24 Dec Diversity in a Glass of Malbec with Nieto Senetiner wines from Argentina

A couple of months ago I enjoyed a lunch with Nieto Senetiner wines from Argentina. Tasting five difference Malbec wines, I discovered the diversity of Malbec and wrote about it for www.tastingpanelmag.com  and share it here.

Big, bold, fruity, and oaky, Malbec was the “it” wine in the late 1990s. As a result of its popularity, the market was flooded with the inexpensive, mass-produced wines that many now associate with the variety. But the vast majority of Malbec is neither cheap nor jammy and one-dimensional—a point producers like Nieto Senetiner are setting out to prove with their unique expressions.

Native to France, Malbec has become synonymous with Argentina, specifically Mendoza. This mostly desert region is located east of the Andes, which protect it from the influence of the Pacific Ocean more than 1,000 kilometers away. The two main valleys of Mendoza are Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley: The former, sitting 100 meters above sea level and close to the city of Mendoza, is where Argentine viticulture was born. The latter sits at an elevation of 1,400–1,450 meters and was developed only after technological advancements enabled the use of drip irrigation.

Nieto Senetiner Winery dates to 1888, when a group of Italian immigrants bought land in Luján de Cuyo and founded what is now the fifth-oldest winery in Argentina. They built a Colonial-style house that still stands today and planted vines on what is now known as the Villa Blanca Vineyard. In 1969, the Nieto and Senetiner families acquired the estate and expanded the facilities, and in 1998, Nieto Senetiner became part of Molinos Río de la Plata, one of the country’s leading food and beverage companies.

At the helm of Nieto Senetiner’s winemaking team is Santiago Mayorga, who joined the winery in 2013. Raised in the vineyards of Mendoza, Santiago inherited his agronomist father’s passion for viticulture and earned a degree in agricultural science.

Nieto Senetiner owns three vineyards totaling 700 acres in Luján de Cuyo, whose soil is predominantly alluvial clay with more rocks at higher altitudes: the aforementioned Villa Blanca Vineyard, which sits at 3,100 feet in elevation and was planted in 1900 and 2017; the Las Tortugas Vineyard, located at 3,445 feet and planted in 1999; and the Las Torcazas Vineyard, situated at 3,773 feet and planted in 2006. Nieto Senetiner also purchases fruit from longtime growers in the Uco Valley, where the vineyards sit at the foothills of the Andes on rocky mineral soils at 1,200–4,600 feet in elevation.

Working with fruit from both valleys, Nieto Senetiner produces several unique, approachable expressions that aim to showcase the variety’s diversity. See the sidebar for a breakdown of its selections.

Tasting Notes

Nieto Senetiner 2023 Camila Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($10) Approachable and easy-drinking, this pure expression of Malbec sees no oak. The nose is fresh with lots of red fruit and the palate is delicate, with soft tannins and a lingering finish.

Nieto Senetiner 2023 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($13) A combination of fruit from Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley, this elegant Malbec spends six months in two- and three-year-old French oak and is more concentrated than the Camila, with notes of black fruit and violets and more textured tannins. This is a wine with a great quality-to-value ratio.

Nieto Senetiner 2022 Don Nicanor Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($15) Made with fruit from Luján de Cuyo (80%) and Uco Valley (20%) and aged for 12 months in 30%–40% new French oak, this wine is another great value: It’s elegant, structured, and restrained, with dark black and blue fruit.

Nieto Senetiner 2021 Don Nicanor Barrel Select Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($25) A barrel-select wine from some of the best vineyards in the Uco Valley, the wine offers aromas of fresh dark fruit and spice plus intense tannins.

Nieto Senetiner 2021 Villa Blanca Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($40-$45) Sourced exclusively from old Malbec vines on the Villa Blanca property and aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak, this classic-style Malbec exhibits aromas of dark black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and vanilla. The palate is concentrated with cocoa-dusted tannins.

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