Manos Negras, Stone Soil Select Malbec, Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Argentina, 2021

Producer Profile

Alejandro Sejanovich is arguably Argentina's most knowledgeable viticulturist, having worked as vineyard director for Bodega Catena Zapata for 16 years, he pioneered high-altitude vineyard planting and conducted groundbreaking research on Mendoza Malbec clones.

With Manos Negras he combines his love of minerality, and altitude with a magical touch in the winery to produce some of the region’s most terroir-driven wines. Not only altitude, but also latitude play a part in the wines from Manos Negras. With plantings of Torrontes in the northern stretches of Cafayate in Salta, Pinot Noir in the southernmost region of Neuquen in Patagonia, and old vine Malbec in the prized Altamira appellation in the Uco Valley, capturing the spirit of Manos Negras through a myriad of soils and ultimate wine expressions.

Viticulture

Sourced from the Altmira district of the San Carlos county, located in the southern Uco Valley at an elevation of 4,000 feet. Altamira has Mendoza’s most unique soil profile, with a patchwork of sandy, silty and stony soils all present in the same vineyard. The stony soils contain a high content of surface stones – round rocks that are literally painted white with calcium carbonate. These patches of stony soil are very low in organic material and very high in mineral content. Their poor profile naturally brings down yields for exceptional concentration of aromas and flavours. Their rocky character imparts a stony texture to the Malbec wines. The Manos Negras Stone Soil Select Malbec is made entirely from select Malbec grapes from these patches of stone soils.

Winemaking

Gentle de-stemming, cold maceration for 6 days at 8°C. Whole berry fermentation with natural yeasts and max. temp. 18° C. Extensive pumping over, punching down and delistage for first 10 days of fermentation. Total fermentation time of 18 days.

Oak Ageing

Time: 12 Months
Type: French 225 Litres
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 20

Tasting Note

Medicinal and ripe on the nose, deep and inviting. Silky texture with a racy flash of acidity on the finish. Excellent plum fruit, herbal hints and wonderful structure with fig flavours on the long finish.

Food Matching

The bold flavours work well with Lamb, Beef and even Poultry.

Awards

Decanter Premium Argentinian Malbec Tasting 95 Points
Manos negras, meaning 'black hands', refers to the belief of owners Alejandro Sejanovich and Jeff Mausbach that 'real winemakers get their hands dirty - hands black with wine'. From Paraje Altamira in the Uco sub region of San Carlos, Stone Soil is the product of a selection of vines planted on a stretch of stony soil, notable for its white calcium carbonate-covered stones. Whole berry fermentation with natural yeasts, matured 12 months in 20% new French oak barriques. 95 Points, 2024.