Altos las Hormigas, Malbec Clasico Mendoza, 2024 (375ml)

A fresh, fruit-forward Malbec in a handy half-bottle -- exactly the right pour for a weeknight dinner for two or a solo glass without opening a full bottle. Altos las Hormigas was founded in 1995 by winemaker Alberto Antonini and Antonio Morescalchi, who bet on Malbec as a terroir grape when everyone else was chasing Cabernet, and became pioneers of site-driven Argentine Malbec. The Clasico is their everyday cuvee: 100% Malbec from Mendoza's high-desert vineyards at the foot of the Andes, fermented in stainless and raised in concrete to keep it lively rather than oaky. This is Malbec built for pleasure, not power.