Domingo Molina Petit Verdot 2018

The financial advisor in your life may regularly implore you to diversify. "It's all going well now," they declare, "but what if a solar flare blinds the entire globe and we evolve to perceive space with ultrasound, like bat people? What will happen to your sunglasses hut then? You should buy a lantern company, that way even if the sun explodes, you'll still be in the black... Or some light or whatever," they riff.

Argentina has wisely been acting on similar advice; while everyone loves Argentinian Malbec (as well they should, it's delicious) many producers have been trying to raise the profile of other grapes that perform superbly in this climate. Petit Verdot is the grape currently causing the biggest stir, and it's easy to see why when sampling this wine from Domingo Molina. Big and uncompromising, yet with velvety tannins, giving a wonderful mouthfeel which carries succulently rich flavours of dark plums, blackberries, menthol, vanilla and caramel lifted by a balanced acidity.
Domingo Hermanos is a family enterprise unique for the area of Cafayate, Salta, Argentina, in the sense that its owners are natives and continue to make Cafayate their home. The company was founded in the 1960s when Palo and his brother Martin acquired a piece of land in Cafayate (1,700 metres high) and Yacochuya (2,000 m high). Today, Domingo Hermanos owns 90 hectares of fine grape vineyards in this prime location, cultivating mainly Torrontés, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 2000, Jorge Martinez came on board with the vision of producing a range of premium wines that reflect the characteristics of their high-altitude vineyards. The family believed in the project and invested in the plantation of vineyards at Quebrada de las Flechas, a spectacular valley at 2,300 metres which can only be accessed through the dry path of a river. Today, their ranges Finca de Domingo & Domingo Hermanos (from Cafayate) are highly regarded around the world as one of the most terroir oriented wines in the region.