Ok ok ok… you want a serious Malbec, we got you.

The last time we caught Mendoza Malbec under $25 that was this good? Way way back in 2023!!!

Good Malbec is easy to find for cheap. But really, truly GREAT ones? Rare* - especially those when they drink like something 3x the price.

Don’t let the cutesy cat theme fool you. These wines are about four good friends coming together for this cool project: Gabriel Bloise, Facundo Bonamaizon, Mariana Salas, and Juan Pelizzatti.

They form the team behind Chakana wines. This well-known Argentina producer turns loose “fabulous bargains in Malbec” per Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Per British trade publication The Buyer Chakana and 4 Gatos Locos winemaker Gabriel Bloise “has led the mission to improve the soils of his estate through biodynamics and also testing the waters with what is achievable in his bold portfolio of wines” - what’s in the glass is a shining example of boldness.

In the glass it’s serious stuff - deep magenta and POPPING with beautifully fresh and ripe aromatics of that trademark red plum that defines Malbec.

It opens with fresh red fruit notes of cherry and plum, interwoven with delicate spices, mint, lavender, and redolent violets. Creamy and juicy, with ample structure, and soft, sweet tannins to guide it along. The smooth mouthfeel contrasts with the creaminess and finishes with refreshing clarity. A complex and pure Malbec that’s long and packed with a lot more flavor than one would expect at its humble price point.

Especially at HALF OFF down to $25!

If you’re a Malbec fan, you’ll recognize the appellation. Per Vinous, “Gualtallary is the highest region in the Uco Valley, wrapped like a horseshoe around one mountain and towered over on all sides by more… If you’re looking for reds with a raw, primary character and good acidity, head to the higher vineyards in Gualtallary… In-depth studies of the terroir have allowed for the identification and classification of several different regions, and it’s the most complex and promising of them all.”

Oh, and “Alto” Gualtallary is a much newer initiative to further classify the highest subregion within, so these four felines are way ahead of their time in over delivering THAT PROMISE.

While it lasts…

92 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “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. Drink 2022-2027.”