Located at 3600+ feet in the Vista Flores region of the Uco Valley, 40 miles south of Mendoza, Argentina.
The Vineyards
We make all of our wine from the two acres that we own, one acre planted to Malbec in 2013 and one to Cabernet Franc in 2014. Our vines are located in the Vista Flores region of Uco Valley, within a sub-region known as Los Chacayes, in well-draining alluvial soils comprised of large stones, sand, gravel and limestone. Given the high altitude location and the area’s dry climate, cooler evenings intensify the wines"‘ color and phenolic sand tannins, all while retaining good levels of acidity.
We green harvest by dropping substantial fruit, and special prune and leaf, to increase sunlight exposure and decrease crop yields to maximize flavor concentration in the remaining bunches. All harvesting and sorting is done by hand.
Our choice of the two varietals was guided by local expert advice Malbec and Cabernet Franc perform exceedingly well in the loamy soils and climate of Uco Valley and by our own tastings of various Argentinean varietals. The decision to plant one acre of Malbec was easy. As most readers of this website will know, while Malbec as a varietal occupies a blending role in Bordeaux and a larger, albeit more rustic, presence in the red wine from the Cahors appellation in southwest France, the varietal as a stand-alone has rightfully emerged as the engine that drives wines from Argentina.
The decision to plant Cabernet Franc on the second acre followed some research. We were drawn to the complex Cabernet Franc wines made by El Enemigo and influenced by an article written by its winemaker and owner Alejandro Vigil, extolling the virtues and future of Cabernet Franc in Argentina. Even at present, we understand that only about 2700 acres of Cabernet Franc are planted in the entire country. But the potential for great, world-class wine from that varietal is enormous. While Malbec is the variety that has put Argentina on the world wine map, we are tremendously excited about the future of Uco Valley Cabernet Franc. Time will of course tell, but in 10 years, we will not be surprised to see that Cabernet Franc matches, if not unseats, Malbec as Argentina’s premier fine wine.
The Wines
We presently make several expressions of the two varietals. Our efforts to craft a powerful but complex and refined wine find its highest expression in our barrel-fermented bottlings of 100% Malbec and Cabernet Franc. While fermentation in two new French oak barrels for each barrel and later aging for 21-22 months in one of those barrels of new French oak is a costly process, it imparts structure and refinement to the varietal characteristics imparted by the Uco Valley terroir and imbues the wines with greater complexity, elegance, and purity of fruit on the nose and palate, and structure for longer aging potential and attendant development of secondary flavor characteristics.
Our “regular” premium bottlings of Malbec and Cabernet Franc generally represent 100% of the varietal. In certain years, when dictated by vintage characteristics, we blend small amounts of Malbec into the Cabernet Franc. These premium varietals see 16-18 months in first and second-use French oak. On occasion, we include within a premium bottling of a particular varietal a barrel-fermented lot of that varietal to increase the overall quality and complexity of that particular premium bottling.
We also produce a co-fermented blend of roughly 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Franc, labeled in accordance with blend designations as Gran Corte. Co-fermentation more uniquely and successfully integrates each varietal’s flavor profile and characteristics than what one gets from the more typical blending of wines following the completion of separate fermentation and aging by varietal, and yields a wine of tremendous complexity. Simply put, co-fermentation of these two varietals yields a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Production of our wines is very small. The barrel-fermented lots are limited to one barrel, or 25 cases and only in certain years. The premium bottlings and the Gran Corte production range from 50-100 cases per wine, depending on the vintage and resultant quality. Thus, our total production is typically 225-275 cases a vintage. Our wines are made by Pablo Martorell and Mariana Onofrio, with the consulting guidance of Santiago Achaval. All three individuals are renowned, experienced Argentinian winemakers.
