Gaia Organic Malbec takes its name from Gaia, the green goddess of the earth, who appears on the label. Behind it is a touch of French winemaking brought to Argentina by Domaine Bousquet, whose roots are in Carcassonne in southern France.
The grapes are grown at 1,200 metres in Gualtallary, in Mendoza’s Tupungato Valley, where huge temperature shifts between day and night help shape the wine. The estate is organic, Demeter certified and also vegan.
For this 2023 vintage, the wine comes in a lighter glass bottle than previously. It is made from 100% estate-grown Malbec grapes, aged in French oak for 10 months and comes in at 14% ABV.
It has picked up some impressive scores, 94 points and a Silver Medal at the 2025 International Wine & Spirit Competition, 93 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, and 92 points from Tim Atkin MW in his 2023 Argentina report.
In the glass, it is a deep purple. The aromas bring plenty of plum and blackberry, with cocoa adding a darker edge. Black cherry comes through when drinking, while the oak is surprisingly restrained considering the 10 months in barrel. It is dry and medium-bodied, although it has a fuller feel in the mouth than the majority of mass-market Malbec. The tannins sit around low to medium and are most noticeable on the finish. One tip, give it around 30 minutes of air before drinking. It becomes even more aromatic and the earthy character starts to come through more clearly. By day two, there is even more weight and fullness in the mouth.
At £18 from Waitrose, it feels a little steep, even for a supermarket Malbec that is clearly better than the norm. At the time of writing, though, it is on offer at £13, which makes it a very tempting buy.
