One day in late spring, we at L&E stood at the tasting counter with a mixture of confusion and pleasant surprise. For decades, Argentina’s wine has been more or less a monochromatic array of Malbec, but this wildly successful brand has papered over a far more complex reality on the ground. Mendoza has always been home to a wider array of grape varieties, and with the help of people like Matthias Michelini (and his family), we are starting to see a wider range of styles coming from this cloud-scraping wine region. The Montesco wines are a new riff on a familiar name. Organic farming, low-intervention winemaking, and strictly neutral oak give this wine an even keel and elegant cut. Aromas show the tobacco savor of Cabernet, the ripe black and blue berries of Malbec, and the citrus and violet notes of Bonarda, together with hints of granite and baker’s chocolate. The palate is impressively balanced between acidity and tannin, juicy and full enough bodied for Argentine-style barbecue. Flavors like blackberry jam, black raspberry, coffee, black pepper, and blood orange jostle for attention through the finish.