Winemaker Notes
Trapiche’s story began in 1883, in a small vineyard called ‘El Trapiche’ in Mendoza, at the foothills of the Andes Mountain range. With more than 135 years of experience, Trapiche has earned its place as the pioneering Argentinean winery, owning more than 3000 acres of vineyards ranging from 600 meters to over 1200 meters.
Exploration and discovery lie at the heart of the winery, which thrives on innovation as a guiding principle in the search for new horizons. True to its origins, today Trapiche is on a continuous quest for the latest best practices and product innovations, such as being the first to produce wine on Argentina’s east coast by the Atlantic Ocean.
Trapiche has been recognized five times in the ranking of “The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands”, and in 2019 was recognized by Wine Enthusiast as “New World Winery of the Year”. This award marks an important milestone in Trapiche´s history, recognizing its contributions to the Argentine and global wine industries over the past 135 years, and its impact on local wine tourism and culture in recent decades.
Argentina of course is heralded for its Malbecs. But in the last two decades Cabernet Sauvignon has been drawing increased attention from winemakers there, and is now the third most planted variety. It is grown in the Mendoza region in the Andean foothills, especially in Maipú and Luján de Cuyo, at altitudes between 2300 and 3100 feet. Here the climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters. It is very dry and sometimes quite windy, with runoff from the snow-capped Andes providing irrigation. These Argentinian Cabernets offer dark fruit, spice notes, full body and often a voluptuous style.
Another source within Mendoza is the higher altitude Uco Valley, at 3300 to 5000 feet. Up at this level grapes ripen more slowly, despite the bright sun. But that enables them to develop bright acidity levels, giving the wines a fresh quality to go with intense fruit flavors. Another source of good Cabernet Sauvignon in Argentina is Cafayate, in the Calchaquí Valley. North of Mendoza, these vineyards are even higher, at about 5700 feet! These Cabernets carry notes of spice, herbs and menthol to go with dark fruit. Like those from Uco Valley, they show concentration and great vibrancy.
A few producers to look for are Catena, Viña Cobos, Pulenta and Altocedro. Salud!