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Posts Tagged ‘Vines of Mendoza’

Its all about the dirt…

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Or for Piero Incisa della Rocchetta its all about the compost. At his winery Bodega Chacra, which he founded in 2003 and which is located in the Rio Negro Valley in Patagonia, 620 miles south of Buenos Aires, he focuses on the pure, unadulterated expression of Pinot Noir. He hails from one of the most esteemed winemaking families in Italy and spends part of the year at his family estate Tenuta San Guido which makes the stunning Sassacaia wines, a European wine that broke the mold of what world class wine is made of and the traditions that surround it.

Piero is boisterous, passionate and an amazing host, waxing on not only about dirt but the property that he brought back from the dead. He has named his wines after the years that the vineyards were planted, one in 1955 and aptly named Cincuenta y cinco and the other Treinta y dos from a single vineyard planted in 1932 and then later abandoned. The finca is unasumming and modern with clean lines and a beautiful winery filled with concrete tanks. The focus is entirely biodynamic- not only in the vineyard but in the winery as well, which is often difficult in and of itself. It is surrounded with chickens, goats, and bee’s as well as an incredible vegetable garden which we were luckily able to sample from for lunch. The setting is a country idyll. Located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the climate of the Rio Negro valley is dry at around 750 meters in altitude and often experiences high winds and harsh frosts, however like Mendoza, it is free of pests and phylloxera due to the aridity. That being said, Patagonia is making a name for itself with Pinot Noir and Piero is definitely leading the charge with his expressive and intense wines.

The wines themselves are silky, elegant and entirely a Patagonian expression of Pinot Noir. No mechanization is used at all during the wine production which results with rich aromatics, deep color concentration and lush flavor profiles. We tasted a 2010 Cincuenta y Cinco which was delicately floral with caramel, coffee and strawberries in the nose with sweet, succulent cherries and spice throughout the lovely finish.

The Treinta y Dos 2009 was much more masculine and expressive with brooding, dark colors and flavors. Blueberries, black cherries with graphite, tobacco and a bit of tar entice your senses with rich round fruit in the mouth accented with black licorice, dried fruits and structured yet extremely elegant tannins.

The Barda Pinot, a declassification blend of the other wines is an amazing value and a lush Pinot to seek out when you can. There is lots of spice and acid, (one of my favorite wine components) with tart cherries and strawberries and dusted with dried herbs through the finish.

Piero’s wines are not just wines, but an expression of the terroir as well as his innate personality. Talking with him you begin to understand the integral relationship a winemaker has with the land, the grapes and the final product. His passion and attention to detail is apparent from beginning to end. We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Piero and some of his friends, harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden for a succulent impromptu lunch that was definitely a highlight to our trip to Patagonia. Indeed, his wines are essentials in your cellar.

The wine drinking public is also falling in love with Piero and is wines, check out the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine where they profile the winery as well as include some of his secret recipes!

Also the Wine Spectator mentions his wines as 14 new enticing wines from Argentina saying:

“Bodega Chacra, founded in 2003 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, whose grandfather started the “super Tuscan” Sassicaia, is setting the benchmark for Pinot Noir in South America. The bodega’s entry-level Barda bottling is sourced mostly from 20-year-old vines, with additional juice coming from 80- and 55-year-old vines. Della Rochetta has also recently begun bottling a Merlot; both wines display the estate’s penchant to couple a pure, elegant fruit profile with the region’s racy graphite and aromatic notes”.

For more information check out their website: www.bodegachacra.com

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Posted in Experiences, Tasting Notes | No Comments »

Winery of the Month: Las Perdices!

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

This month we’re featuring Bodega Las Perdices, a family owned winery in the Lujan de Cuyo. In 1953, Juan Munoz Lopez moved to Mendoza with his family from Andelucia, Spain. Their dream of planting vines and making Argentine wine began from scratch, in a rural area of Mendoza. On the land that the Lopez family purchased, families of partridges (“perdices”) roamed, and were often found in groups of three, hence the trio of partridges on the label. From vineyards at 1,030 meters above sea level, Las Perdices produces small batch wines that show varietal typicity and express terroir. I recently stopped into the Vines of Mendoza tasting room to check out some of the bottles that are part of this month’s Winery of the Month promotion!

