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Archive for July, 2009

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PULENTA ESTATE WINERY; FAMILY TRADITION, WISDOM AND PASSION

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Those three words are reflected in each of the wines made by this state-of-the art winery. Pulenta Etstate was our profiled winery in our weekly event Vinos & Tapas at Park Hyatt Mendoza and we could reaffirm this thought through the wines presented.

Pulenta family has been involved in the Argentine viticulture for three generations. Sons of the well known vinegrower Antonio Pulenta and descendants from Italian immigrants. After selling Bodega Trapiche in 1997, a symbol for the wine industry in Argentina, Eduardo y Hugo Pulenta, gave birth to Pulenta Estate in 2002, providing experience and the most qualified labor.

Their Estate is located in Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, one of the most prestigious winemaking areas of the province. The grapes come mainly from their owned 135-has vineyard located in Alto Agrelo, and from old vines planted by their father Antonio in another outstanding wine region as it is Tupungato in Uco Valley. Manuel Gonzalez, winemaker, and Facundo Yazli, agronomist, have been able to create wines of wonderful balance, full-bodied, and of great varietal character.

Undoubtedly, Pulenta Estate is among my top 5 favorite wineries in Mendoza. Our latest acquisition for The Vines portfolio has been Pulenta Estate Chardonnay 2008 that is one of the featured wines in our summer shipment for Acequia Reserva Wine Club. Chardonnay is considered to be a plastic varietal as well as the Cabernet Sauvignon because of their adaptability to almost every wine region in the world. However, Consumers of such grape varietals have become more and more demanding due to the exposure and availability in the market. Therefore, it has taken us quite a long time to find a Chardonnay  that would express the Argentine terroir, maintaining the quality and varietal character any chardonnay consumer would expect.

Taste these remarkable wines yourself! Be sure to visit our On-Line Wine Store . We currently have La Flor Malbec, Pulenta Estate Merlot, Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc and Pulenta Estate Chardonnay.

Cheers!!

Pulenta Estate Wine Tasting

Pulenta Estate Wine Tasting
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Achaval Ferrer chosen winery of the year 2009 in Wine & Spirits!

Friday, July 31st, 2009

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Once again Santiago Achaval shows us how to do things right!

The Vines of Mendoza’s consulting winemaker for our Private Vineyard Estates, Santiago Achaval has achieved a great honor in the world of wine and raised the bar for Argentine wines. We can’t wait to see what he does with the wines that he produces from our property in the Uco Valley, next year is our first harvest!

Each year, the Wines & Spirits blind tasting panels review more than 9,000 wines and pass the best along to our critics. Our annual Wineries of the Year list is made up of brands who produce a range of wines that score at the top of their categories. Achaval Ferrer performed in the top echelon–a great ambassador for the wines of Argentina.

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Finca el Mirador, Finca ALtamira, Quimera, Finca Bella VIsta, Achaval Ferrer Malbec.


Posted in In the News, Mendoza Bodegas, Vines Events | No Comments »


CELEBRATE SUMMER SALE | TOMORROW LAST DAY!

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

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TASTING SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATED ARGENTINEAN WINES, TASTING VIÑA COBOS

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

The Vines of Mendoza was invited to taste the whole line of wines of Viña Cobos… and clearly we could not miss this great opportunity to taste some of the best wines from Argentina, as they have been recognized worldwide and specially by The Wine Advocate reviews.

Paul Hobbs visited Argentina in 1989 and he became immediately interested in both the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and other varietals in the region. In 1997 Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud met Paul in California and they decided to found Viña Cobos. Since then, Paul and his Argentine partners have grown their portfolio of ultra-premium wines to include Cobos Nico, Bramare, and Felino which continue to receive even greater accolades.

We had a remarkable tour led by Luis Barraud, President of Viña Cobos and the oenologist responsible for the winemaking process. Along the tasting, we talked about winemaking techniques, vintages and grape varieties. Despite the fact that the Malbecs made by Viña Cobos are intense wines with an ideal varietal expression, I was mostly impressed by their Cabernet Sauvignon.

As you may already know, Malbec has become our emblematic wine in Argentina and it is very rare to find great reviews from our Cabernet Sauvignons. Most of Cabs are lighter and less intense compared to the character this varietal gets in California or Bordeaux. however, Bramare Cabernet Sauvignon could be easily compared to some of the best world-class cabs coming from the best wine regions.

I asked Luis about this controversial varietal in Argentina, and he answered with a firm statement “I think Cabernet Sauvignon is the best red grape worldwide and so it is in Argentina ” Accoring to Luis, Malbec was the grape that opened Argentina the door to the world. Nonetheless, Cabernet Sauvignon will be the one that will keep this door opened once people start drinking Argentine wine. He explains that Cabernet is more difficult to grow in Argentina than the Malbec, but if you carry out a good vineyard management the results can be astounding.

This is the second time I hear a winemaker talk that well about Cabs. Rob Lawson, our Winery Operation Adviser for Private Vineyard Estates, has also planted Cabernet Sauvignon in our project. He is convinced there is a great potential for Cabs in Mendoza and he is determined to make the best Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina.

For those who are Cabernet Sauvignon lovers, don’t miss one of the best Cabs from Argentina;

Bramare Marchiori Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Vineyard: 11 year-old vines located in Predriel, Luján de Cuyo at 3.215 feet above sea level.
Harvest: 6,6 tons / ha. Manual had picking. Date: May 5th 2006
Oak aging: 18 months in French and American oak. 66% new oak.
Tasting Notes: Deep red with black hues in color. This a bold concentrated cabernet with intense aromas of blackberry and red cherry. In mouth, it is full-bodied and complex with flavors of  black fruit, soft spices and tobacco. Its incredible velvety tannins persist through its lingering finish.
Alcohol: 15,2% ( don’t worry… it is perfectly integrated so you won’t notice!)

