presented by Brittanie Wallace from Queen of Wines
La Espera Torrontés 2025
In the late 19th century, the Funcke family immigrated from Germany to Argentina, weaving their ancestral traditions directly into the local agricultural fabric. Honoring this rich lineage, founder Kurt Heinlein established Bodega Funckenhausen on a sprawling 330-hectare estate of untouched wilderness. Located in the 25 de Mayo district within San Rafael—the southern reaches of Mendoza—the estate stands as one of the highest and most distinctive terroirs in the zone. The family winery focuses heavily on precision viticulture, utilizing sandy-loam and stone-riddled plots to craft crisp, expressive whites that balance intense solar warmth with structural elegance.
The 2025 vintage of this Torrontés captures a brilliantly aromatic, vibrant, and light-to-medium-bodied expression of Argentina’s signature native white grape. Hand-harvested in mid-February into small 15 kg crates, the clusters undergo a cold, slow fermentation completely inside stainless steel vats to safeguard their energetic, raw floral aromatics. It pours a clear, bright greenish-yellow color in the glass.
Appellation: San Rafael, Southern Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes: 100% Torrontés – ABV: 13%
Tasting notes: Highly aromatic, vibrant, and precise. It layers fragrant scents of white jasmine and fresh citrus over a crisp, light-bodied palate featuring snappy acidity and a clean, refreshing finish.
Pairing: Best enjoyed well-chilled at 8–9°C. It acts as an exceptional partner to spicy Asian dishes, fresh ceviche, seasonal garden salads, raw shellfish, or light vegetable appetizers.
Producer: Bodega Funckenhausen
La Espera Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Relying on the crisp meltwater of the nearby Diamante River, the Heinlein family manages their high-altitude vineyards to capture a pure, unmasked sense of location. Under the “La Espera” label—a name that pays poetic tribute to the patience, time, and anticipation required to see a viticultural dream fully ripen—the winery emphasizes varietal typicity over heavy cellar intervention. The vines grapple with an arid, continental climate, sinking deep roots into alluvial sandy-loam soils. This unique environment ensures that classic red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon accumulate deep phenolic concentration without losing their natural, vital framework of structural freshness
The 2023 vintage stands as a juicy, sleek, and remarkably stylish red wine that exhibits great varietal character. Vinified carefully with controlled maceration times, the juice is aged thoughtfully to integrate its structural traits while keeping the wood profile supple and balanced. Poured into a glass, it displays an intense, deep ruby-red color.
Appellation: San Rafael, Southern Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – ABV: 13.5%
Tasting notes: Juicy, structured, and stylish. It showcases upfront aromas of blackcurrant, red plum, and bay leaf, leading into a balanced palate with supple tannins, mocha hints, and a clean pepper finish.
Pairing: Best served at 16–18°C. A magnificent food-friendly red, it pairs perfectly with charcoal-grilled steaks, rosemary-rubbed lamb chops, rich lasagna, or mature cheeses like Gouda and aged Cheddar.
Producer: Bodega Funckenhausen
La Espera Malbec-Syrah 2024
The modern, innovative blending approach of Bodega Funckenhausen is fully realized across their “Varietales” line, which challenges mainstream regional definitions. This specific selection celebrates a classic co-star dynamic: combining the plush, velvety fruit density of Malbec with the savory, peppery backbone of Syrah. The estate’s high-altitude vineyards endure wide diurnal temperature swings, featuring blazing sunshine hours balanced by sharp, freezing mountain air drainage at night. This thermal blueprint slows down grape ripening, allowing both varieties to build exceptional aromatics and complex textures in complete unison.
The 2024 vintage delivers a simple, highly aromatic, and fresh presentation designed explicitly to be approachable and thoroughly enjoyed for its youthful energy. Vinified cleanly in temperature-controlled deposits to trap its pure, fruit-driven personality, it is aged with a delicate touch of oak to soften the framework without overtaking the primary varietal markers. It displays an elegant, deep purplish-red color in the glass.
Appellation: San Rafael, Southern Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes: 60% Malbec, 40% Syrah – ABV: 13.8%
Tasting notes: Highly aromatic, soft, and peppery. It bridges juicy aromas of raspberry, plum, and vanilla against an approachable, medium-bodied palate defined by powdery tannins and a clean, spicy finish.
Pairing: Serve at a cellar temperature of 15–17°C. An incredibly versatile everyday red, it serves as an excellent companion to smoky barbecue dishes, beef empanadas, grilled sausages, or brick-oven pizzas.
Producer: Bodega Funckenhausen
Terroir’s Signature Malbec 2023
The “Terroir’s Signature” line represents the Reserva level of Bodega Funckenhausen, showcasing the pinnacle selection of their estate blocks. For this bottling, Alejandro Leirado Heinlein and his winemaking team carefully target low-yielding vines anchored entirely in the deepest, most complex sandy-loam and limestone soil sectors. By focusing on careful fruit selection and a longer, traditional cellar lifecycle, this reserve cuvée is crafted to amplify structural density, velvety depth, and long cellaring potential while maintaining the cool-climate freshness that defines southern Mendoza.
The 2023 vintage is an intensely concentrated, rich, and beautifully polished mountain Malbec. Following a meticulous hand-harvest, the juice undergoes an extended post-fermentation maceration before being aged for a lengthy period in select oak casks to integrate its frame and develop deep, tertiary complexity.
Appellation: San Rafael, Southern Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes: 100% Malbec – ABV: 14%
Tasting notes: Bold, velvety, and deeply concentrated. It layers complex aromas of dark plum, cassis, and sweet vanilla over a full, well-structured palate with smooth, rounded tannins and a long, elegant finish.
Pairing: Best enjoyed at a standard red wine temperature of 16–18°C. This premium Malbec acts as a perfect match for a traditional Argentine asado, slow-roasted venison, grilled ribeye steaks, or rich mushroom stews.
Producer: Bodega Funckenhausen
