It is the most expensive wine by the glass in Argentina—$1000 for a minimal amount—but this is not the most remarkable aspect of this Malbec, which can only be enjoyed in Mendoza. Perhaps it is the oldest Malbec currently available to consumers who wish to savor a wine that is over a century old and has much to reveal about Argentine’s flagship grape variety.
The wine in question is a 1912 Malbec from the Luigi Bosca winery, available by the glass at Finca El Paraiso, the family estate of the Arizu family in Maipú, Mendoza, which has been open to the public for a few years. The wine is served in the underground cellar, where the 10 bottles from the family collection are available to be enjoyed by the glass. Another 40 bottles of the 1912 Malbec will remain in the Arizu collection.
We spoke with Alberto Arizu Jr., the fourth generation of the Mendoza winery, who shared the story of this marvelous wine with us.
What do we know about this wine?
“It is a Malbec from the year 1912. The grapes came from a vineyard we had in what is now the center of Mayor Drummond in Luján de Cuyo. The wine has concentrated residual sugar, possibly due to incomplete fermentation, as the grapes may have entered the winery later, around mid-April, when it was colder than today. This sugar has acted as a preservative for this wine, allowing it to retain its essence and its sweet, smooth, and persistent heart, which is quite incredible for a wine over 100 years old. Of course, the character of the variety is overshadowed by its fantastic evolution.
The marvel of having so much history in a bottle leads us to imagine that these grapes were perhaps harvested around the date when the Titanic sank, April 14, 1912. It is the only wine we have vinified by my great-grandfather, Don Leoncio Arizu.”
Where have the bottles been all these years?
“The bottles belong to a family collection that has been passed down from parents to children. In this case, they are part of my father’s private collection and have been preserved by him since he inherited them from my grandfather.”
Why was the decision made to offer some bottles for public tasting?
“Recently, we decided to transfer only a few of these bottles to treasure in the cellar of our house at Finca El Paraíso, a Renaissance-style mansion built in 1905 and which was the home of my family for four generations. Two years ago, we opened the doors of this chateau to welcome visitors from all over the world and offer a Luigi Bosca wine experience, accompanied by history, art, music, and excellent gastronomy. Recently, Finca El Paraíso became part of the Best Vineyards of the World.”
What is the measure of the glass served?
“The idea was to exhibit these bottles, and at the request of some special visitors who truly wanted to taste it, we decided to do so. It is only meant to be tasted, so the glass is only a very small measure.”
