Cellar for up to 10 years. No need to decant before serving. Francois Lurton comes from a long line and a big family of Bordeaux winemakers, so perhaps it was only natural that he would want to make his own mark in the wilds of South America. In 1996 Francois and his brother bought around 200 acres of land in Mendoza’s Uco Valley at the foot of the mighty Andes Mountains. Back then many thought the brothers were a little crazy since the valley was regarded as barren land unsuited to agriculture. Today of course the Uco Valley is recognised as one of Mendoza’s top sub-regions thanks to the high altitude vineyards and poor alluvial soils which force the vines to dig deep for nutrients. These conditions help create intense yet perfectly balanced wines like this Gran Malbec. It’s crafted from fruit harvested at optimum ripeness which is given a seven week maceration in the winery to extract all of the beautiful flavours and plenty of colour from the grape skins. Following vinification in used barrels the young wine is aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. This adds extra complexity and gentle spice and toast notes to the luscious dark plums, cherries and cassis notes. Silky smooth on the palate with a medium body and ample fruit flavours, this is a great wine to pair with hearty red meat dishes like steak, roast beef, or even smoky barbecued ribs.