Hailing from Argentina’s premier wine region and home to over half the country’s cultivated vines, Ruca Malen embodies the rich history, spirit, and pedigree of Mendoza winemaking.
Ruca Malen, meaning “the house of the young girl,” takes its name from an indigenous legend of the Mapuche people. A young tribal woman looked up to the heavens and fell in love with a handsome god. He gifted her a house, overlooking the world’s splendors. The beauty of the Ruca Malen estate reminds of this location.
The founders, Jean Pierre Thibaud and Jacques Louis de Montalembert, share familial relations to some of France’s foremost winemaking houses. From their time spent together at Chandon Argentina, Thibaud and Montalembert saw the incredible potential of Mendoza as a winemaking region and endeavored to produce wines that drew from their French heritage while uniquely expressing Mendoza’s incredible terroir.
Ruca Malen believes that the wines are made in the vineyards; they devote themselves to understanding the terroir. The profound knowledge of the diverse microterroirs along the Andes Mountain Range is evident in every sip. Ruca Malen’s vineyard holdings span the Uco Valley, Tupungato, and Lujan de Cuyo, with the vast majority in the Uco Valley. Planted in 1996 along the base of the Andes in sandy loam, rocky, porous soil, at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, the unique microclimate can be characterized as Mediterranean, where warm sunny days are balanced by cool breezy nights that allow the grapes to mature steadily.
Hand-crafted using traditional French winemaking techniques in a modern facility equipped with the latest technology, the goal is to produce elegant, food-friendly wines that express the identity of each varietal. Ruca Malen boasts a portfolio of high-quality wines that accentuate the varietal’s natural characteristics, while reflecting a sense of place, and conveying a level of excellence in craftsmanship.
In 2020, Ruca Malen hired Agustina Hanna as their head winemaker who has brought a renewed spirit to the winery. This in combination with their 2023 packaging refresh reinforces the winery’s feminine spirit. Each bottle of wine now shows the face of the legendary young women that the winery’s name is inspired by. Agustina’s presence at the winery has brought her youthful ethos, bringing their commitment to environmental sustainability, and innovative winemaking to the world market.
