2022 Mendel Unus Red Blend Mendoza

Bodega Mendel is a boutique winery in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, founded by the Sielecki family and built around blocks of old-vine fruit in the heart of Argentina's most historic growing zone. Mendel made its name early on as a small-production house focused on serious, age-worthy reds expressing Mendoza terroir rather than chasing volume.

The wine is made by Roberto de la Mota, Mendel's winemaker and partner and one of the most influential figures in Argentine wine. He grew up in the cellar alongside his father, the legendary 20th-century winemaker Raúl de la Mota, and trained in France at Montpellier, where he was mentored by the renowned enologist Émile Peynaud. Before Mendel, de la Mota co-created Cheval des Andes — the celebrated joint venture between Terrazas de los Andes and Bordeaux's Château Cheval Blanc — and has served as president of the DOC Luján de Cuyo. He was recognized as Winemaker of the Year in 2026 by Descorchados.

Unus is the flagship: a small-batch blend pulled from the best lots of the original 1928 vineyard and Perdriel. The mix is 65% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot — manual berry selection, fermentation in small tanks with hand punch-downs, 25 days on the skins, then 16 months in French oak. Jancis Robinson calls it "an exceptional Argentine red" and "a world classic." James Suckling named it Wine of the Year in 2022.

The 2022 shows dark cherries, plums, blackberries, and cassis, layered with pink peppercorn, cedarwood, tobacco, and chocolate. The palate is meaty and mouth-filling, with ripe, soft tannins and the structure to cellar comfortably for a decade or longer.