I can still hear Colo’s voice from that September evening in Mendoza — eyes sparkling, hands moving as he mapped Argentina’s extremes from north to south. “We don’t make perfect wines,” he told us. “We make wines that tell a story of the zone.”
Months later, a bottle of his 2024 Tigerstone Garnacha from Estancia Los Cardones arrived, and suddenly I was right back in that room… only this time the story was pure northern drama.
An Oasis at the Edge of the Map
Estancia Los Cardones sits in Tolombón, Salta — Argentina’s northernmost wine region — just south of Cafayate on the eastern slopes of the Calchaquí Valleys. At roughly 1,700 meters (5,577 feet), this is high-desert country: blinding sunlight, warm days, nights that plunge more than 25°C cooler, and bone-dry air interrupted only by the occasional summer shower. The vines here are among the first in the valleys to be harvested, usually in late February.
The estate is a true family-and-friends project. The Saavedra Azcona family partnered with Alejandro “Colo” Sejanovich and Jeff Mausbach (both Catena alumni) to create Anko — “high water” in the local Quechua language — a name that feels perfect for an oasis of vines surrounded by giant cardón cacti and jagged mountains.
The Tigerstone Plots
What makes this Garnacha special is where it grows. Colo and the team planted the variety only in the highest, rockiest parcels of the vineyard. The surface is carpeted in angular, splintered shale (pizarra) mixed with disintegrated mica and bluish slate — stones that look almost tiger-striped in the harsh light. They call it “Tigerstone.”
These shallow, rocky soils force the vines to struggle. Yields are naturally tiny. Heat radiates from the stones at night, helping the grapes finish ripening, while the mineral-rich ground imparts a savory, almost saline edge that you can taste in the finished wine. Colo has said the site reminded him of certain Rhône Valley parcels where Garnacha has thrived for centuries. In Salta, it became Argentina’s first dedicated high-altitude Garnacha project — a quiet, stubborn experiment that is now one of the most exciting wines coming out of the north.
Gentle Hands, Minimal Intervention
The 2024 vintage was hand-harvested on February 20 into small 400 kg bins. After gentle destemming, the grapes went into a series of micro-vinifications with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation stayed cool (17–19°C) for just 5–8 days — enough to extract vibrant red fruit without heavy tannins. The wine then spent nine months in second- and third-use French oak barrels. No new wood. No flashy winemaking. Just enough subtle texture to frame the fruit and the place.
The result is a pure, unblended 100% Garnacha that feels both wild and refined.
In the Glass
The 2024 Tigerstone Garnacha pours a bright, translucent ruby. The nose is immediate and lifted: crushed strawberries and raspberries, a touch of rose petal, and a faint whisper of cacao from the older barrels. On the palate it is medium-bodied, round yet electric. Juicy red fruit sits at the center, framed by fine, grippy tannins and a bright, almost biting acidity that keeps everything alive. A subtle saline minerality and gentle spice linger on the dry finish.
Serve it slightly chilled — 12–14°C — and it becomes one of those rare reds that works as an aperitif yet still has the presence to sit at the table. Think grilled vegetables, herby roast chicken, charcuterie, empanadas or a simple tomato salad with good olive oil.
This is a wine that feels both serious and joyful — the kind of bottle that makes you want to pour a second glass and keep talking.
Colo once told us that the best Argentine wines are the ones that refuse to hide where they come from. The 2024 Tigerstone Garnacha doesn’t hide a thing. It tastes like thin air, broken rock, and the quiet conviction of a winemaker who keeps pushing the map of what’s possible in Argentina.
If you loved the energy of Colo’s seminar as much as I did, this is the bottle that lets you taste that same restless curiosity in liquid form.