Growing Conditions
A Blend of Four Vineyards - vineyards are divided into lots that are harvested at different times:
Lunlunta 3,116 ft (920 m): aluvial origin. Loamy clay in the topsoil with rounded rocks on the bottom.
Gualtallary 4,757 ft (1,450 m): alluvial origin. Gravel and limestone. Rounded rocks in the bottom.
Eugenio Bustos 3,593 ft (1,090 m) elevation: Loam-sandy soil with thick calcareous layers and rounded rocks on the bottom.
El Mirador 2460.63 ft (750 m): Aeolian and alluvial silt loam soil.
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 an extensive cold maceration for 5 days at 48ºF (8,8ºC) to extract aromas. The juice is then fermented for 16 days with a post-fermentation maceration of 22 days. Wild Yeasts.
Aging
12-14 months in barrel. Barrel selection varies depending on vineyard and vintage -First, second and third use barrels used.
