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.
“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.
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.
There was a decrease of about 100 mm (4 inches), about 30% less rain in every region.
Harvest
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.
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
Elevage: 12-14 months in barrel. Barrel selection varies depending on vineyard and vintage -First, second and third use barrels used.