2010 Las Perdices Pinot Grigio

Pale straw color with green hints, this refreshing white opens with bright citrus aromas of lemon peel and lime with notes of white flower. On the palate, the wine is lively and lemony with wet stone minerality and a pleasant, clean finish. The perfect hot weather wine and a great pairing with fresh shellfish and citrus.

2009 Las Perdices Reserva Pinot Noir

A lovely pale violet color with ruby highlights, this velvety Pinot is all wild strawberry, vanilla, and dried rose petal on the nose. With sweet, soft tannins on the palate, flavors of black cherry, wet earth, black pepper, and baking spices integrate nicely. A pretty Pinot.

2008 Las Perdices Reserva Bonarda

Intensely concentrated, deep violet color with enticing aromas of black fruit, clove, and smoke. Full-bodied and spicy on the palate, more juicy blackberries come through with black and red pepper, coffee, and toast. A lovely red to sip slowly, letting the wine evolve in the glass over time.

2009 Las Perdices Cabernet

Beautiful garnet red color with bright ruby tints. Sweet cassis aromas, red fruit, and vanilla abound on the nose. Savory on the palate, with cedar, earth, fresh herbs and dark berry fruits, this Cabernet has firm tannins and a long, chocolatey finish. Perfect for a juicy steak.

Also don’t miss Las Perdices’ icon wine, Tinamu. With only 4,000 bottles produced, this blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Tannat is powerful and complex, a nice treat for that special occasion. This wine recently won a gold medal in the Argentina Wine Awards. To celebrate Las Perdices this month, you can buy a case in out online store for just $155 USD (normally $135 USD). So this month is a great time to get to know this small but impressive Mendoza winery!

Posted in Mendoza Bodegas, Promotions, Tasting Notes | No Comments »

How to Choose your Malbec by the Label

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Yesterday we celebrated World Malbec day and not only that but it is Malbec season here at The Vines, where we are in full swing with our Malbec harvest at our Private Vineyard Estates. With so much activity and focus on Malbec, it is often difficult to decide what to by, what it all means and what will actually be in the bottle!

For some help on how to traverse these mazes of wine labels, one of our Private Vineyard Estate owners, Barry Chaiken, proprietor of Chaiken Vineyards has a great blog that discusses what information really is on the back label.

Also you should sign up for his newsletters to get an insider’s perspective on Argentine wine and his experiences as a vineyard owner making wine in Argentina. www.chaikenvineyards.com

Here is one of his great blog posts:

Oh so many wines to choose from in most wine shops, it is difficult to know which of the wines available you will enjoy. Market research shows that attractive wine packaging, just like for other consumer goods, can help boost sales. For many years “critter” wine labels – those with the cute animals on the label – were successful in attracting buyers to inexpensive wines from Australia.

For those of us who are more interested in choosing a wine that will be attractive to our taste buds rather than our eyes, reviewing some basic information on the label can help intelligently guide our choices. Although some wine labels may appear to provide rather limited information about the wine, there is almost always enough information available to guide us.

When first approaching a wine, look at the alcohol content. Red wines with high alcohol content (14.5-16%+) tend to be big, powerful, flavorful wines that are perfect for drinking alone or with very flavorful foods (e.g., rich, juicy steak). Lower alcohol red wines are more elegant and subtle in their flavors, thereby drinking best only when paired with appropriate foods.

For white wines, a lower alcohol content (e.g., 9-12%) usually indicates a high level of residual sugar seen in sweet wines. Very high alcohol white wines (e.g., 14%+) may indicate a dry wine that is out of balance as white wines generally do not have the strength of flavors, acidity, and tannins to counter the alcohol.

