Semillón, Old Vines From Patagonia, Matías Riccitelli 2024
Tim Atkin MW Tim Atkin 97; Descorchados 95; Decanter 95
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Why this wine
Argentina is not where most buyers go looking for Semillon, which is exactly why these forgotten Río Negro vines of over fifty years earn a place here. Skin contact, used barrels and concrete eggs build texture without laying oak flavour over the fruit, and the Patagonian night cold keeps the acidity taut. It is a white made on shape rather than aroma, and it has several years of improvement still in front of it.
At a glance
- Grape
- Semillon
- Region
- Patagonia, Argentina
- Alcohol
- 12.00%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Poultry & Pork, Cheese
How it tastes
Citrus peel and pineapple meet white flowers and orange blossom, over the waxy, faintly nutty depth that only old Semillon vines give. Medium-bodied and fully dry, with bright acidity running the length of the palate and a long, softly saline finish. Semillon 100%.
The producer
Matías Riccitelli, son of the winemaker Jorge Riccitelli, set up his own winery in 2009 after working at leading Argentine estates and picking up vintages around the world; the estate farms 50 hectares and was named in the Top 100 of the World's Best Vineyard Awards 2025. The fruit here is not from Mendoza at all but from forgotten Semillon vines of more than 50 years in Río Negro, Patagonia, at 400 metres and 39 degrees south, where sunlight is more intense than further north while the nights turn far colder; that daily swing stretches ripening and holds acidity in place. Bunches were picked at full maturity into 20kg cases and sorted by hand before 48 hours of skin maceration at 10°C. Sixty per cent of the must fermented in used French oak barrels and forty per cent in concrete eggs, at 14-16°C, and the 2024 then matured six months in the same split.
Food and drinking
Serve at 10-12°C. It suits grilled turbot, roast chicken with lemon, dressed crab, or a nutty aged cheese such as Comté. Drinking well now and worth keeping five to eight years; a large glass serves it better than a decanter. Sealed with a DIAM closure. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.