Nose
Deeply aromatic with expressive citrus fruit aromas and rich minerals notes.
Growing Conditions
Lujan de Cuyo (950m/ 3117 ft). Alluvial origin. Clay topsoil with rounded rocks on the bottom. 30%Clay - 40%Silt - 30%Sand.
We were concerned that there would be problems with frost, because of the dry spring, but a constant evening breeze made frosts rare this year. And outside of Agrelo, there were no significant hail storms. We expected the harvest to be larger than usual, but the combination of dry weather and cool climate resulted in yields slightly lower than the norm.
A warm April at the beginning of Autumn guaranteed a healthy harvest of our cool climate Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest altitude areas.
Harvest
Dry weather (precipitations 20-60% lower than usual), small berries and slightly lower yields; cooler temperatures overall. The 2019 harvest happened about 1-3 weeks earlier than usual, and the grapes were in pristine condition with not a drop of botrytis or downy mildew.
A high skin/juice ratio that resulted from the small berry size, made for highly concentrated wines with great color. Acidities ran higher than usual due to the cool climate. We expect the 2019 wines to be approachable when young, but also able to age.
Winemaking
This wine goes through cold settling for 12 hours at 41ºF (5ºC). The juice is then fermented for 25 days with a post-fermentation maceration of 6 hours.
Aging
9 months in contact with the lees. French oak.
