Vallisto Extremo Viejas Blancas

With a good number of Vallisto vintages now under his belt, Pancho is pushing the envelope as much as any winemaker we know of, particularly in the context of Salta. Traditionally home to mainly hefty, inky, ‘big’ wines, Pancho is making delicate aromatic wines with beautiful poise and freshness, and an elegance rarely seen from this region with vineyards amongst the highest in the world. He is also a great believer in experimentation, never afraid to try and fail in the pursuit of something new and exciting, always with an eye on the amazing old vineyard heritage all around him.

A Vallisto is a person from the valley, specifically from Cafayate Valley. And this project is about expressing the virtues of the truly unique terroirs in and around this beautiful, remote area of Argentina. It is also a rescue mission, giving voice to long-forgotten vineyards and lesser-known grape varieties, pulling together a youthful, dynamic approach to winemaking and the kind of natural resources that take millennia to form. Pancho and his team are creating exciting, rare gems, often from very old vines and they are crafting modern, elegant wines that are light on extraction and big on flavour and complexity.

Riesling, Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc

The fruit for this highly quirky and delicious white is directly pressed into old 500 litre barrels and fermented there with only airborne wild yeasts, using dry ice to keep the juice cool throughout. No nutrients added and no acidity correction. A blend of Riesling, Ugni Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc vines more than 70 years old grown on decomposed granite soils, the wine spends 12 months in stainless steel before release, only a couple of thousand bottles produced.

This wine is not so much dry as it is arid! And perhaps one of the few wines anywhere that noses distinctly of rhubarb, in a nice way. This is super lean, ultra vertical, highly quirky and utterly delicious. Be prepared for a heavy dose of tartaric crystal in the bottom of the bottle due to lack of filtration.

This is a great pairing for fatty fish or salads in the garden.