From the 3rd highest vineyard in the world...now available in the USA...
The 8,950 ft. Malbec
From Argentina’s “Valley at The Edge of the World”
$43 $22.99 (plus shipping 50% off)
...Extreme Altitude
...High UV Exposure (80% Higher Than Bordeaux)
...Unfiltered
...10X Resveratrol Levels
...Wild Yeast
...Notes of Blackberry, Leather, Cherry, Smoke
...Pairs with BBQ, Steak, Ribs
...Limited/Rare Vintage
..."Top 8% of All Wines in the World" (Vivino)
...91 pts (2017 - Tim Atkin)
(2017 - Wine Searcher)
...Extreme Altitude
...High UV Exposure (80% Higher Than Bordeaux)
...Unfiltered
...10X Resveratrol Levels
...Wild Yeast
...Notes of Blackberry, Leather, Cherry, Smoke
...Pairs with BBQ, Steak, Ribs
...Limited/Rare Vintage
...Extreme Altitude
...High UV Exposure (80% Higher Than Bordeaux)
...Unfiltered
...10X Resveratrol Levels
..."Top 8% of All Wines in the World" (Vivino)
...91 pts (2017 - Tim Atkin)
(2017 - Wine Searcher)
From an extreme altitude vineyard in Argentina’s remote Calchaquí Valley, this rare malbec is coming to American shores for the first time. Not available anywhere else.
“Way out at what felt like the end of the earth, I found a family that had been making wine for 200 years... critics rave about this wine... but up until now it’s been impossible to find here in America.”
– Will Bonner, Founder, Bonner Private Wine Partnership
Wines from the Edge of the World
5,000 miles away... 10,000 feet above the world... caught between miles of desert and an impassible mountain range... you come to a place known as “the edge of the world.”
This is Argentina’s Calchaqui Valley.
...a place where cowboys slumber next to open campfires, their heads resting on saddle bags under the brightest stars you’ve ever seen.
...a place where the nearest city is six hours away across a vast desert...
...a place where, for 200 years now, a few small families have been making a dark malbec wine unlike anything else you’ve ever tasted.
“At first it can be intimidating – even worrying – as you venture farther and farther into the extreme isolation and dizzying altitudes of the Calchaquí Valley… But those feelings intensify your perception that you are living something rare… something special.”
Top International Winemaker Julien Miquel, AIWS
What Makes This Malbec So Special
If you’ve ever had malbec before, it was probably from Mendoza, roughly 500 miles to the south (like driving from Idaho to the California coast, without the highways).
Up at the extreme altitude vineyards of the Calchaqui, it’s a completely different type of terroir.
✓ Poor Soil (dry, dusty: excellent for grapes)
✓ Bad Weather (no rain, strong winds)
✓ Thin Atmosphere (breathing is hard work)
✓ Extreme UV levels (80% more intense than Bordeaux)
✓ Temperature drops as much as 77 degrees at night!
✓ Extreme Altitude (up to 8,950 ft.)
✓ Extreme Isolation (fewer pests require fewer chemicals)
Few vines could survive such conditions. But an old pre-1875 malbec varietal brought over in the 19th century thrives in the Calchaqui.
“At high altitudes...the [vine’s] metabolism changes and subtle differences become large changes in the wine.”
Fernando Buscema, Catena Wine Institute
An Old French Malbec Vine – Long Extinct in Europe
Over 150 years ago, early settlers brought over an old type of malbec from France. Only a decade or so later, it disappeared from Europe during a grape blight.
Today, northwestern Argentina is one of the few places where this old malbec – once known as “black wine” for its dark coloring – still grows.
(Interesting fact: the European wine industry as a whole only survived by replanting their vineyards with American root stocks. So next time you see a pricey bottle of French wine on the menu...you’ll know that it’s actually American.)
High in Longevity Nutrients, Low in Sugar and Additives
(plus the truth about resveratrol)
The extreme UV light and temperatures cause the grape skins to grow dark and thick – a tell-tale sign of high nutrient levels like longevity boosting resveratrol.
Here’s what we found when we had a certified lab test our extreme altitude malbec, Sunal Ilógico, against a common California red:
- ✓ 10 TIMES more resveratrol
- ✓ 93% less sugar
- ✓ 80% higher levels of anthocyanin (an antioxidant that lab and animal models suggest has a “anti-angiogenetic” effect, which is to say that it may inhibit tumor growth)
A Clean Winemaking Tradition 200 Years Old
Working in the shadow of the Andes Mountains, surrounded by miles of desert and wilderness, winemakers of the Calchaqui know to “let the land speak for itself.”
No Filtering: Unlike industrial winemakers, they do not filter their wines...
ZERO Extracts or Dyes: Nor do they resort to common tricks of the trade like “oak extract” (to imitate oak barrels) and “mega-purple dye” (to make the wine look more inky red)...
Wild Yeast: Instead of commercial yeast grown in a lab, extreme altitude winemakers prefer the wild yeast found in the Calchaqui Valley.
Low Intervention: Unlike wet regions like Bordeaux, the high and dry Calchaqui Valley has few pests to worry about. So no need to drench everything in chemicals.
