The eclectic landscapes and climatic contrasts of Argentina produced terrific and diverse wines in 2025, and our list of the Top 100 Wines from the country captures these extremes as well as its remarkably varied patrimony in a miniature yet comprehensive portrait.

This list focuses on three things that matter most to us: a thoughtful balance of quality and price as well as a sense of origin and authenticity – always coupled with drinkability. There’s also the emotional response a truly exceptional wine evokes – what we call the “wow factor.” 

Most of the wines on this list are rated between 95 and 98 points, with an average price of around $60 per bottle. For the Top 10 wines, we focused on selections that best represent a harmony of site expression, value, and availability – wines that stand out not just for their quality, but for what they represent in context. 

In March, I spent nearly three weeks traveling through Mendoza, Barreal, Salta and Jujuy. Over the course of the trip, I tasted close to 800 wines with more than 40 producers. Argentina’s scale, the varied landscapes that frame its vineyards and the diversity of its climates are central to the country’s dynamic wine culture – as is its charisma.

The distance from Jujuy, Argentina’s northernmost region, to Rio Negro in Patagonia to the south is 1,800 kilometers – roughly the same distance that separates the Mosel region of Germany from Jerez in Spain. There is an even greater gap in altitude, with Jujuy defined by its skyscraping vineyards, which can reach over 3,000 meters in altitude, while Rio Negro’s low-lying vineyards are mostly found at a few hundred meters in elevation. But this low altitude is balanced by the cooler latitude, while Jujuy’s higher altitude comes with a much warmer latitude.

It's in Rio Negro’s cooler climate that we found our 2025 Argentine Wine of the Year: the Chacra Chardonnay Patagonia Mainqué 2024. While the region has historically been known for its red wines and semillon, Chacra’s chardonnay marks a new chapter in winegrowing.

Bodega Chacra’s owner, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, partnered on the making of the Mainqué wine with Meursault luminary Jean-Marc Roulot, who travels with a small team each harvest to contribute his precise know-how in crafting unique chardonnays. The fruit for the Mainqué comes from an adjacent estate in Rio Negro named Lunita (“little moon”) in memory of a horse that once worked the  farm. Thirteen hectares are planted here, trained in double guyot on sandy silt soils. Yields are kept to an impressively low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the vineyard is both Demeter-certified biodynamic and organically certified.

Incisa described the style of Mainqué as “more in the vein of Chablis than Beaune” – and the wine shows that profile: linear, saline, and marked by Chablis-like tension. Roulot, known for his meticulous press management, oversees fermentation and aging in a mix of 30 percent Tava amphorae and 70 percent French oak barriques.

With a production of roughly 25,000 bottles and a market price of around $60, according to Wine-Searcher, the wine hits a rare balance of availability, value and quality. It comes from a singular Patagonian terroir and is the result of a collaboration between two of the world’s most respected winemakers, working with a commitment to sustainable, thoughtful farming.

Our No. 2 Argentine wine, the Escala Humana Bequignol Valle de Uco Livverá 2024, is made from becquignol, a variety originally from southwest France and now nearly extinct worldwide, except that it survives in Argentina. "We don’t know much about the grape, and there isn’t a lot of literature on the subject," explained Escala Humana owner and winemaker German Masera, whose project is one of the most exciting young ones in Argentina.

The wine comes from a pergola-trained vineyard sitting at 1,050 meters elevation in El Zampal, Mendoza. This traditional training method helps preserve grapes’ freshness through a protective canopy in a region that sees roughly 300 days of sunshine each year.

About 40 percent of the fruit for the Livverá is foot-trodden in a cement lagar, with the remainder destemmed, followed by a 45-day maceration. Aging takes place in concrete eggs for around 10 months. The result is a wine that is fluid and seamless, with silky, delicate tannins and an ethereal transparency complemented by subtle concentration.

This wine is a rarity, made from a variety that has managed to survive in a handful of tiny, nearly forgotten vineyards in Argentina. And yet Escala Human still managed to produce 10,000 bottles, and at a price of about $23, it is one of the best deals among our Top 10.

