percent Malbec.
hakana is the name of the Southern Cross constellation. Its rotation in the sky throughout the year made it an effective agricultural calendar for the ancient Andean people.
The "yaguarete" (jaguar) on the label was known by the ancient Andean people as the "lord of the starred night"; the wildest known animal.
Chakana Estate Malbec is from Chakana's Altamira (3,200 ft elevation) and Gualtallary (5,500 ft elevation) vineyards.
The color is deep purple, very intense, typical of Malbec. Plum, brambly berries, spices and an iris/violet note are apparent on the nose. Intense, fruity flavors with velvety tannins.
Review:
 - Tim Atkin (2023 Argentina Special Report), 93 pts  
 
 
 
Calcareous gravels deposited by the Tunuyan river in the South of Valle de Uco and by the Las Tunas river in the North of Valle de Uco have created the two most promising growing areas of Mendoza, which are only now being developed and explored, bringing a new dimension to the wines of Argentina.
Aromas of black fruit and spices blended with mineral, graphite notes and freshness typical of calcareous soils. The palate demonstrates the power of Gualtallary combined with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. A fine finessed texture, which is tight and refreshing.
Vineyard: This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from the two outstanding subregions of Valle de Uco - the power and structure of Gualtallary with the elegance and freshness of Paraje Altamira. 20-year old vines.
Soil: Sandy with calcium carbonate-coated fine gravel up to 45 cm deep
Vinification techniques are performed in the most gentle way, avoiding the use of enzymes and must amendments. Fermentation is performed with native yeast only.
Superb with grilled red meat and grilled vegetable (Argentinean Asado).
Finca los Cedros Single Vineyard Malbec is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Single vineyard wine from the Finca los Cedros vineyard in Paraje Altamira (3,600 ft. elevation). Planted in high density (8,000 plants per hectare) on calcareous gravel soils, this Malbec has a fresh & easy-drinking style with a mineral character.
Intense purple color. Plum, brambly berries, spices and an iris/violet note are apparent on the nose. Intense, fruity flavors with velvety tannins.
Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Aged 12 months in oak barrels and concrete vats.
 Excellent with roasted meats, duck, salad, pasta, pizza. 
 
 Crown Point Estate Selection is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot.
The 2017 Crown Point Estate Selection is an engaging wine with notes of red fruit, strawberries, and vibrant floral tones of violets in harmony with toasted coffee notes. On the palate, the wine displays a gentle sweetness married with fine grain tannins, a velvety texture providing a long finish.
Review:
There's a purity to the nose of this bottling that reveals deep, lush waves of boysenberry paste alongside a savory tone of charred beef. Polished tannins frame the sip, where ample amounts of rich black plum and blackberry are enhanced by caramel, coffee bean and mocha flavors, with acidity holding tight into the finish.
Wine Enthusiast 96 Point
 
 
The estate Cabernet Sauvignon is grown primarily along the southwest ridge of the vineyard. The vines produce small berries with bountiful flavor, concentration and intensity, but also a good degree of finesse, excellent structure and layers of complexity that will continue to develop during extended bottle aging for those who want to cellar and age their wines. The wine is powerful, elegant, full-bodied.
 Bottled unfined and unfiltered.100% free run
Pumpovers and punch-downs, up to 45 day macerations
Native yeast, 5 day cold soaks
22 months in 75% new French oak barrels
Fermented in concrete and stainless closed top tanks. 
Review:
 "The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Estate is another powerful wine from this team. Opulent notes of blackcurrants, graphite, chocolate, crushed rocks, wild herbs, and espresso all give way to a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that has loads of fruit, a superstar of a mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s another 2017 that’s going to benefit from at least 2-4 years of bottle age and have 20 years or more of longevity."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 95+ pts 
Chakana Estate Malbec is made from 100 percent Malbec.
The color is deep purple, very intense, quite what you expect from Malbec. Plum, brambly berries, spices and an iris/violet note are apparent on the nose. Intense fruity flavors with velvety tannins.
80% is coming from the Agrelo's vineyards, which is mainly clay and brings a lot of freshness in the wine.
The other 20% are from Altamira's Vineyards, which gives riper fruit and allows a little more oak.
Review:
"Full ruby-red. Aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, licorice, minerals and fresh herbs, lifted by a violet topnote. At once seamless and bright, with its black fruit, violet and pungent herbal flavors conveying excellent chalky, saline lift and penetration. This Malbec is still quite young but is more pliant than a sample of this wine that I tried a year ago shortly after the bottling; sharply delineated like my earlier bottle but not dry on the finish. In fact, this wine reminds me of a '16 for its saline minerality and energy, and is has the tightly coiled spring to last very well.. - Stephen Tanzer"     - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 90+ pts       
The Chakana Estate
Looking for Chakana's other labels?
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	Malbec, Bonarda Argentina, Cabernet Sauvignon
	Elegant and mature wines with 12 months of oak aging, produced
	only with grapes grown in our own estates.
	Ayni is our icon wine. It is the result of our permanent quest
	for the best Malbec terroirs that Mendoza can offer. This wine
	comes from the gravely limestone soils of Altamira: powerful
	but fresh and lively, this 100% Malbec has been aged in
	French oak barrels for 18 months. It is presented in 6-bottle
	wooden cases.
	Chakana Estate Selection is a line of wines which represent the
	best terroirs of each of our estates. Aged in French oak barrels
	for 12 months these wines give pre-eminence to the expression
	of terroir rather than oak. In every wine we try to craft a drinkable
	and seductive style through the careful management of our
	soils and grapes and in accordance with our consumers’ taste.
	
