Terrazas de los Andes was a pioneer of Gualtallary. Although the region has gone on to become one of the most famed of Mendoza’s Uco Valley, when winemaker Hervé Birnie-Scott first planted here in 1993 everyone called him the ‘loco Francés’ for planting at such altitudes and in such a cool climate. The rest is, of course, history and Terrazas de los Andes’ original Caicayén vineyard (planted at 1,200 m.a.s.l..) is now surrounded by renowned vineyards as Gualtallary has stepped into the limelight as one of the top terroirs of the Uco Valley. 

However, the exploration of the Terrazas de los Andes team doesn’t stop there. In the last decade, Hervé Birnie-Scott has accrued many high altitude vineyards for the winery in order to show the different altitudes – or Terrazas – of the Andes. One of the most extreme is their El Espinillo vineyard, planted at 1,650 m.a.s.l.. and now the highest vineyard in Gualtallary.

As winemaker Marcos Fernandez and Hervé explain in this video, this is a unique place with a very distinctive cool climate Malbec expression. “Some vintages we are Winkler I here,” explains Marcos, “we are at the very limit of ripening Malbec. But the Malbec we get is incredible because it really expresses the mountain terroir and place: with notes of wild thyme and herbs.”

Hervé Birnie-Scott and Marcos Fernandez on El Espinillo and pioneering Gualtallary

The wines certainly do express a unique mountain climate, and I was lucky enough to get to do a vertical tasting with Hervé and Marcos from 2017 until 2021:

Vertical tasting of Parcel El Espinillo Malbec Terrazas de los Andes

Parcel El Espinillo Malbec 2017

I’d more likely assume this is a cool climate Northern Rhone Syrah than a Mendoza Malbec in a blind tasting… with a dark graphite note, meatiness, mountain herbs and dark fresh black fruit notes, it shows great complexity aromatically but has lovely freshness and finesse to the palate. Showing really nicely and boldly presenting itself as a cool climate Malbec with some structure from oak ageing.

Parcel El Espinillo Malbec 2018

This vintage also shows some of the same inkiness of 2017 but is more driven by dark fruit and some spice. There’s good length to the finish and that trademark fresh acidity with notes of wild thyme on the end. 2018 is often seen as one of the top vintages of Mendoza, and this shows good potential with balanced freshness too.

Parcel El Espinillo Malbec 2019

In this vintage we begin to see a shift in winemaking, pushing away from new oak in favour of more neutral oak. And the fruit of the wine sings for this reason – with fresh cassis fruit and a juicy, crunchy finish. There’s a touch of white pepper in the nose and that trademark mountain freshness with some herbal lift.

Parcel El Espinillo Malbec 2020

Although this was a warmer vintage with warmer notes of plum creeping through, this is very much a vintage that shows how the Terrazas de los Andes approach to El Espinillo has shifted. Moving towards early harvests when the grapes are ‘al dente’ and with a gentle approach in the cellar, this is fragrant and bright. “In 2020 I think we see a good dialogue between Malbec and the place”, adds Hervé.

Parcel El Espinillo Malbec 2021

Spoiler alert… I only tasted samples from the winery for the potential blend, but it seems as though Terrazas de los Andes will be leaning into the fresher mountain expression of El Espinillo and I’m very excited to see this vintage come to light. Watch this space!