James Suckling 90
A relatively subtle nose in spite of the ripeness. Moderately rich, with a long, quite dry finish that makes it feel a little less powerful than it really is.

Wine Spectator 90
A sanguine red, with notes of hot stone to the raspberry, dried cherry and floral flavors. The savory finish has some minerally accents. Drink now through 2021.

Vintage
The forecast of the 2016 vintage was set to be similar to the cool, rainy 2015 vintage. With this in mind, the winery plucked leaves not only on the east facing but also on the west facing canopy to ensure good airflow in face of cool rains. In reality, the intermittent rains stopped in January and the dry February and March saw phenolic ripeness achieved. The vintage is expresses itself in high acidity, lower than normal alcohol and fresh flavors.

Estate
Within a few vintages, Finca Decero has become recognized not only for having one of the highest quality vineyards in all of Mendoza, but also for catapulting into an elite group of the most highly regarded producers in Argentina. Once a desolate piece of land in the foothills of the Andes, absent of everything but shrubs, Finca Decero is now a one-of-a-kind vineyard where each vine is nurtured by hand and the winemaking is without compromise.

Vineyard
All fruit is sourced from the estate's Remolinos Vineyard, which at 3,500 feet, is the highest vineyard in Agrelo, characterized by sandy clay loams over gravels. Yields are around 3.5-4 tons an acre. Clusters are handpicked and thinned to 1-2 clusters per shoot.

Vinification
The clusters are selected on a sorting table prior to destemming, and individual berries are selected on a sorting table after destemming. The must underwent a 5-7 day cold soak, followed by 10 days of fermentation in small wide stainless steel tanks (at lower temperatures for aromatic parcels, 78 degrees versus 86 degrees for parcels with greater concentration) and finally a 15-18 day extended maceration period. The wine was gently basket pressed before going into French oak barrels (30% new) for malolactic fermentation and 14 months maturation. 10% of the wine remains in the tank to preserve the delicate violet aromatics.

Wine
A core intensity of red fruit flavors and lifted violet aromas remain the signature of Malbec from the estate’s Remolinos Vineyard. This is exquisitely balanced by freshness of acidity and an elegant integration of French oak which adds complexity to the rich mid palate of this vintage.