MAAL simply stands for “Malbec As Alfredo Likes”. Up high along the eastern edge of the Andes Mountains is Vistaflores, a tiny appellation within the Uco Valley’s Mendoza region, where winemaker Alfredo Merlo and grower Matias Fraga make their inimitable interpretations of Argentina's most famous grape. It’s all about Malbec for these guys, produced in varying styles, and from grapes grown 900-1,350m above sea level. Alfredo worked at prestigious wineries at home and abroad, such as Harlan Estate in Napa Valley and Pulenta in Mendoza, before creating MAAL with Matias in 2010 and going full-time on the business in 2012. Matias' background was in hospitality before working for Catena for a number of years. In 2010 he acquired an old, abandoned vineyard in Vistaflores, teamed up with his mate Alfredo, and as the saying goes, the rest is history!