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Monasterio: Argentina’s first grand cru

With its highly sought-after combination of soils, altitude and location, this remote corner of Uco Valley’s Gualtallary region is the top candidate to be the country’s first officially recognised ‘grand cru’ area, argues Patricio Tapia...

It is sometime in the mid-1990s and Alejandro Vigil, today in charge of the Catena Zapata wines, has problems with the dust that seeps through the floor of his old Renault 12. In fact, while touring Malbec vineyards in the Uco Valley, he must, from time to time, stick his head out of the window so that the dust of those narrow, rustic dirt roads does not leak into his lungs.


Scroll down for Patricio Tapia’s top 12 wines from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area



See Patricio Tapia’s top 12 wines from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area


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