	Chakana winery was founded by Juan Pelizzatti on May 2nd, 2002. Juan was driven to enter the wine industry first and foremost by his passion for wine, and also by the desire to invest his time and money on a product of agriculture. Although Juan did not know it at the time, the company was founded on the same day the Chakana was celebrated on the Andes highlands: on that same day, the Southern Cross (the Chakana for the Inca people) becomes vertical in the night Andean sky.
	Juan's mission is to create an integral experience to introduce world consumers to the taste and culture of the Andes. His vision is to become one of the top 20 exporters of wine from Argentina, by consistently offering outstanding value for money.
	
	"An incredible discovery for me, this winery was founded a decade ago and named after the Southern Cross ("Chakana" is the local Indian dialect for that constellation). It is located approximately 20 miles south of Mendoza in Agrelo. All three of these wines are highly recommended, and all are fabulous bargains in Malbec." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (June 2012)
	Wine is currently produced in four different levels at Chakana, by winemaker Gabriel Bloise:
	          Entry Level: Maipe
	          Reserve Level: Maipe Reserve, Cueva de las Manos, Nuna
	          Estate Selection
	          Ayni
	
	
	
	
	The Chakana Estate Vineyards
	 
	Our grapes are grown in our own estates located in diverse premium micro-regions of Mendoza.
	Each of them contributes its character to the final blend of our top quality wines.
	Our wines are made in a state-of-the-art 2 million liter facility located in our Agrelo estate.
The Three Chakana Vineyard Areas:
	
	FINCA AGRELO
	LOCATION: AGRELO, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza
	Description: 120 ha. planted with different varieties between 2002 and 2010. Mainly Malbec,
	Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Syrah.
	Altitude: 960 meters above sea level.
	TERROIR: Varied. Deep clay to loam. Gravel in some areas. Dry and cool climate with important
	amplitude in temperature.
	Wine Profile: Medium-bodied, elegant, fruity.
	FINCA TERRADA
	LOCATION: MAYOR DRUMMOND, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza.
	Description: 21 ha. 100 year old Malbec.
	Altitude: 919 metres above sea level.
	TERROIR: Loam and clay with 70 cm deep gravel. Some limestone. Urban
	influenced climate, relatively warm.
	WINE PROFILE: Complex, ripe fruit.
	FINCAS ALTAMIRA
	LOCATION: ALTAMIRA, Valle de Uco, Mendoza
	Altamira I |16 ha. Malbec. Altitude: 1,068 meters above sea level.
	Altamira II |26 ha. Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, planted in 2006. Altitude: 1,097 meters above sea
	level.
	TERROIR: Sandy-loam with gravel at 50 cm depth. Dominated by limestone. Temperate climate.
	WINE PROFILE: Full-bodied and mineral.
	
	They also source wines from contract suppliers in Ugarteche and Medrano, for entry level wines, and in Vista Flores, for Estate Selection & Ayni levels.
The Wine Making Team:
	WINEMAKING CONSULTANT: ALBERTO ANTONINI. Alberto is an Italian winemaker with a pioneering role in
	the discovery and development of high quality Malbec. Alberto has brought to us his profound knowledge of
	the wine industry, his uncompromising commitment to authenticity and the belief that Argentina will become
	one of the leading winegrowing regions of the world.
	
	VITICULTURE CONSULTANT: ALAN YORK. Alan is one of the world’s leading consultants on biodynamic
	viticulture. He is also a permanent source of inspiration and insight into the relationship between man, spirit
	and nature.
	
	WINEMAKER: GABRIEL BLOISE. Gabriel is one of the stars of the younger generation of Mendoza’s winemakers.
	30 years old, he has already made 15 vintages in top estates in some of the most important winegrowing
	areas in the world: Tuscany, Priorat, Australia, California, North Carolina, Salta and Mendoza. He is a tireless
	explorer of the relationship between nature and its effect on the aromas in wine.
	
	TERROIR CONSULTANT: PEDRO PARRA. Pedro's expertise helps us to understand how to identify and
	manage the soil in each plot of our vineyards. His palate is fine-tuned to understanding the impact of soil
	structure on the taste of wine. This has made him one of the 50 most influential people in wine according to
	Decanter Magazine.
Guillemot-Michel Vire Clesse (magnum) is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Beautifully expressive, with yellow fruits, orange blossom, smoke & flint. Thick and saline on entry, then seriously deep in the mid-palate, with suggestions of exotic fruits perfectly countered by strong minerality. This wine strikes a perfect balance between sweet and salty elements, and it shows vibrant acidity. It boasts a thickness that few other northern Mâconnais can match.
Enjoy with fish (such as sole meuniere), seafood, roasted chicken, goat cheese.
  
 Nivarius Rioja Tempranillo Blanco is made from 100% Tempranillo Blanco.
"Nivarius" is a Latin term that defines the natural well where the snow was kept all year round. Nivarius wines benefit from altitudes above 700 meters, a northern orientation and the influence of the continental climate that make wines of character, fresh, with natural acidity. They are produced with minimal intervention and respectful of the biodiversity to reflect the expression of the terroir.
Nivarius is a 100% Tempranillo Blanco from vineyards in Albelda de Iregua and Montes de Clavijo, at an elevation of over 700 meters, resulting in a fresh, unctuous and perfectly ripe wine that is both lively and pleasant to drink.
Straw-yellow in color with a with greenish rim. Good intensity on the nose, hints of pome and stone fruits accompanied by subtle aromas of white flowers and minerals. Fresh and well-balanced on the palate with stone fruit flavors, dry fruits, and a long finish.