Balasto is one of the most sought-after wines from South America. Only made in the best years, its name is derived from the type of soil found at the estate, formed of decomposed granite with excellent drainage. The blend is composed of four varieties: Tannat, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Marselan. The wine, which spends 20 months ageing in untoasted French oak, has great structure and complexity. On the nose, this wine is rich with complex aromas of fresh red and black fruits, liquorice, spice and a hint of tobacco. Textural, full bodied and very elegant, the fruit is framed by juicy, vibrant tannins resulting in a wine of real vitality and expression.
At a staggering 3,111 metres above sea level, the ‘Altura Máxima’ vineyard is one of the world’s highest and represents viticulture at its most extreme. Despite Hess being labelled “loco” (mad) by many for even contemplating such a feat, he acquired the land and planted there in 2004. The team created a dirt track through the wild and remote scrubland to reach the previously inaccessible vineyard. The extreme conditions proved too challenging in the early years, but fortune favoured the brave, and in 2012 they proved that the impossible was possible and released their first ‘Altura Máxima’ Malbec, a powerfully aromatic and intense wine, that is, in Tim Atkin’s words “one of the great wines of the world”.