Kaiken Ultra Malbec is an intensely vibrant and aromatic red wine from Mendoza, Argentina. Its ruby-violet hue, captivating spice and floral notes, alongside fresh blueberry and bramble aromas compliment the smoothness, all leading to a long complex finish. Enjoy the well-structured tannins, great length, and freshness in each sip.

Critic Review

Decanter World Wine Awards: 86Pts Bronze Medal

"Nice floral notes under layers of rich black fruit aromas. Silky tannins, with as serious finish."
Decanter Panel for DWWA 2023

About the Producer

Kaikenes are wild geese, native to Patagonia, that fly across the Andes between Chile and Argentina. In the same way, Montes, the Chilean winery, crossed the Andes to set up in Mendoza. Their vineyards are situated in the heart of Mendoza and further to the south in Valle de Uco, where many of the premium producers are now sourcing their fruit. The focus is primarily on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety that has been somewhat forgotten as Malbec has surfed one wave of success after another in the past decade. As a result, there are many old vineyards in Mendoza that produce excellent fruit. Kaiken's own vineyards supply 70% of their production requirements and 30% is from vineyards that they control.

Vineyard and Winery

The fruit for the Malbec Ultra was sourced from the Uco Valley. Variations in altitude and soil type result in grapes with distinct characteristics that give unique and highly complex wines. Grapes are sourced from three separate vineyards, at different altitudes: Vista Flores at 1,400 metres above sea level, Gualtallary at 1,300 metres above sea level, and Altamira at 1,100 metres above sea level. In spite of location and altitude variations, all three soil types are similar: alluvial soil with some sand and silt on top of very rocky layers that provide excellent drainage and ideal conditions to grow highly concentrated grapes.

The grapes were hand picked during March and April, and then manually sorted on arrival at the winery. The fruit underwent a prefermentation maceration for seven days at a temperature of 10ºC, followed by fermentation in concrete tanks using selected and indigenous yeasts for a further seven days at 26ºC. Postfermentation maceration lasted for 20 days and after this malolactic conversion occurred naturally in the concrete tanks. The wine was aged in French oak barrels (a third new, a third second use, a third third use) for 12 months, and spent a further six months in bottle before being released.