Argentina has a habit of producing Malbec that arrives like a large friendly dog crashing through the door. Big fruit, plenty of warmth, lots of confidence. Man Meets Mountain takes a slightly calmer approach, focusing more on freshness and balance without losing the generosity that makes Argentinian wine so appealing in the first place.

Produced in Mendoza at the foothills of the Andes, the wine benefits from one of the world’s genuinely ideal grape-growing regions. High altitude vineyards mean warm sunny days followed by dramatically cooler nights, which helps preserve acidity and aromatics while still giving proper ripeness. The result tends to be richer than the South African version, but still relatively lifted compared to heavier international Malbec styles.

The wine itself usually shows blackberry, plum, violets and soft cocoa notes with smoother tannins and a slightly more savoury edge than people often expect. There’s fruit, obviously, but it doesn’t feel overworked or heavily oaked. More grilled meat and open fire than liquid chocolate cake.

What works nicely with modern Argentinian Malbec generally is that producers have backed away from pure power over the last decade or so. Better vineyard management, cooler sites and more restrained winemaking have brought freshness back into the category. Wines like this benefit massively from that shift.

Mendoza itself shapes everything here too. Dry mountain climate, meltwater irrigation from the Andes and vineyards planted at serious altitude all contribute to wines with both concentration and structure. There’s a reason Malbec settled here so successfully after leaving France. The grape clearly enjoys dramatic scenery.

This is exactly the sort of red that works when food gets slightly smoky and conversations start getting louder. Steak obviously works, but so does barbecue, roast vegetables or simply sitting outside pretending it’s warmer than it is.