Growing Conditions
Agrelo 3,117 ft (950 m) elevation: aluvial origin. Clay topsoil with rounded rocks on the bottom.
Villa Bastías 3,675 ft (1,120 m) elevation: aluvial origin. Silt loamy soil with limestone on the bottom.
Altamira in La Consulta 3,593 ft (1,095 m) elevation: aluvial origin. Loamy soil, with rounded rocks on the bottom.
El Cepillo, Eugenio Bustos 3,593 ft (1,090 m) elevation: aluvial origin. Loam-sandy soil with thick calcareous layers and rounded rocks on the bottom.
Gualtallary 4,757 ft (1,450 m) elevation: aluvial origin. Gravel and limestone soil. Rounded rocks in the bottom.
The wines stand out for their high natural acidity, freshness and concentration. There is perfect balance of acidity and alcohol; we predict an extraordinary ageing potential.
2014 was the coolest harvest year since 2001. It was a year with pronounced regional contrasts. Abundant snowmelt (the Andes could be seen covered in snow throughout most of the harvest season) would have made this a very large harvest, except that everything slowed down with the cool weather in February, March and April, and the severe September frost. The frost affected predominantly Eastern and Northern Mendoza and San Juan, but also some parts of the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo. In the end, the harvest was delayed by one to two weeks and overall the yields were average.
A great achievement for this year was the certification of the Argentina Sustainability Protocol by Bodegas de Argentina. The project started four years ago when Laura Catena came back from California with the idea to apply sustainable practices in the Catena Vineyards. Vineyard manager Luis Reginato teamed up with the Catena Institute of Wine to adapt the California protocol to Mendoza.
Many of the practices were already endemic to our Catena culture of green winegrowing, but having a formal process helped us take advantage of sustainability at all levels of our family winery, from the vineyards to the winery to human resources.
The beneficial effects of using green forage between rows, natural compost and judicious water management convinced us to attempt a certification process for our whole wine region. We brought our protocol to Bodegas de Argentina and worked with the Catena Institute, the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and the INV (National Viticulture Institute) to provide a certifiable protocol for the region, which was formally approved in November of 2013. The protocol has a strong humanistic approach, encouraging the provision of social benefits for employees and child-care and nutrition for the families of seasonal workers.
Winemaking
Cold maceration for 3 days, fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 20 days and post-fermentation maceration for 20-23 days. Wild yeasts.
Total Acidity: 5.35 grams/liter
Aging
Elevage: 12-14 months in barrel. Barrel selection varies depending on vineyard and vintage - First, second and third use barrels used.