The Longevity Effect of Resveratrol
According to David Sinclair, co-Director of Harvard’s Center for Aging, resveratrol’s true health benefit comes from activating “the sirtuin pathway.” The sirtuin pathway is thought to produce the powerful longevity and resilience effect associated with fasting in humans.
Blackberry, Smoke, and Leather
(perfect for steak, barbeque, and big holiday meals)
But what makes extreme altitude malbec so unique isn’t just the rare nutrient profile... it’s a tasting experience “as rugged and complex as the land itself”:
Common Notes: Blackberry, leather, dark cherry, smoke
For “Super Tasters”: Graphite and black olive
Plus a salivating mouthfeel that makes this wine perfect for steak, grilled sausage, Thanksgiving or Christmas meals (research shows that red wine actually makes red meat healthier)
“The untrod northwest region of Argentina...an up-and-coming wine region with old vines and new, critically acclaimed wines that are largely unavailable outside the country”
- The Wall Street Journal
Why Is Critically Acclaimed Malbec So Hard to Find in the US?
Critics like Robert Parker have given Calchaqui wines 90+ pts again and again.
Single bottles can go for as much as $550.
Yet, the small yield and isolation of extreme altitude vineyards means they are often ignored by large importers.
That’s why we’re making Sunal Ilógico – with grapes from the third highest vineyard in the world – finally available to Americans... along with two more 90+ pt Argentine malbecs.
Get Your Bottle of Sunal Ilógico (8,950 ft.) PLUS Two More Malbecs (90+ pts) from The Edge of the World... for 53% Off!
The 8,950 ft. Malbec
(91 pts)
From an extreme altitude vineyard in Argentina’s remote Calchaquí Valley, this rare malbec is coming to American shores for the first time. Not available anywhere else.
A Malbec from Argentina's "Sacred Valley"
From the ancient Incan valley of Famatina, comes this "work of art" malbec blend. Named after one of Argentina's most famous artists.
A 92 pt Malbec from Argentina’s Top Winemaker
The 'personal' malbec from Pepe Galante, Argentina's top winemaker (formerly of Catena). Only 4,000 cases made of this "vintage' 2016.
Your Bottle of Sunal Ilógico 2018
The isolated vineyard of Luracatao sits at 8,950 ft. above sea level, on a northerly slope completely surrounded by mountains.
The surrounding rocks soak up the heat, protecting the vines from freezing at night.
When winemaker Augustin Lanus first made wine from Luracatao, the wine’s inky red color actually managed to turn his stainless-steel vats bright red!
(The coloring is a tell-tale sign of high resveratrol levels. Estimates suggest levels in this wine may be up to 10 TIMES that of other wines.)
Augustin was also surprised to find notes that you don’t tend to find in other Malbecs – black olive, violet, graphite, and blackberry.
During a blind tasting with legendary wine curator, Joaquin Aberdi, Sunal came in N.1 in its category.
And critic Mariano Obrega named Sunal Illogico his “N. 1 of 2018,” noting its “freshness” and “pure intensity”
Sunal is a clean wine (high-altitude growing conditions require less chemicals than lower regions) with ZERO filtration and NATURAL fermentation. Aged in old French oak (no fake oak additives) for a year, followed by new French oak for another year.
(This wine is NOT available at your local supermarket or fine wine shop.)
Your Bottle of Colección Quinquela Bonarda Malbec 2017
The ancient Incan valley of Famatina is nestled between Salta and Mendoza. Here, the La Puerta winery produces a big, yet approachable wine by blending Malbec (60%), Syrah (23%), and Bonarda (17%) – the three strongest grapes for Argentina’s soil.
The result is an intense ruby red colour with burgundy reflections. Aromas of coffee, plum jam, ripe fruit, liquorice and cinnamon are intertwined with notes of vanilla and a touch of mint. On the palate it is soft, with a medium body and sweet tannins that give it a long and elegant finish.
Your Bottle of Puramun Reserva Malbec 2016 (92 pts)
In 2010, Argentina’s “most important winemaker” Pepe Galante walked away from the legendary Catena winery after 34 years at the helm. (Catena regularly gets 90+ points from critics).
As it turned out, he was leaving to do something special: to handcraft his first personal, 100% family-owned wine, Puramun. (Only 4,000 cases a year.)
The wine has received rave reviews from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (92 pts - 2015) and wine competition judge Tim Atkin (95 pts - 2014), who praised its “elegant…subtle spices, well integrated oak and silky, palate-caressing tannins.”
✅ Your Bottle of Sunal Ilógico Malbec 2018 (91 pts) - The Exclusive 8,950 ft. Malbec from Argentina’s Remote Calchaqui Valley
✅ Your Bottle of Colección Quinquela Bonarda Malbec 2017 - The Malbec from Argentina's "Sacred Valley"
✅ Your Bottle of Puramun Reserva Malbec 2016 (92 pts) - From Argentina's Top Winemaker
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About the Bonner Private Wine Partnership
Founded by Will Bonner, the Partnership is a group of around 2,500 wine lovers who come together to import great, small batch wines that might otherwise get overlooked by large importers.
No middle men. No additive-packed supermarket wines. No inflated costs.
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