Altocedro, Argentina
"Altocedro represents real artisanal winemaking, a boutique operation with some serious talent behind the wheel."
-Wine Spectator
Altocedro was founded in 1999 by visionary Karim Mussi, a third-generation Lebanese immigrant. Karim and his family pioneered La Consulta in the Uco Valley as a special place to make “born and raised” wines. In 2014, fifteen years later, Karim’s crazy idea of high-altitude farming became conventional wisdom and now La Consulta is classified as one of Argentina’s few Geographic Indication (GI) Appellation and the best place to farm iconic wines. Altocedro is synonymous with outstanding La Consulta wines. Original old vine rootstocks, indigenous yeasts, hundred-year-old concrete fermentation tanks, and Karim’s minimalist winemaking, create true terroir-driven wines.
The name Altocedro means high Cedar and the trees that surround the vineyards not only protect the vines from storms in the nearby Andes mountains , they also pays homage to Karim’s roots because Cedar trees are considered sacred in the Lebanese culture.
Altocedro, La Consulta Select
WINEMAKING: 10% bleed-o , four pump-overs per day; three total delestages; no Filtering; natural cold stabilization
FERMENTATION: Fermented with indigenous yeasts at 27˚C for 7 days, 10 days maceration over lees.
COLOR: Deep ruby red
TASTING NOTES: It's floral and harmonious, complex and nuanced, with nice integration of the different varieties and the wine with the oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and a balanced palate with nice texture and a chalky mouthfeel.
Altocedro, Año Cero Tempranillo
WINEMAKING: 10% bleed-o , four pump-overs per day; three total delestages; no Filtering; natural cold stabilization
FERMENTATION: Whole berry fermentation with indigenous yeasts at low temperatures in small concrete tanks.
COLOR: Deep purple
TASTING NOTES: Currant, violet, dried-herb and grilled-meat aromas. It is medium-to-full-bodied with silky tannins. Juicy and richly flavored.