Why it matters
The producer
Matías Riccitelli was born in Cafayate, Salta, a village in northern Argentina. Before founding Riccitelli Wines, he travelled through multiple international harvests and combined that experience with the teachings of his mentor and father, Jorge Riccitelli. Riccitelli Wines was established in 2009.
The Mendoza winery makes as many as 25 wines, with a few more made in Patagonia. All fruit is harvested by hand. Fermentation uses exclusively indigenous yeasts, and the farming practice is sustainable.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Riccitelli's winery is in Las Compuertas, within Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. The producer has 20 hectares of old, ungrafted vines there, with Malbec as the principal variety. In the Monasterio area of Gualtallary, another 20 hectares are cultivated through mountain viticulture, with unique soils and exposures.
Additional holdings include eight hectares in Los Chacayes IG and ten hectares in San Pablo IG. The Viñas Extremas line reflects vineyards all situated above 1,500 metres. In Patagonia, the project farms 17 hectares planted in the 1950s along the banks of the Río Negro.
Wines to know
The range in view
Kung Fu Malbec 2024 is a Mendoza red. Kung Fu Criolla 2022 is a Mendoza red from old pergola-trained vineyards in the Los Chacayes IG at 1,100 metres. It ferments in small clay amphorae with indigenous yeasts, using equal portions of whole bunches and destemmed grapes. Extraction is minimal, and the wine continues in clay amphorae for eight months.
Kung Fu PetNat Rosé 2022 is a sparkling rosé made from Pinot Noir and Malbec. Its flavors include strawberry, cherry, raspberry, blood grapefruit, light bread and straw. The three bottles cover Malbec, Criolla, and a Pinot Noir-Malbec rosé made in a sparkling style.