Case Deal: Kaiken Ultra, Mendoza Malbec

This high-altitude Malbec is rich, expressive, and beautifully structured. It bursts with blackberries, violets, and black cherries, layered with delicate white flower aromas and hints of white pepper and clove. A touch of vanilla from oak ageing adds further complexity. It is silky and full-bodied, with fine tannins, bright acidity, and intense dark fruit flavours, leading to a long, lingering liquorice finish. The Uco Valley’s cooler climate and higher elevation give this Malbec a fresher, more structured character than those from Mendoza’s warmer, lower-altitude sites.

Kaiken is the Argentine project of legendary Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes, founded in 2002 after he recognised Mendoza’s potential for producing world-class wines. The Ultra Malbec is sourced from Los Chacayes, a high-altitude vineyard at 1,250 metres in the Uco Valley, where rocky, well-draining soils and extreme diurnal temperature shifts create structured, intensely flavoured wines. Hand-harvested and fermented in concrete tanks, this wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation before ageing for 12 months in French oak barrels, followed by six months in bottle before release.