| Country: | Argentina |
| Region: | Mendoza |
| Winery: | Tiza & El Ganador |
| Grape Type: | Malbec |
| Vintage: | 2015 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Avatar Malbec is 100% Malbec.
Aged in 100% French Oak barrels for 4 months and then 6 months in the bottle beofre release
Presents a vibrant red color with glints of bordeaux. Great aromatic intensity. It expresses in a very fresh way, with red fruits and a remarkable sweetness. In the mouth it’s balanced with round and sweet tannins, rich and with a marked acidity.
Coming from Agrelo district.
Average of the vines is 25 years old.
Soil type: Alluvial and sandy soils with a big amount of rocks just besides the Mendoza river. This is one of the most prestigious terroirs in Argentina.
Winemaking: Crushing, destemming and maceration pre-fermentative at 11ºC for 24 hours. Alcoholic fermentation in tanks. 4 weeks of skin contact maceration. Aged in French oak barrels for 4 months, Malolactic fermentation in contact with fine lees.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Trapiche Terroir Series Finca Orellana is made from 100 percent Malbec.
The history of Trapiche begins in 1883, in a small vineyard called El Trapiche, in the district of Godoy Cruz, Mendoza, where the grapes for the first fine wines were grown. With more than 130 years of experience, Trapiche has earned its place as a pioneering brand in the introduction of French vines, the production of varietal wines, the import of French oak barrels and the use of stainless steel tanks. True to its origins, today Trapiche is in a continuous quest for the latest best practices .Led by Daniel Pi, Director of Winemaking, Trapiche's winemaking team permanently strives to improve winemaking practices by exchanging experience and knowledge with winemakers from other wine producing countries such as France, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
With a deep garnet red color, this Malbec expresses aromas of red fruits such as cherries and currants, and intense balsamic notes with hints of fresh herbs. In the mouth, it is sweet and broad with a great concentration of fruit and soft, ripe tannins. It has a long, persistent and elegant finish.
Review:
El Peral may not be on the radar of many Argentine Malbec lovers. But if you take a look at Descorchados, you will realize that here we are fans of this area, a place of gentle hills, streams and trees. This vineyard was planted in 1946, and today it delivers deliciously liquefied fruit, with hints of cherries and cassis, but above all violets and blackberries in a long and deep body. Give it at least ten years in the bottle.
-Patricio Tapia - Descorchados 95 Points
-Tim Atkin 95 Points
Viejo Isaias Malbec Clasico is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Time in oak: 40% in American (first and second use) oak barrels for 8 months. Time in bottles: 6 months minimum storage before placing on the market.
Vessels: stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation: controlled, with selected yeast. skin contact maceration: 20 days.. Malolactic fermentation: 100%
Excellent when paired with red meats, pasta with spicy sauces, matured cheeses.
Vibrantly red, with blue and purple glints. It has complex aromas of plum and ripe fruit, evoking dry fig. In the mouth, it is velvety, long, with a rich aftertaste, full of fine, sweet, ripe tannins.
Vineyard information:
Location: Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, on the highest area of the Mendoza river - Mendoza.
Altitude: 950m above sea level.
Soil: sandy.
Year of plantation: 2000
Plant density per hectare: 3500
Wine production per plant: two 750cc bottles, approximately.
Yield: 80 qq/ht.
Viejo Isaias Malbec Reserva is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Story Of The Rose:
Viejo Isaias, meaning "old Isaac" is the grandfather of the winemaker, Rodrigo. When Rodrigo was a boy, Isaac would take him on long walks throughout their vineyard in Mendoza. On these walks Isaac would keep a watch over the health of the vines, but more importantly he would keep a watch for the first rose of the year. Every year for 40 years, he would find the first flowered rose and bring it back to his wife, Juana. The rose on the label is a symbol of their love for each other and for the culture of Argentine wine.
Don Isaías Hernández - a man with calloused hands and tanned by the work effort. With his example he taught me that nothing is achieved without sacrifice, that is why I want to keep his spirit alive in this reserva wine. This Malbec is the fruit of a dedicated winemaking, carefully crafted from the harvest to the palate of every single wine lover.
Intense touch of blueberries and plums, highlighted with vanilla and white chocolate from the oak aging. A nice wine with a good body, full of sweet tannins with good concentration and long persistence.
100% Malolactic fermentation Viejo Isaias is 100% oak aged, with 10 months American oak, 6 months in the bottle.
Vineyard site : Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, upper area of Mendoza River.
Altitude: 950 meters above sea level
Soil: sandy loam
Vineyard planted in 2000.
Density per hectare: 3,500.
Production per vine plant: 2 x750 ml bottles on average.
Review:
Very clear aromas of black cherries and fresh flowers follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Very polished texture. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (March 2022), 91 pts
Viejo Isaias Malbec Reserva is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Story Of The Rose:
Viejo Isaias, meaning "old Isaac" is the grandfather of the winemaker, Rodrigo. When Rodrigo was a boy, Isaac would take him on long walks throughout their vineyard in Mendoza. On these walks Isaac would keep a watch over the health of the vines, but more importantly he would keep a watch for the first rose of the year. Every year for 40 years, he would find the first flowered rose and bring it back to his wife, Juana. The rose on the label is a symbol of their love for each other and for the culture of Argentine wine.
