Kaiken Ultra Merlot 2022
£14.75
The wine
Intense, brilliant ruby red, with pronounced cassis and red berry aromas.
Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet, which makes it the more reliable partner at altitude, and it comes out plumper and softer in Mendoza than in Bordeaux. Mendoza sits in the rain shadow of the Andes, a high desert dependent on meltwater irrigation, where altitude rather than latitude keeps the wines fresh. Kaiken was founded in 2002 by Aurelio Montes of the Chilean house, who crossed the Andes to make wine in Argentina, and the name comes from the kaiken, a wild goose that flies between the two countries.
The producer
Kaiken
View all Kaiken winesKaiken is one of Argentina's most admired estates, founded in Mendoza in 2002 by the legendary Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes. Its name comes from the kaiken, the wild geese that cross the Andes between Chile and Argentina, just as Montes himself did in search of Mendoza's potential. Named New World Producer of the Year at the 2024 Sommelier Wine Awards, it is now proudly B Corp certified.
The estate vineyards lie in the heart of Mendoza and higher still in the Uco Valley, where limestone soils and altitudes above 1,200 metres bring freshness and precision. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are the focus, including rare old vine Cabernet in Vistalba, Luján de Cuyo, first planted in 1910. Farming is sustainable and increasingly done by hand.
The range climbs from the everyday Clásico and single district Terroir Series to the polished Ultra wines and beyond. At the summit sits Mai, a powerful Malbec from century old vines, alongside Disobedience, a red blend created with chef Francis Mallmann, and an elegant traditional method sparkling from high Gualtallary.
Kaiken's wines marry ripe Andean fruit with structure, freshness and a genuine sense of altitude. They are generous yet refined, and they age with grace. This is modern Argentine wine at its most complete.