The type of varietal considered with the region the wine comes from gives a sense of what flavors can be expected from the wine. If there is a wine you currently like, then choose a wine made from a similar varietal (e.g., pinot noir) and the same region (e.g., Russian River Valley, CA) made by another producer. Most likely you will like this new wine while also learning from the differences you detect comparing the wines.

Other information such as types of barrels used (e.g., French vs. American oak, new vs. 2nd use), time in barrel, and bottle aging, all give you more information about the wine. As you drink more wine and relate the information you read on the label with the flavors in the wine, you will develop an internal guidebook that can help you choose wine in a liquor store or restaurant.

Although reviews and scores are useful in choosing a fine, the best guide is your own drinking experience. No one is a better critic of what you may like than you are.

Sincerely,

Barry P. Chaiken, Proprietor

Chaiken Vineyards

info@chaikenvineyards.com

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Posted in Experiences, Private Vineyard Estates | No Comments »

Malbec World Day

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

Tomorrow marks the first ever Malbec World Day, a celebration of Argentina’s flagship grape varietal taking place in over forty-seven countries worldwide! Here in Mendoza, the weekend is full of Malbec-related activities and the main even happens today at Tupungato Winelands. Over 200 special guests have been invited to enjoy a cocktail party, hot air balloon rides, and a special auction of vintage Argentine wines. A 1984 Luigi Bosca Malbec worth 2,000 pesos will be sold, as well as a rare 1981 Finca Flichman Caballero de la Cepa.

Elsewhere, in cities like New York, London, and Shanghai, similar events are taking place throughout the weekend. In an interesting international collaboration, wine experts from the U.S., Canada and the UK have been invited to Mendoza to team up with a local winery and pick Argentine grapes. Those grapes will then be shipped in temperature controlled containers back to each country, where they will be crushed and made into wine by local winemakers. In one year the wines will be tasted to see who’s is best!

April 17th has been chosen for Malbec World Day because it marks the day in 1853 when the Quinta Agronomica bill was passed, providing more government funds for agriculture, and specifically the development of vineyards in Argentina. This bill changed the future of local wine forever, and now Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine worldwide. That’s a pretty good reason to celebrate!

Of course, the best way to celebrate is by drinking lots of delicious Malbec! For tomorrow only The Vines of Mendoza is offering 30% off all bottles of Malbec in our online store! Just type “Malbec” in the offer code box at the top of the screen to get the discount. Take advantage of this great deal and help us “festejar” this important day for Mendoza and Argentine wineries!

A bit about some of the Malbecs you can find in our online store:

2007 Atamisque Malbec $49

Concentrated and elegant with many layers.

2007 Bacan Reserva Malbec $35

Round and juicy with sweet notes of mint and caramel.

2006 Bodega del Genio Malbec $19

Bold, dark fruit and warm spices.

2007 Bressia Monteagrelo Malbec $30

Powerful yet delicate, an enticingly complex wine.

2007 Caligiore Malbec $15

A savory Malbec with eucayptus and pepper notes.

2004 Cavagnaro Malbec $40

Full and jammy with hints of smoke and coffee.

2006 Dona Silvina Reserva Malbec $69

Rich and complex, with black cherry and floral notes.

2005 Enrique Foster Limited Edition Malbec $60

Get it while it lasts! A local favorite.

2006 Enrique Foster Terruno Lunlunta $31

Lots of berry fruit and good concentration.

2007 Gimenez Riili Reserva Malbec $49

Red and black berries with vanilla and toast.

2006 Inizio Reserva Malbec $23

Earthy, with black fruit and clove.

2006 Laborum Malbec $49

Deeply concentrated with ripe plum and hazelnut.

2006 Lindaflor Malbec $51

Lovely and balanced, a wine to fall in love with.

2006 Maia Malbec $23

Juicy red fruit perfect for picnics!

2005 Montecinco Malbec $79

Rated worlds best Malbec in 2008.

