Happy World Cup Finals!

If you’re a fan of Argentina, this wine will have you chanting: I can, you can, we Kaiken!!

And at $59 we absolutely CAN!! 50% OFF for the man that put South America on the map for uber luxury premium wines!

A WHOPPING 98 POINTS from James Suckling and four separate 95-pointers from Tim Atkin MW, Vinous, Falstaff, and Descorchados. TWO of those critics called it the best Mai ever made. And we have it at HALF OFF.

And here’s the fairytale.

Kaiken is named after the Caiquén, the wild Patagonian goose that migrates every year between Argentina and Chile. Aurelio Montes Sr. made that same crossing himself in 2001. A goose Honking mad idea at the time.

But wait…. Back up…., because before Argentina, Montes Sr. did something in Chile that everyone said was equally insane.

Aurelio Montes Sr. (winemaker) said “It felt like we were surfers. We could see this perfect wave, but no one else was on the board ready to surf it.”

He planted on impossible steep hillside slopes in Apalta, made luxury wine nobody thought Chile could make, and proved everyone wrong. Montes Alpha M made Wine Spectator Top 100. Montes Folly also made James Suckling Top 100 A hectare of Apalta land cost $1,000 when they planted. Today it costs $100,000 per hectare

He opened that door in Chile. Then he crossed the Andes and did it again in Argentina.

France had Malbec first, but then a louse got to it. Go back to 1853 when the original French Malbec cuttings arrived in Argentina, before phylloxera destroyed it in France. Argentina was never infected. So when these vines were planted in 1910, they went into the ground on their own ungrafted roots, from a clean genetic lineage that France had already lost.

Some say Argentina has the oldest Malbec in the world. We know there is probably some random farmer somewhere in Europe with old vine Malbec too, so we are just gonna let that claim float.

Following Montes Sr. into Argentina came the late Michel Rolland with Clos de los Siete, the Rothschild family with Bodegas Caro and Flechas de los Andes, Paul Hobbs with Viña Cobos, Masi with Masi Tupungato, and a flood of French estates. Serious money. Serious wine.

Serious indeed….

98 pts - James Suckling, 95 pts- Tim Atkin, Master of Wine, 95 pts- Vinous, 95 pts- Falstaff, 95pts - Deschorchados (full score copy at bottom of offer) ..PLUS

The Sommelier Choice Awards called Kaiken’s entire 2021 lineup “complex, inviting and delicious” and handed them New World Producer of the Year.

And Aurelio Montes Jr. on his father?..“You can study winemaking anywhere, but passion can’t be taught. My father is the best example of living a passionate life with wine.”

His passion…shows! This wine is freakin’ deliciousness in your glass. Nearly opaque garnet. Pull the cork and walk away for 30 minutes. When you come back, dark roasted spice and old vine earth are waiting. Inky black plum builds underneath. A thread of dried wildflower floats through unexpectedly. On the palate, it is rich and structured, concentrated blackberry and velvety tannins with real grip, bright acidity weighing in keeping everything lively. Super TASTY stuff! Not to steal from another critics well known “Cellar Selection”..but when it fits it fits…this wine is definitely one you can cellar!

110-year-old ungrafted vines. Pre-phylloxera genetics at $59. The goose crossed the Andes, landed and found home. Only 1200 cases made and only 300 cases imported.

Critc’s Reviews:

98 Points - James Suckling - ”This is one of the best Mai wines I have ever tasted, with blackberry, mineral, bark, spice and coffee bean character. It’s medium- to full-bodied with fine linear tannins that run the length of the wine. Racy and energetic. From vineyards over 100 years old. Real old vine wine. Drink or hold.”

95 Points - Tim Atkin, Master of Wine - ”For my money, this is the best release yet of Mai, sourced from 103-year-old vines in Vistalba with a little extra backbone from Los Chacayes. Curated in 50% new French oak, it has enticing liquorice and coffee bean aromas, rich, muscular tannins, layers of bramble, blackberry and fig and the backbone and acidity to age well.”

95 Points - Vinous - ”The 2021 Malbec Mai, crafted from vines in Vistalba, Luján de Cuyo, was aged for 18 months in barrel. This edition represents a stylistic shift, which is heightened by a vintage that lent nuance. The 2021 begins with cedar notes and quickly develops into fresh plum, white pepper and violet. Broad, creamy and concentrated, its velvety tannins capture the essence of Vistalba.”

95 Points - Falstaff - ”Deep dark garnet, opaque, purple reflections. Delicate hints of caramel and eucalyptus, nougat, ripe plums, some vanilla; a multi-faceted, inviting bouquet. Juicy, deep Malbec style, chocolatey and spicy, lingers, shows length and certain ageing potential, will benefit from a few years. From 110-year-old vines in the Primera Zona.”

95 Points - Deschorchados - ”This new version of Mai, the winery’s icon wine, comes loaded with intense flavors of black fruits, a succulent body that fills the mouth, and a sweetness that surrounds the palate and projects outward to the finish. It is good to think of this wine as a red wine for aging, to wait for it and see how it gains complexity in the bottle. Mai’s first vintage was the 2007 and comes from a selection of 7 hectares in Vistalba, next to the Kaiken winery. These are very old vineyards and among the few that still remain in an area that has been devastated by real estate pressure.”