2022 Tintonegro Finca Escuela | Argentina Malbec

TintoNegro (meaning "black wine," named for the concentrated dark color of high-altitude Argentine Malbec) was founded by Alejandro Sejanovich (former Vineyard Director at Bodega Catena Zapata) and Jeff Mausbach (former Wine Education Director at Catena Zapata).

The winemaking philosophy for TintoNegro Finca La Escuela Malbec revolves around precision viticulture, low-intervention techniques, and soil-specific micro-vinification.

Finca La Escuela contains four distinct soil profiles—Silt, Sand, Gravel, and Calcareous Stone. Each soil profile ripens at slightly different rates and imparts different traits:Silt & Sand: Provide high-toned floral aromatics, red fruit notes, and soft texture.Gravel & Calcareous Stone: Provide chalky tannin structure, mineral drive, and dark fruit concentration.

Rather than picking and fermenting all blocks separately to blend at the end, selected parcels from different soil profiles are harvested on the same days and co-fermented. Co-fermentation integrates the floral aromatics of the sandy blocks directly with the structural tannins of the limestone blocks.

Hand-harvested in small 12 kg (26 lb) plastic lugs to ensure berries arrive at the winery intact without premature crushing.

A pre-fermentation cold maceration for 4 to 6 days at cool temperatures extracts bright fresh fruit flavors, deep purple color, and floral aromas without harsh tannins.

Fermentation relies primarily on ambient wild yeasts present on the grape skins and in the winery environment, enhancing complexity and regional identity. Conducted in small concrete vats and open-top tanks at controlled temperatures to preserve primary aromatics. Manual punch-downs (pigeage) and light pump-overs (remontage) are performed carefully to avoid over-extracting bitter tannins from grape seeds.

Wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. 

Low to moderate, typically around 15% to 20% new French oak, with the remaining 80–85% aged in second and third-use oak. This allows subtle spice and structural frame without masking the underlying minerality.

Malolactic Fermentation occurs naturally in barrel, softening malic acidity into smooth lactic texture while preserving the wine's vibrant backbone. Wine is bottled with minimal intervention to preserve textural richness and natural fine-grained chalky tannins.