Fincas Don Martino Old Vine Malbec 2010

Fincas Don Martino is a creation of famed agronomist Mauricio Parodi and Buenos Aires Businessman Hugo Martino. The project began in 2002 when Parodi fell in love with the quality of fruit from "Viña Violeta", a small 18.5 acre vineyard in Agrelo, a sub-district within the Luján de Cuyo appellation of Mendoza. The vines, planted in 1926, are ungrafted Malbec clones originally brought to Argentina from France. The vineyard's high elevation (3,850 feet) allows the grapes to develop tremendous complexity via an extended growing season and large daily temperature fluctuations.

In addition to the two Malbec wines they produce out of the "Vina Violeta" site, the winery has recently begun producing small quantities of old vine Semillon from a heritage vineyard in Perdriel. As production is limited by the small size of these two vineyards, each of these wines have become "cult" items in their native Mendoza. All are produced organically and bottled unfined and unfiltered.