Winemaker Notes
Estancia Mendoza Warehouse S.A. is located in the area of Tupungato, in the highlands of Mendoza. In this region, known as the Uco Valley and recognized as one of the best vineyards in the world, it is a privileged place for the cultivation of vineyards and the elaboration of high-end wines. Located at 1,100 meters above sea level, it has stony soils of good drainage, where the crops are rustic due to the harsh summer and the snowy winters, and receive the irrigation of the mineralized meltwater of the great Andes mountain range.
The hot days and the cool nights create the conditions for the thermal amplitude to reach 20ºC in a day, which combined with the constant solar irradiation in the austral spring and summer, provide the ideal conditions for the achievement of excellent grapes, mothers indisputable of a great wine.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.