2006 Ricomenciare Altisimo Malbec $40

Cherries and earthy notes, one-of-a-kind.

2009 Serbal Malbec $22

Young and fresh, with lively tannin and plum jam.

Happy Malbec World Day everyone! Let the vino flow!!

About the author: Cara De Lavallade is a Level II Court of Masters Sommelier from Seattle, Washington. Temporarily relocated to Mendoza, she is smelling and tasting all she can to gain a better understanding of the local juice. Look for her wine reviews, bodega visits, and other winey musings on The Vines of Mendoza blog this spring.

Posted in In the News, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Promotions, Tasting Notes | No Comments »

The Magic of Domaine St. Diego

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

I admit I am in love with visiting wineries. It is probably my number one preferred recreational activity next to tasting and yes, drinking wines. But after almost four months of winery touring in Mendoza, one does start to get a bit bored with staring at stainless steel tanks listening to guides give slightly different versions of the same speech over and over again. But a recent visit to Domaine St. Diego served as a refreshing reminder of why I love wine and the people who make it. A truly unique winery experience in Mendoza.

Domaine St. Diego is an ultra boutique winery located in the Lunlunta Valley in Maipu, Mendoza. Headed by famed Argentine winemaker Angel Mendoza, this winery started as a family project about twenty years ago and continues to produce wines of very small production that are only available for purchase at the winery. Angel’s daughter, Maria Laura Mendoza guides the tour which focuses exclusively on the vineyards. Mendoza believes that wine should not be made in the winery, but grown in the vineyard.

The sheer amount of information that I absorbed and scribbled hurriedly in my notebook I do not have space to share with you here. Having grown up in the winery, surrounded by vines and wine, Maria Laura is like a walking encyclopedia on vineyard maintenance and “wine growing”. We began with a short lesson on tasting Malbec grapes to determine ripeness. What’s the trick? First separate the pulp from the skin, then the seed from the pulp, then chew on the seed, then the skin. If the seed separates easily from the pulp, is crunchy when you chew it, and the skin takes more than five chews before it becomes tannic and green in your mouth, you’ve got yourself a ripe Malbec grape ready for picking. Cool, huh?

Along with Malbec, Cabernet, and Chardonnay in the vineyard, the Mendozas have a few vines of the uncommon grape, Apirant Bouschet, planted. Easy to spot for it’s brightly colored leaves with deep crimson veins, this varietal has blood red pulp and is used to concentrate color in the wines. With some of the only hillside vineyards I’ve seen in Mendoza, the estate lies in a protected valley with hills to one side and mountains to the other. This means that they rarely face hail or frost problems, and the hillside vineyards benefit from all-day sun exposure. It’s these sun-saturated grapes go into Mendoza’s Paradigma, an oaked blend that shows that a wine doesn’t have to spend time in the barrel to have concentration or great ageing potential.

Speckled throughout the vines are about 300 olive trees, producing four different varieties. In this photo Maria Laura shows us the difference between Manzanilla and Arauco olives. These seventy year old trees share the land well with the vines, having more shallow root systems that do not compete with the vines for water. Some of the grapes grow in the shade of these trees, and as a result are less ripe and higher acid. Mendoza uses these for the house sparkling wine, Brut Xero, which is impressively produced on site in a traditional variation of the Champenoise Method (AND can be found for sipping in the Vines tasting room!).

After the fantastic tour we returned to the family house to taste the wines and olive oil. More magic. The olive oil has intensely grassy aromas, with plenty of fruit on the palate and big spice on the finish. True to the nature of Arauco, it is full bodied and bold in flavor, lovely with the rosemary bread that accompanied. Named Elea, after Mendoza’s granddaughter, the sparkling Malbec rose was full of wild strawberry on the nose and pleasantly refreshing with good acid on the palate. Next, the unoaked 2008 Paradigma, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet was fresh yet concentrated, with ripe plum and rose aromas, herb, red pepper and juicy red fruit in the mouth. Refreshingly well balanced, this is a unique wine for Argentina. Finally, the 2006 Pura Sangre Malbec/Cabernet blend spends two years in the tank, two years in mostly second use French oak, and one year in the bottle. With seductive vanilla, clove, and black cherry jam on the nose, the wine is round and rich on the palate with a wonderful pepper and toast finish. The best part, you can take home the blends for fifty pesos a bottle, the rose and olive oil for a cool thirty pesos.

