Doña Paula – Two decades of Selección de Bodega Malbec

last updated 2 May 2023

Since it was founded in 1997, Doña Paula has earned a slew of plaudits for its premium wines hailing from Mendoza’s best terroirs.

Firmly committed to research, sustainability, and precise analysis of each vineyard, the company has developed a collection of terroir-driven wines. Among them is Doña Paula Selección de Bodega Malbec, a red wine which, since 1999, delivers the most expressive and characterful Malbec in any given year.

Selección de Bodega Malbec, the birth of an icon

‘Selección de Bodega began in 1999 as a quest to produce the best possible expression of Malbec in Argentina. It’s been twenty years of extensive research and experimentation and the release of the 2019 vintage sums up those decades of adventure,’ says Martín Kaiser, Director of Viticulture and Oenology at Doña Paula.

Doña Paula Selección de Bodega came about following the identification of a plot in the Finca El Alto vineyard in Ugarteche (Luján de Cuyo) – where the Doña Paula winery is located – that produces Malbec grapes of exceptional quality. With the fruit from this plot, the oenology team made several micro vinifications and then selected the best barrels to bring a single vineyard Malbec, made in unique conditions, to life .

A few years later, Doña Paula identified the exceptional potential of El Cepillo and Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. Having purchased land within these areas, the grapes from the best plots became part of Selección de Bodega, always with the aim of producing the ultimate expression of Malbec.

Many renowned winemakers and terroir experts have, over the years, been involved in the process of creating this great wine, including Andrés Ilabaca, Matías Michelini, Stefano Gandolini, Edy del Popolo, David Bonomi, Marcos Fernández and, currently, Martín Kaiser.

Finca Alluvia, a unique vineyard in Gualtallary

In 2015, following years of intensive study of each of Doña Paula’s vineyards, it was determined that the Finca Alluvia vineyard in Gualtallary was the perfect place to make the best Malbec in Argentina. Since then, Doña Paula Selección de Bodega Malbec has been made exclusively with grapes from this vineyard and has become one of the most representative Malbecs from its the iconic region.

Kaiser explains that ‘Finca Alluvia is Doña Paula’s highest altitude vineyard, set at 1350 metres above sea level in Gualtallary, a region in the Uco Valley with very poor, rocky, mineral-rich soils and plenty of calcium carbonate. The climate is very cool with temperate days and cold nights,’

Selección de Bodega Malbec 2019

‘The spirit of this wine is found in its name: the limited number of bottles produced each year is a function of the intensive selection process,’ Kaiser continues. ‘Every year, the best parcels are vinified in separate micro-batches and the best of those are aged for 24 months in French oak. Once the ageing process is over, each barrel is tasted and only those that impress us with their balance and expression are ultimately chosen for the final blend. The wine is kept another 12 months in bottle prior to release to ensure that the Selección de Bodega can be an ambassador for Argentinian Malbec across the world with its elegance and personality.’

The product of one of the best harvests ever seen in Mendoza, Doña Paula Selección de Bodega Malbec 2019 stands out for its great complexity and balance, making it a landmark vintage for an equally landmark wine in the history of Argentinian viticulture.