Don Isaías Hernández - a man with calloused hands and tanned by the work effort. With his example he taught me that nothing is achieved without sacrifice, that is why I want to keep his spirit alive in this reserva wine. This Malbec is the fruit of a dedicated winemaking, carefully crafted from the harvest to the palate of every single wine lover.
Intense touch of blueberries and plums, highlighted with vanilla and white chocolate from the oak aging. A nice wine with a good body, full of sweet tannins with good concentration and long persistence.
100% Malolactic fermentation Viejo Isaias is 100% oak aged, with 10 months American oak, 6 months in the bottle.
Vineyard site : Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, upper area of Mendoza River.
Altitude: 950 meters above sea level
Soil: sandy loam
Vineyard planted in 2000.
Density per hectare: 3,500.
Production per vine plant: 2 x750 ml bottles on average.
El Ganador translates to "the winner", and given its quality-to-price ratio, we consider this Malbec a win!
Rich ruby-purple color. Displays elegant flavors of blackberries, ripe plum and robust spices, with good balance and structure. A delightful & versatile red.
Closeout!
Tiza Malbec Mendoza is made from 100% Malbec, hand-harvested vineyards that total over 220 acres. Aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months. This wine offers a great intense and complex nose of wild berries and red ripe fruit with subtle spicy notes. Superb fruit flavors combine perfectly with toasty notes providing great structure, character, and a long finish.
The Tiza El Ganador Estate
These wines originate with a Spanish family based in Navarra. The grapes come from hand-harvested vineyards situated in Lujan de Cuyo. The winery uses a Marzola Basket Press, which has a solid reputation for quality. The press is hydraulic with an electric engine, and the plates are stainless steel with the bottom plate slanted to allow for maximum drainage. Basket walls are constructed of waterproofed wooden slats joined by stainless steel rings that can be switched out, allowing for continual filling and pressing. The computerized control panel can be programmed in various speeds and pressure, allowing the operator better control for extracting juice. Tiza is a lot specially selected by the importer. 2,500 cases produced, 2,500 cases imported.
The Tiza El Ganador Vineyards
The 220 acres of vines are planted to Malbec (first vines date back to 1912). The vineyard is situated 1,000 meters above sea level and is planted on alluvial soils with subsoils made of stone and sandy/limestone sediments. The quality of the soil together with the high density of vines per hectare contribute to produce very low yields with excellent fruits.
Checkerboard Kings Row Red is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot.
2019 Checkerboard Kings Row is produced from grapes grown in the Aurora Vineyard which is located in a small valley midway up Diamond Mountain on a large knoll at an elevation of 1,200 feet. The knoll projects off the mountainside, giving the vineyard full southern exposure, open light from the east and west, and protection from Napa Valley’s summer fog. Six acres are planted in the knoll’s rich, volcanic soils that are riddled with basalt cobble and loamy clay. The remaining six acres are planted in a deep gravely mix of white volcanic ash and chips of decomposed Rhyolite that were washed down from the steep, rocky crags of Diamond Mountain above. 2019 Checkerboard Kings Row is a complex wine showcasing the Bordeaux varietals grown in the Aurora Vineyard. The nose is a swirl of dark red fruits, baking spice, and sandalwood. On the palate, the fruit dominates and offers hints of dried crushed herbs, black pepper, and freshly pressed espresso. There’s a juicy core which is persistent from the approach through to the finish.
Holocene Memorialis Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Holocene Pinot Noir Memorialis is a blend of 777, Pommard and 115 clones from MonksGate vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, and it saw about 20% new French oak for 16 months prior to bottling. It is always the lighter and more feminine of the two Holocene wines, with red fruits, white flowers, dried herbs, mushroom and forest floor aromatics, bright acidity and a lithe texture, long finish.
By now, everyone knows that the Willamette Valley is an amazing place to grow Pinot Noir. When I relocated from Napa Valley to partner up with Force Majeure Vineyards, I knew I also wanted to start a project where I could focus attention on a varietal and growing region that I loved. Part of the excitement of being in the Pacific Northwest is the ability to have access to so many amazing vineyards and so much diversity, along with the opportunity to push boundaries and try new things – something that is becoming increasingly difficult in other growing regions.
We partner up with a few very small, diverse and amazing vineyards in the Willamette Valley, sourcing fruit from these dry-farmed sites that emphasize low yields, sustainable practices and produce outstanding fruit.
The wines are crafted in the same way I have been making wine since I was carrying it out at Bryant Family Vineyard in the Napa Valley — utilizing very low-impact, non-industrial techniques, native yeasts, little extraction and little new oak, and never filtering or fining. This allows a real sense of place to show through in the wines that is often dimmed when too much manipulation is undertaken.
Our first vintage was 2015, and was released in early 2017. As production is currently extremely small, the best way to get the wines into your hands is to join our mailing list at the “Mailing List” link above to receive an allocation when we have a release. We release wines once per year, and they will be sold on a first come, first served basis, shipped straight to your door.
Review:
"A Bing cherry aroma slinks its way up from the glass, followed by spicy whispers of cardamom and cinnamon. Straw and chalkboard dust scents seal the deal. After a tannic black tea note materializes on the palate, the wine's cranberry and raspberry flavors punch the tart button. You can feel the tannins, but they aren't grippy. The acidity, however, lets you know it is ready for juicy business. Memorialis is quietly becoming one of Oregon's best Pinot Noirs. — Michael ALBERTYS"
- - Wine Enthusiast (October 1st 2025), 98 pts & Editor's Choice