A one-of-a-kind winery in Mendoza, Domaine St. Diego offers a memorable experience and wines with character. Don’t miss this one next time you’re out tasting in Mendoza!

Domaine St. Diego

F. Villanueva 3821

Lunlunta, Maipu, Mendoza

(0261) 4395557

Posted in Behind the bottle, Experiences, Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes | 1 Comment »

Winemaker’s Night with Gimenez Riili

Friday, April 8th, 2011

At another packed Winemaker’s Night this week, we were excited to host winemaker Pablo Martorell and the wines from Bodega Gimenez Riili! A family project more than sixty years in the making, the Gimenez Riili winery just finished construction on a brand new winery in the Uco Valley. Literally, it opened yesterday! Among the chaos of harvest and opening an brand new winery, Pablo Martorell and winery owner Pablo Gimenez Riili made time to chat with us about the history of the project and the new developments.

Started in Maipu, Gimenez Riili has three generations of family behind it. Now, with the new bodega in Uco Valley, they are blending grapes from their vineyards in the two regions to achieve greater complexity in the reds. While vines in Maipu are highly productive, and bear grapes that have fruitier flavors, Uco Valley vines produce more concentrated fruit at lower yields. In blending grapes from the two regions, Pablo can create a wine with intensity and fresh juicy fruit flavors. The Perpetuum Torrontes is the only oddball- made with grapes coming from the Famatina Valley in La Rioja, the hot new spot to grow Torrontes.

Gimenez Riili also spoke about his connection with Vines of Mendoza, as he is part owner of Vines as well as continuing the family project. His new winery in Uco Valley is actually part of a new “wine village” that the Vines is working on near our own vineyards. This wine village will bring together eight different boutique wineries in one easy-to-access area for Uco Valley visitors. The Riili bodega is the first of these to officially open up this week.

Throughout the night the conversation kept coming back to the theme of blending grapes from different regions. Riili explained that because the Uco Valley is pristine in being relatively pest-free, the area is controlled, making it very complicated to bring in grapes from other areas, such as Maipu. Thus his Maipu Malbec is crushed and fermented in the old bodega, then transported in stainless steel tanks to the Uco bodega where it is blended with the Uco Malbec.

The wines were exceptional. We began with the citrusy 2010 Perpetuum Torrontes. With crisp tropical fruit on the palate, this white has a clean, mineral-driven finish and a final floral note that lingers. Pablo told the crowd that this is the official summer Sunday family lunch wine for the Gimenez Riilis. The 2008 Perpetuum Merlot has plenty of dried fruit, flower, and black cherry with a pleasant smokiness. This wine was the first star of the bodega, selling more than Malbec in the beginning of the project. The 2008 Vista Flores Reserva Malbec was a lovely melange of black pepper spice, black plum, and violet with a hint of smoked meat. Rich, with spicy tannins, this single-vineyard Malbec earned 89 points from Steven Tanzer.

Finally, the super-star of the night, Riili’s 2008 Altamira Malbec displayed sweet red plum, pepper, and red flower petals on the nose, with bright fresh red fruit and toast on the palate with a rich, chocolaty finish. Just in the bottle, this wine won’t be released for another six months. The previous vintage of this Malbec scored an impressive 93 points by the Wine Advocate.

Overall another great evening with good company and impressive wines. Thanks again to Pablo Martorell, Pablo Gimenez Riili, and Don Eduardo Gimenez for making time to share their work with us!

Posted in Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes, Vines Events | No Comments »

More to Mendoza than Wine

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Win!

