2024 Bastardo, Old Vines From Patagonia, Matias Riccitelli

Patagonia in Silk

Bright, lifted and quietly intriguing, this is one of those reds that wins you over through finesse rather than force. Wild strawberry, sour cherry and redcurrant rise first, followed by rose petal, dried herbs and a soft earthy spice that gives the wine its shape. The palate is supple and finely drawn, with juicy red fruit, a savoury edge and a light, silken texture that keeps everything nimble and alive. There is freshness everywhere here, but also just enough depth beneath it, making the wine feel distinctive, graceful and wonderfully drinkable. Bastardo is the local name for Trousseau, a variety originally associated with the Jura, and in Patagonia, it takes on a beautifully airy, finely tuned expression.

For when: the food is simple, the company is good, and the red needs brightness rather than weight.
Pairs with: charcuterie, roast chicken, grilled mushrooms, or tuna with a little smoke from the grill.
If this wine were a place: a cool Patagonian evening, with dusty light, wide skies, and the wind just beginning to rise.

The real hook here is the vineyard story. This wine comes from ungrafted old vines planted in the late 1960s in Allen and Ingeniero Huergo in Río Negro, so these are genuine old Patagonian vines rooted in loamy soils and worked agroecologically. In the cellar, Riccitelli uses a mix of whole bunches and destemmed fruit, ferments in small oak vats without additions, then ages the wine for eight months in French oak, all of which helps explain its lovely combination of perfume, savoury detail and quiet structure.