Growing Conditions
A Blend of Three Vineyards - vineyards are divided into lots that are harvested at different times:
Lunlunta 3,018 ft (920m) elevation: aluvial origin. Loamy clay in the topsoil 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.
“El Año Mendocino,” the Mendoza Year we call it. After a small cool vintage 2017, which we call “El Año Bordelés” (the Bordeaux Year) and a small, very cool and rainy year in 2016 “El Año Bourguignon” (the Burgundian year), we finally got a vintage that is classically Mendozan: dry, cool, sunny and with moderate yields in every region from the lowest to the highest altitudes.
Cool Nights and high day-night Thermal Amplitude:
The summer of 2017 started out warm but then cooled off during the 2018 harvest months of February, March and April. This, in addition to the lower rainfall, gave rise to optimal balance in the fruit, with beautiful natural acidity, regional aromatic expression and smooth tannins.
Early by Two Weeks:
A warm summer followed by the cooling effect of the Pacific over the Andes during the months of February, March and April gave rise to a slightly earlier (by two weeks) harvest in 2018.
A Dry Year:
There was a decrease of about 100 mm (4 inches), about 30% less rain in every region.
Winemaking
This wine goes through an extensive cold maceration for 5 days at 48ºF (8,8ºC) to extract aromas. The juice is then fermented for 12 days with a post-fermentation maceration of 19-22 days. Wild Yeasts. Elevage: 12 months in barrel. Barrel selection varies depending on vineyard and vintage - First, second and third use barrels used.
- Total Acidity: 5.25 grams/liter
