Bodega Melipal

The Aristi family have been farmers in the area for generations, but a dream to be more in contact with the end consumers of their labours, led them to the wine industry in 2002 when they started Melipal in the Agrelo district – for many, Mendoza’s finest. The vineyard around the winery is 62 hectares in size and planted with Malbec and other Bordeaux varietals. In 2004, they were lucky enough to buy 25 hectares of the nearby Nazarenas vineyard, which consists of Malbec planted in 1923, representing one of the oldest bits of vine growing legacy in Argentina. Yields from here are very low and as well as contributing to the ‘house’ Malbec, the finest lots are bottled as a single vineyard wine. All the vineyards are located within a kilometre of the state-of-the-art winery, allowing for fruit harvested in the cool early hours to be brought in in perfect conditions. A family tragedy in 2017 led to the family’s decision to sell the winery to world famous Achaval-Ferrer in 2019. Although the two brands will continue to operate separately, this has brought an even greater expertise into the property and bodes well for its future.