Bodegas Krontiras 'Natural' Malbec

Bodegas Krontiras 'Natural' Malbec

Grapes — 100% Malbec

Region — Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina

Tasting Notes — Deep, inky purple with a vivid intensity. Dark blackberry, plum, and violet on the nose — aromatic and expressive, with warm spice and a whisper of earth underneath. The palate is dense and generous, with cascading dark fruit, ripe tannins, and a medium body that feels surprisingly fresh and direct for its depth. Zero oak, zero sulfur, zero manipulation: this is Malbec in its most honest and unguarded expression. As the producer puts it — a wild Malbec that transports you directly to the place they call home.

The Wine — 100% Malbec from the Villa Seca vineyard in Maipú — organically and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 2005, hand-harvested and double-sorted by cluster and grape before fermentation. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel with zero sulfur additions at any stage of vinification — a philosophy Krontiras has been quietly perfecting since 2015, when they began their first experiments with zero-sulfur winemaking. No oak, no additions, nothing hidden: just the natural expression of biodynamic Malbec from the high-altitude Andean foothills of Mendoza.

Farming — Certified organic since 2009 and certified biodynamic since 2012 — among the first wineries in Argentina to achieve biodynamic certification. Both the Maipú and Luján de Cuyo vineyards are farmed as complete living organisms: biodynamic preparations, cover crops, no synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and a winery building constructed using straw insulation and biodynamic geometric principles based on sacred geometry. A whole-system approach to farming that begins in the soil and never stops.

Winemaking — Hand harvested with a double selection — first by cluster, then by individual grape — to ensure only perfectly ripe, healthy fruit enters the cellar. Spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Zero sulfur additions at any stage of vinification — no additions at crush, no additions at bottling. Aged in stainless steel with no oak contact whatsoever. Vegan. The Natural Malbec is Krontiras' most radical and unguarded expression: nothing between you and the vineyard.

The Producer — Bodegas Krontiras was founded in 2004 by Silvina and Constantinos Krontiras — a Greek couple who arrived in Mendoza and were immediately struck by its resemblance to the landscapes of their native Greece: the same mountain light, the same dry heat, the same ancient relationship between rock and vine. They purchased an 80-year-old vineyard in the prestigious Perdriel sector of Luján de Cuyo and established a second estate in Maipú, converting both to organics in 2009 and achieving full biodynamic certification in 2012. Their winery was built using straw insulation and biodynamic sacred geometry principles — a building that farms as much as it produces. The Natural Malbec is the fullest expression of their conviction: that certified biodynamic farming combined with zero intervention in the cellar produces a wine of total authenticity, one that carries the specific character of their Andean terroir without interference or compromise.

Drink It With — Argentine asado, grilled short ribs, lamb chops, chimichurri-dressed skirt steak, aged Manchego, or any occasion where a bottle of honest, unmanipulated Malbec is the only thing on the agenda.