Altos Las Hormigas winery was founded in 1995 by famed Tuscan winemaker Alberto Antonini and a fellow Italian entrepreneur Antonio Morescalchi, who started out with their mission to be the world’s first ‘Malbec specialist’ making old vine Malbec. They certainly became Malbec specialists with one of the most exciting terroir ranges made in Argentina today, but have also become a fascinating producer to follow for other exciting innovations with Bonarda, Cabernet Franc and Semillon among other varieties.

Today the minds behind Altos Las Hormigas also include another renowned Tuscan winemaker, Attilio Pagli, and terroir specialist Pedro Parra. The vineyards have expanded from their traditional Luján de Cuyo terroir to select micro terroirs in the Uco Valley with emphasis on Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira.

Their fascinating Paraje Altamira vineyard is one of the world’s first vineyards to be planted purely based on soil parcels and terroir units with an irregular vineyard formation.

 

 

About Altos Las Hormigas

Altos Las Hormigas makes an exceptional range of good value Malbec, red blends and white Semillon in Uco and Luján de Cuyo under the hand of young winemaker Federico Gambetta. Over recent years the focus has increasingly been on single-vineyard wines and terroir-specific expressions of Malbec with a key focus on their newly planted vineyard in Paraje Altamira as well as Gualtallary in the Uco Valley.

Altos Las Hormigas’ vineyards and winery are certified as organic since 2012, work largely biodynamically in the vineyard, and in 2021 they’ve adopted the sustainability protocol from Bodegas de Argentina.

The same team also makes Bonarda wines with their sister-label, Colonia Las Liebres.

 

About the Altos Las Hormigas vineyards

Altos Las Hormigas has two vineyards: Finca Altos Las hormigas located in Luján de Cuyo and Jardin de Hormigas located in Paraje Altamira in Valle de Uco, and also has a vineyard on lease in Gualtallary:

FINCA ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS

Finca Altos Las Hormigas in Luján de Cuyo is at about 800 meters (2,600 ft.) above sea level. The Estate has 206 hectares of which 40 hectares are planted with Malbec and 5.6 hectares with Bonarda and in 2021 they added Cabernet Franc. The soil is characterized for being low in clay and having calcium carbonate on some of the plots.

 

JARDIN DE HORMIGAS

Jardin de Hormigas in Valle de Uco is at around 1,105 meters above sea level in the renowned region of Paraje Altamira. The vineyard was conceived with the concept of biodiversity in mind, developed to highlight terroir in its purest form, and organized in small plots by terroir units. Within the vineyard, 60% of the land has vines and all the plots are interspersed with native flora, to break the monoculture and invite all wild species to populate the area. Jardin de Hormigas is planted with vines of Malbec, Semillon, and Bonarda.

 

Besides growing their own grapes on these estates, Altos Las Hormigas also leases a Malbec vineyard in Gualtallary, and also buys small amounts of Cabernet Franc from Alto Agrelo and white grape varieties from different vineyards in the Uco Valley.

 

Exploring Jardin de Hormigas in Altamira with winemaker Federico Gambetta

 

 

Altos Las Hormigas wines

Altos Las Hormigas produces a large range of wines (including their Colonia Las Liebres) which all focus on freshness and purity of place.

MALBEC CLASICO, ALH BLANCO, ALH TINTO, LA DANZA

These easy-drinking wines are varietal and blended wines that reflect the terroir of Mendoza as a whole. Within this line there is a Malbec, a blend of Malbec, Bonarda, and Semillon grapes, and a blend of Semillon, Pedro Gimenez, and Chenin Blanc.

TERROIR

The Terroir line includes a Malbec from Luján de Cuyo and a Malbec from Valle de Uco. The Malbec Terroir Luján de Cuyo comes from an organic vineyard with limestone soils and seeks to show a different expression of the traditional Luján de Cuyo, while the Malbec Terroir Valle de Uco is a fresh Uco Valley Malbec which aims to reflect the altitude of the Andes mountains.

MICRO TERROIR

The Micro Terroir line is one of the most exciting terroir Malbec lines you can taste in Argentina with vibrant expression of each region where both have high proportions of calcareous soils. The Malbec Appellation Gualtallary is a very energetic wine showing the firm tannin and vibrant acidity typical of the region, and Malbec Appellation Paraje Altamira offers a chalky tannin and lifting floral notes typical of this cool, mountain region. The range also includes the Malbec Reserve, a blend of Malbec grapes from Paraje Altamira and Gualtallary.

JARDIN DE HORMIGAS

This is the thrilling new line from their long-awaited vineyard planted in Paraje Altamira. It includes the ethereal and elegant Los Amantes, their top ‘cru’ wine which is one of the finest Malbecs in Argentina to date. It also includes the deliciously inviting and mineral-laden Meteora, from a different select plot in the vineyard. Production is limited for now, but they are well worth the hunt.

COLONIA LAS LIEBRES

Colonia Las Liebres is a really playful and interesting line which has expanded beyond the traditional Bonarda wines it originally focused on. Today within the Colonia Las Liebres there is their classic Bonarda as well as sparkling brut rosé Bonarda (made in a traditional method) and a Pet Nat method Brusca sparkling Bonarda rosé. The range also includes a Cabernet Franc.

You can watch our video with winemaker Federico on the development of Brusca.

 

About the winemakers

ALBERTO ANTONINI

Alberto Antonini is one of the world’s most sought-after consultant winemakers. Within his impressive resume includes time as chief winemaker at Italian winery Antinori and has been a consultant at many wineries around the world ranging from Armenia to Uruguay. He has been specialising in making Malbec for over 25 years.

ATTILIO PAGLI

Attilio is one of Italy’s most renowned winemakers with great experience in Tuscany and worldwide as a consultant winemaker. Attilio first arrived in Mendoza as a consultant to make Sangiovese wines in 1993 fell in love with the old vines of Malbec instead. He has been one of the founding members of Altos las Hormigas making the wines with Alberto Antonini since the first vintages.

FEDERICO GAMBETTA

Federico is from Mendoza and comes from a family with a strong winemaking tradition. He studied agronomy at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo while he participated in a study done by the INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria) on the effects of climate change on Malbec. Prior to joining Altos Las Hormigas, Federico worked at Catena Zapata and was in charge of the winemaking at Bodega CARO.

 

Video on Jardin de Hormigas in Valle de Uco

Altos Las Hormigas is not currently open for tourism.