Amancaya Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine from the Mendoza region of Argentina made by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Catena. In 1998, the idea of forming a partnership between Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and the Catena family was raised. The Catena family had been producing wines for three generations. Their passion for Malbec and their broad knowledge of the high altitudes soils of Mendoza were essential to select the best vineyards. DBR (Lafite) brought more than a centenary know-how on the Cabernet Sauvignon culture and on the process of assembling different grapes to obtain fine wines.
Amancaya is the little brother of the world famous Caro and, like its big brother, is a fine balance between Argentinian grape varieties and terroir and Bordeaux style. The word Amancaya is the native Indian name of one of the flowers of the Andes that grows in the Mendoza area. The grapes are sourced from vineyards in the wine-growing regions of Vistalba, La Consulta, Agrelo, Tupungato and Tunuyan – the vineyards are all at least 30 years old and are situated at altitudes of 800 to 1400 metres.
Amancaya is a blend of Malbec, the quantity varying from 40 to 60% depending on vintage, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in oak barrels (20% new wood). The annual production is 25,000 to 30,000 cases. The 2015 vintage is a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Please note, prior to the 2013 vintage Amancaya was labeled as a Gran Reserva wine. It is made in exactly the same way as before (Reserva and Gran Reserva have no offical requirements in Argentina or Chile and most producers have stopped using these terms for wines sold in the EU).
If you are a fan of the Lafite Argentinian wines I would also highly recommend checking out their Chilean wine project, Los Vascos.
