Fuego Blanco Valle del Silex Flintstone Malbec Valle del Pedernal San Juan, 2018

A knock-out wine and an immediate Coup de Cœur. This is a full-bodied Malbec with aromas of black olive, dark fruits, vanilla, toast, plums and herbs. A grassy herbal character on the palate is complemented by plummy fruits. Pedernal is the word for “flint” in Spanish, and the valley nestled in the foothills of the Andes, glacial in origin, is littered with flat calcareous stones and rocks. The climate is dry and sunny with high thermal diurnal shifts and scarce rainfall. Malbec was fermented and matured in a combination of egg-shaped concrete tanks and 500-litre French oak barrels.