Winemaker William Knuttel first visited Cafayate several years ago, and was immediately entranced with the area and its people, culture, and climate. The town is nestled in the Calchaqui Valley at over 5000’ elevation in the foothills of the Andes. This area of high mountain desert has the feel of Napa Valley plunked down into Zion Canyon National Park. Vineyards seemingly grow in nothing but rock and sand, surrounded by towering mountains of red rock and granite.

While Argentina is recognized mostly for the wines of Mendoza to the south, the smaller Cafayate region is rapidly gaining favor—after over 100 years of grape growing! Knuttel believes the region will eventually compare to Mendoza much like Napa Valley does to Sonoma County, and a frenzy of land purchases and winery construction in the last few years seems to be bearing out this prediction.

The 2018 Tentadora Malbec Reserva features a blueberry and blackberry mélange with notes of spice and earth, and a smooth succulent core of fruit that broadens into a velvety finish. The color is inky black, and soft and well-resolved tannins are seamlessly integrated into the finish. The 2018 Tentadora Malbec Reserva is eminently suited to the table, and pairs especially well with roasted meats--and all the better if the meats are grilled at an asado, or Argentine-style barbecue.