At No. 3, with a production of 50,000 bottles and a $30 price point, is the Zuccardi Malbec Valle de Uco Paraje Altamira Concreto 2024 – a reference point for what a great malbec from the Uco Valley can be. The grapes for this wine come from a selection of the most calcareous plots in Altamira and Gualtallary, and they are both fermented and aged in concrete. 100 percent whole clusters are used, but the grapes are destemmed and the stems layered back in between the berries “like a lasagna,” as Zuccardi owner and winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi describes it. The result is a malbec that is dark and tense, with a savory core and a profile reminiscent of a classic, fresh Northern Rhone wine.

Our 4^th-ranked Argentine wine, El Enemigo Semillon Mendoza 2023, is also one of four white wines in the top 10 this year. As Alejandro Vigil, the owner and winemaker of El Enemigo, points out, in the early 1980s nearly 70 percent of Argentina’s wines were white, though most were planted at lower altitudes. A new chapter began when producers started to explore higher elevations, opening the door to a very different expression of Argentina’s white wine potential. With altitude came freshness, texture and definition.

Vigil, the creator of two of Argentina’s seminal whites – White Bones and White Stones – calls semillon the future emblematic white variety for Argentina. This, despite the fact that only 700 hectares are under vine today compared with 4,500 hectares in the 1990s. And yet semillon’s story in Argentina is far from over. Plantings are slowly increasing again, and the grape has proven itself to be versatile and well-adapted to Argentina’s climate. It is also often found co-planted alongside old malbec vines.

The Mendoza 2023 comes from vineyards planted on rocky soils in the highest sections of Agrelo, including parcels of vines more than 50 years old. Fermentation and aging take place in used French oak, with about 80 percent of the barrels developing flor. Production stands at 45,000 bottles, and at $25, this wine is a steal – an exceptional expression of the variety that suggests a bright future.

The other whites in Argentina’s Top 10 include the No. 7 Buscado Vivo o Muerto Chardonnay El Cerro Gualtallary 2024 – a saline, incisive wine that reflects the exceptional, almost severe, quality this subregion consistently delivers – as well as the equally impressive Matías Michelini Agua de Roca Sauvignon Blanc San Pablo 2024 (No. 10). The latter comes from one of the coolest subregions of the Uco Valley; a result of its proximity to the Andes. It is a tensile, mineral-driven sauvignon blanc, always marked by austerity and precision but with a distinct wild charm that make is it stand among the finest examples of the variety in Argentina.

One pinot noir also makes an appearance in the Top 10. The No. 8 Domaine Nico Pinot Noir Valle de Uco Soeur et Frères La Savante 2023 is from a 1.44-hectare plot planted in 1994 in Gualtallary. It's a floral, subtle wine with a chalky palate and incisive yet blurry tannins, delicate red fruit and fresh lift.

There are also five criolla-based wines on this list. In this case, “criolla” refers to Argentina’s native varieties, most originating from early crossings of listan prieto – known as criolla chica in Argentina, país in Chile, and mission in the United States – and moscatel de alejandria. These grapes, with their pale colors, discreet structures and fluid profiles, represent an alternative side of Argentine wine, offering approachable styles rooted in the country’s earliest winemaking traditions.

The Cara Sur Criolla Chica Valle de Calingasta Paraje Hilario 2024 (No. 9) is a medium-bodied, ethereal red with a timid hue, fermented and aged entirely with whole clusters in concrete. From Jujuy, El Bayeh Quebrada Humahuaca Pequeños parceleros de la Quebrada Tilcara 2024 (No. 40), made from vines in isolated orchards, offers another fresh, light, and drinkable expression that deserves attention.

Few wine-producing countries are as dynamic as Argentina. Despite its longstanding winemaking tradition, producers are continually mapping new subregions, planting new varieties, recovering older ones and even creating entirely new regions. This Top 100 list aims to reflect that vitality and dynamic spirit while appreciating its tradition and, perhaps more important, its ability to make world-class wines at reasonable prices.

– Jacobo García Andrade, Senior Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated by the JamesSuckling.com tasting team over the past year from Argentina. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. 

Note: You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.