Carmela Guarda Malbec
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, slow-roasted lamb shank, or rich beef empanadas.
✨ Technical Specifications
Named in honor of Carmela, the mother of winemaking brothers Héctor and Pablo Durigutti, Carmela Guarda Selection de Viñedos Malbec is a heartfelt tribute to family heritage and the historic terroirs of Mendoza. Sourced from select old-vine parcels in Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo—a region celebrated for its clay-loam soils and high-altitude cool nights—this wine undergoes meticulous concrete vat fermentation using native yeasts before aging in French oak. It represents the pinnacle of the brothers' commitment to expressive, minimal-intervention winemaking, capturing the deep, dark fruit character, refined floral notes, and elegant mineral backbone characteristic of traditional Luján de Cuyo Malbec.
🍾 About the Producer
Durigutti Family Winemakers was established in 2002 by winemaking brothers Héctor and Pablo Durigutti, who sought to champion Argentina's heritage terroirs through precise, artisanal winemaking. Their viticultural base centers on Finca Victoria in Las Compuertas, a historic high-altitude appellation within Luján de Cuyo perched above 1,000 meters along the Mendoza River. Here, ancient alluvial soils rich in silt, gravel, and limestone combine with intense Andean sunshine and marked diurnal shifts, creating optimal conditions for certified organic viticulture. Rejecting heavy-handed intervention, the Durigutti brothers emphasize spontaneous native yeast fermentations, concrete vats, ceramic amphorae, and judicious oak aging to preserve varietal clarity and site transparency. Their portfolio reflects an extraordinary stylistic breadth, anchored by the benchmark Proyecto Las Compuertas Malbec and the icon cuvée Esencia, alongside heritage recovery projects such as Cara Sucia and terroir-driven expressions from regional outposts across Mendoza and San Juan.
🍇 Grapes
Malbec