Viña Cobos

Viña Cobos
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THE WINE ADVOCATE – TASTING HISTORY
VINA COBOS REVIEWS

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VINOS & TAPAS AT THE VINES WINE BAR AND VINOTECA

Friday, July 24th, 2009

This week our profiled winery was CARINAE. Brigitte and Philippe Subra came from France in 1998. They fell in love with Mendoza, and decided to create CarinaE Viñedos & Bodega in January 2003. Since then, this boutique winery has been producing high quality wines. Their total wine process, from the management of the vineyards to bottling, is supervised by Michel Rolland’s team in Mendoza, via his consultant firm named Enorolland.

We had a great evening tasting two Malbecs;

  • CARINAE ROSADO DE MALBEC 2008 – great summer wine!… but it also worked perfectly in a freezing day as yesterday thanks to the great atmosphere and time we were having among the event attendees and friends!
  • CARINAE GRAN MALBEC 2007 – Smooth and elegant are the two adjectives that come immediately to my mind. This is a perfect wine to pair with just a nice talk among friends! You can easily enjoy it by itself !

Join us for Vinos &  Tapas every Thursday from 8pm to 10pm at The Vines Wine Bar & Vinoteca at The Park Hyatt Mendoza.

Vinos & Tapas with CARINAE

Vinos & Tapas with CARINAE
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Posted in Behind the bottle, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Uncategorized | No Comments »


Sunset and Sunrise in the Vineyard

Friday, July 24th, 2009

I spent the night at the Private Vineyard Estates last night (and just about froze taking these shots).  The snow covered Andes are just gorgeous.  And in just two hours, its asado time!

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Posted in Photos, Private Vineyard Estates | 1 Comment »


TASTE ARGENTINA! TASTE BONARDA!

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Tasting Bonarda at The Vines

Bonarda is the second most cultivated red grape in Argentina after Malbec. But it is still a mysterious grape variety. It is thought that Bonarda was brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Yet, it is not known whether the Bonarda grown in Argentina is actually Bonarda from Italy, or the grape Corveau Noir grown from Southern France, as claimed by some experts. No matter where it comes from, the truth is that this is a grape varietal that produces low tannin, food-friendly wines.

I carried out a short inquire about Bonarda to some of the servers that work in our tasting room and to some clients that were enjoying of a glass of wine in a freezing day (snowing by the way!)

“When you hear Bonarda, what does it make you think of?” And I got the following answers:

Red wine – the second emblematic Argentinean varietal – spicy & fruit-forward – easy to drink – medium bodied – young wine – not very expensive –wild –  potential to explore – Italian grape- no idea.. is it a wine?

As you can see, the reactions were varied. I agree with most of the comments but I highlight one of them; potential to explore. It is a grape that despite of its important presence in Argentina, it has been used to make mostly table wine. Yet, in the last couple of years, we have witnessed that doing a right vineyard management; we can obtain a unique and interesting wine. I believe in the future of Bonarda, I believe we can make really nice wines out of it… we just need to continue exploring the way to make it better and better.

I invite you to discover this grape variety with Durigutti Bonarda 2006.
2006 Durigutti Bonarda certainly fit this profile. It is deep ruby red with blackish hues. It has tasty aromas of blackberries, plum marmalade and leather. Once the wine is in your mouth, you encounter again the black fruit in flavor and low levels of smooth tannin with a mineral character in its finish. This is an easy-to-drink distinctive red than can match perfectly with a summer barbeque!
We are featuring this wine in our Acequia Wine Club or you can order it from our On Line Store.

Cheers!

Gisela & Noelia Our Wine Servers

Durigutti Bonarda 2006

Posted in Behind the bottle, Tasting Notes | No Comments »


Winter at The Vines of Mendoza’s Private Vineyard Estates

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

This morning we were all greeted by winter and the first snowfall of the season. In the city of Mendoza it is not common to see snow, much less than have it snow all day- it is still snowing! In the Valle de Uco, however, they are used to seeing the scenic vineyards blanketed by snow periodically throughout the winter. The Vines agronomist, Daniel Guillen, was at the vineyard this morning and captured the winter wonderland that is our Private Vineyard Estates! So for all of you in the northern hemisphere enjoying more than 100 degree fahrenheit weather, sitting at the pool enjoying a cool, crisp glass of Torrontes…just imagine us making snowmen, digging out our gloves and hats from the closets and scurrying from place to place trying to get warm.

For more images of this rare occurrence check out our local paper Los Andes

Salud!

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Posted in Life in Mendoza, Photos, Private Vineyard Estates | 2 Comments »


CELEBRATE SUMMER SALE | 9 DAYS LEFT !!!

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

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An Italian Winemaker making Malbec

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Mendoza has become pole of attraction for wine lovers and wine professionals from all over the world. Giuseppe Franceschini, a young Italian winemaker, fell in love with Mendoza (and a Mendocina) and decided to start making his own Malbec from Argentina; BACAN.

Bacan 2007 has been featured in our Summer Acequia Wine Club

Bacán is a word used in the tango language (lunfardo), to define a man that loves good life elegant and refined, gallant with the women, lover of the parties and good wine. Grapes for this wine come from an 80-year-old vineyard. Fermentation and maceration was carried out in 15 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.

Debonair and spicy this wine is the true gentleman with delicate sensibilities. Black raspberry, blackberry with bittersweet chocolate, the lively pepper, cinnamon, and tobacco round out the mouth and nose with a long finish of black fruit and tannins.

Tasting this great Malbec, Giuseppe told me more about his wine passion.

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Posted in Behind the bottle, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »


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