This week on Tripadvisor members voted Vines of Mendoza the number one attraction in Mendoza! Thanks to all who were nice enough to write glowing reviews for us on the website! And while we agree that tasting wine at The Vines is the best thing to do while in Mendoza, here are some other great Mendoza activities to enjoy!

Parque General San Martin

There’s nothing like a picnic in the park! On the western edge of the city center, Parque San Martin is a lush refuge ideal for exercising, sunbathing, or just a serene afternoon by the lake. This massive green space offers everything from miles of walking and biking paths to a golf course to the local zoo! Climb to the top of Cerro de la Gloria (Hill of Glory) to see sweeping views of mountains and Mendoza and an impressive statue of San Martin himself.

Potrerillos Dam

Itching to get out of the city? Potrerillos is the launching point for many of Mendoza’s adventure excursions. Be it climbing, trekking, or white-water rafting, you can find guides for all of these in this tiny mountain town. Even if you’re just looking for a peaceful day in the mountains, the lake created by the dam offers stunning views and the paths around the lake allow you to take in the scenery from a variety of different viewpoints.

Mercado Central

Snuggled in the heart of the city is a culinary treasure! Mercado Central has everything from cumin to whole trout to liters of olive oil. Here, you’ll find all of your epicurean needs for creating that fancy dinner or stocking up for Sunday asado. Aromas of fresh-baked bread mingle with frying empanadas and pizza just out of the oven.

Plaza Independencia

Cotton candy, hippy crafts, magicians, and more! Mendoza’s most central plaza is always a buzz of activity, even until the wee hours of the morning. Soak up sun by the fountain while enjoying a frosty cone from one of Mendoza’s many fantastic ice cream shops. For a bit of culture, pop into the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno or check out a play at the Teatre Julio Quintanilla, both located in the center of the plaza.

Biking Around Maipu

An excellent alternative way to enjoy the local wines, biking around Maipu allows you to visit the wineries on your own schedule while working off some of that bife de chorizo from last night! Stop by Mr. Hugo or Bikes and Wines to pick up a sturdy cycle and a map of local bodegas. Riding down the tree-lined route, you’re treated to an impressive view of the Andes rising behind miles of vineyards. Some recommended bodegas to visit in Maipu include Carinae, Tempus Alba, and La Rural, where you can tour the extensive wine museum. On the route back to town, don’t forget to stop by the local artisan beer bar and the chocolate factory!

And then, of course, there’s wine! Stop by the Vines of Mendoza tasting room to sample the best of the region and visit the Vinoteca at the Park Hyatt to pick out some bottles to send back home. Remember March is FREE SHIPPING month!!

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Winemaker’s Night with Catena Zapata

Friday, March 18th, 2011

This week at Winemaker’s Night we were overjoyed to present wines from local superstar winery, Catena Zapata and their talented winemaker, Alejandro Vigil! One of our best-attended events of the season, last night’s Winemakers Night brought in travelers and mendocinos alike to get the dish on this well-known winemaker and his highly-acclaimed wines.

We began with the 2007 Angelica Zapata Chardonnay, a wine that has been highly influenced by Alejandro’s visits to the Burgundy region of France. Chardonnay and Cabernet are the favorites of the big boss, Nicolas Catena, so Alejandro is under extra pressure with these varietals to produce the very best, competing with the likes of white Burgundy, one of Nicloas’ favorites.

Sourcing grapes from different vineyards and different harvests, Alejandro also includes botrycized grapes in this wine. These are grapes that have grown a specific type of fungus, called Noble Rot or Botrytis which intensifies the acids and sugars in the grapes. The world-famous Sauternes of Chateau D’Yquem are made with botricyized grapes and have influenced Alejandro greatly in his creation of this Chardonnay. The botrycized grapes add lovely honey and peach characteristics while maintaining good levels of acidity.

