KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"I tasted two vintages of the first wine they produced, the youngest of which was the 2020 Malbec, from a warmer and riper year than 2019 tasted next to it. This is a dark, aromatic and ripe Malbec at 14.8% alcohol with mellow acidity and a soft and juicy texture with round tannins. It is quite fruit-driven, with integrated oak after aging in used 500-liter French oak barrels and 5,000-liter oak vat. The vines are now certified organic. 15,000 bottles were filled in February 2022. - Luis GUTIERREZ"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 30th 2022), 93 pts

"Ex-Chakana winemaker Gabriel Bloise is the man behind this low-intervention Malbec from clay and gravel soils in Gualtallary. Smartly wooded in first and second use barrels, it has sinewy tannins, chalky freshness and black cherry, wild herb and blueberry flavours. 2022-27"

- Tim Atkin (2022 Argentina Special Report), 91 pts

"There is a notable difference in alcohol between the 2019 Malbec and the 2020 I tasted next to it. 2019 is a fresher year, and the wine has 13.9% alcohol, almost 1% less than the previous year. It comes through as fresher and more balanced, more mineral and austere, more serious. It has some dusty tannins that would welcome some food. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2020. - Luis GUTIERREZ"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 30th 2022), 93 pts

 

- Tim Atkin (2022 Argentina Special Report), 89 pts

"Licorice, red berries, and chalk aromas show on the nose. On the palate, it offers chocolate, tart cherry, and earthy flavors with a light balsamic note, framed by unripe tannins. Moderate acidity is just enough to freshen up the lingering finish. - JESICA VARGAS"

- Wine Enthusiast (September 2022), 88 pts

"The 2018 Malbec is a dark and aromatic Malbec with the herbal and somehow wild profile of the best wines from the limestone soils from Gualtallary. The vines are in the process of being certified organic and were planted in 2009. This fermented with 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 5,000-liter oak foudres and 500-liter oak barrels for 24 months. The nose is floral with notes of violets and the telltale aromas of rockrose, a plant that grows in the zone. It's ripe without excess, juicy, with fine and chalky tannins, a soft texture with nice balance and freshness and a sensation of sweet ripe fruit in the finish. 18,000 bottles were filled in March 2020. - Luis Gutiérrez"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (March 2021), 93 pts

"An opaque color and aromas of crisply spiced blackberry and smoke form the opening on this fine Malbec from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. A concentrated palate is anchored by grabby tannins that should resolve with more bottle age. Toasty blackberry and cassis flavors are backed by chocolaty notes, while this feels smooth and doesn't grind on the finish. Enjoy through 2023. - Michael SCHACHNER"

- Wine Enthusiast (April 2021), 93 pts, Editors' Choice

"Made with fruit from ten-year-old vines in Gualtallary on soils with a high calcium carbonate content, this new wine is spicy and highly perfumed, with notes of rosemary and oregano, dense, compact tannins and a firm, chiselled finish. 2022-30"

- Tim Atkin (Argentina 2019 Special Report), 93 pts

"There is a new and notable addition to Chakana’s portfolio: the 2017 4 gatos locos Malbec from a new vineyard they acquired in Tupungato Winelands in Gualtallary. The nose is clean and ripe, and there’s a juicy and nicely concentrated palate with fine grained, dry and chalky tannins. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats and matured in new 500 liter barriques and 5000 liter oak vats for 18 months. It could do with a little more freshness, but I guess that’s the ripeness of the warm and low yielding year. I look forward to tasting the 2018. A great debut. 9000 bottles were filled in December 2018. - Luis Gutiérrez"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 92 pts