When tasting wines, Alejandro always suggests starting with white, moving to reds, and then coming back to white to finish. He says it’s better to make a circle, letting the white wine warm open up a bit, to appreciate it two ways.

It was a fun and interesting evening as Alejandro spoke candidly about his personal philosophy on wine and winemaking techniques, claiming wine is only wine once it’s been aged in oak. Before then, it is just fermented grape juice. This isn’t a judgement- Vigil made it clear that he’s made some very lovely fermented grape juice in his time.

Introducing his newest project, “El Enemigo”, a blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot, Alejandro explained that while Angelica is his food, Enemigo is his fun. Fresh and plummy, this blend is his chance to play.

Overall the night presented a lovely opportunity to learn from an ambitious winemaker, taste these classic Mendoza wines, and try something new!!

A big thanks to Alejantro Vigil and the folks at Catena Zapata for joining us this week! Stay tuned for who’s at The Vines next week!

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THE VINES SPRING SAVINGS | FREE SHIPPING

Friday, March 4th, 2011

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL WINES FROM THE VINES!

Stock up on the next hottest Argentine varietal, Torrontes, or indulge in your favorite Malbecs or try some new tasty blends.
They are sure not to disappoint you!
We are offering FREE SHIPPING on all wines for orders above $200 through March 31st.

Just type freeshipping in the box above your shopping cart.

If you need some help choosing the wine, our “wine concierge” is available to help you with any of your shopping needs.

Just email noelia@vinesofmendoza.com with any of your questions.
Saludos!
**Promotion valid for shipments within the US only. To ship gifts to multiple addresses please contact us so that we can place your order for you manually. Not all wines are available for shipping to all states. Customers in Canada and Europe: As our online store does not allow us to process orders outside of the United States, please submit your order to us via email. Please note that additional duties will be charged upon delivery of the wine.

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Dominio Del Plata at The Vines

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Vendimia time here in Mendoza is extremely busy with a high number of tourists visiting as well as the approach of the grape harvest season. We are also pleased to feature new and traditional Mendocino wineries each week in our Noche de Enologo or Winemaker’s Night that we host every Wednesday. We are also excited to welcome several new sommelier interns that will be helping us in the harvest season and who you will start to see more exciting information and articles about Mendoza and Argentine wine.

Lindsay Trivers is from Canada and is working her way around the world to learn more about different countries, varietals and cosecha. She was on hand last night to taste the latest wines from acclaimed winery Dominio Del Plata and Susana Balbo.
The evening’s presenters included José Laviglia, son of Susana, who proudly shared his family’s wine philosophy, winemaker Gustavo Bertagna, and Latin America Sales Manager, Rodolfo Juarez.

Served first was a wine from Salta; the world’s highest wine region. The Crios Torrontés remained true to its varietal typicity showcasing intense floral notes, sweet spices, citrus peel and high acidity.

In sequence, we tasted the Ben Marco Malbec 2008, the Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, and the ultra premium blend, Ben Marco Expresivo 2007. While these wines were true to their varietal differences, they shared a consistency of power, exquisite elegance and thoughtful structure conducive of aging the wines.

As we swirled and sniffed, the discussion flowed from their experimentation of growing grapes at high altitudes and producing fresher wine styles, to creative oaking techniques. To illustrate, Bertagna shared their success in using special order French barriques that have been toasted at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time. The finished barrel has only a light level of toast. To top off these special barrels, literally, they request that one end be fitted with a removable stainless steel lid so that red wines can be fermented in barrel with the skins intact, and the barrel cleaned out effortlessly and used again. While unusual, the methods are providing great results.

The night, once again, proved a success for both winemakers and guests alike. The weekly event continue to provide an amazing insight into the techniques and innovation of winemakers from the region while allowing those in attendance the chance to satisfy their curiosity as to how some of the greatest wines in the world are made.
Thanks to José, Gustavo and Rodolfo for their insights, and to all those who joined us. We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday at The Vines for Bodega Ave.

Posted in Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes | 1 Comment »

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