What I didn't know about Argentina until recently is exactly how big a country it is. I knew it was famous for the Tango, for gauchos and beef, but I didn't know that in the space of two weeks, if you are prepared to take six internal flights, you can see glaciers and condors at one end of the country and enormous waterfalls in sub-tropical jungles with Toucans, monkeys and even humming birds at the other.
I did know that in between the two there are a great number of vineyards and wineries producing a variety of wines from a variety of grapes. I didn't expect, but did enjoy some Pinot Noir from northern Patagonia whereas I did expect and also enjoyed the Malbecs of Mendoza, the signature wines of Argentina.
The One and I visited two wineries in the Lujan de Cuyo sub-region of Mendoza which sits a short drive to the East of the Andean foothills and to the South of the city itself. The first was very hi-tech and shiny producing good, if fairly uninspiring wines but the second much more appealing and where I found:
Week M (2014) Clos De Chacras, Gran Estirpe 2010. AR$ 261 (~£19.49) from the cellar door.
Clos de Chacras is a family run winery with an interesting history. The family originated in the Italian speaking parts of Switzerland and in 1883 Bautista Geronimo Gargantini moved to Argentina where he stated making a living as a livestock trader and meat marketeer. He was sufficiently successful that he raised enough capital to enter the wine trade, with subsequent generations following on, including his son who in 1948 made the first traditional method sparkling wine in Argentina.
Some time later the winery was sold, only to be reacquired by the founder's great-granddaughter and her husband in 1987. They re-established and modernised production from 2003 and now produce a range of eight wines.
The Gran Estirpe is their top range of two wines. One is a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merolt, but this is 100% Malbec and made from grapes grown in another but distinct nearby sub-region: Maipu.
It packs quite a punch, having 14.5% abv as this is a hot continental region and the grapes have plenty of sunshine to help them fully ripen and produce lots of sugar which then gets fermented to generate this high alcohol level.
It has been matured for 18 months in a mixture of first use French and American oak barrels, which we were shown as we were guided round the winery. Each barrel was marked not only with the type of oak, but the flavour characteristics each barrel could be expected to provide to the finished wine, such as 'complex', 'intense', or 'sweet'. Wines from these barrels are blended together to give the final result the winemaker is wanting and then bottled and released for sale after a further period of maturation in the bottle.
The deep ruby colour and obvious legs give a clue as to what to expect a little later. The nose is appealing, with black fruits and vanilla leading the charge. The mouthfeel is full and soft with well integrated tannins and gentle acidity. It is slightly warming, but full of fruit, and has a long finish where the oak and fruit gradually disappear together.
This bottle survived four flights in my suitcase and I am very happy that it did. The wine is sadly unavailable in the UK so it may be some time before I get to taste it again and I am less happy about that!
I did know that in between the two there are a great number of vineyards and wineries producing a variety of wines from a variety of grapes. I didn't expect, but did enjoy some Pinot Noir from northern Patagonia whereas I did expect and also enjoyed the Malbecs of Mendoza, the signature wines of Argentina.
The One and I visited two wineries in the Lujan de Cuyo sub-region of Mendoza which sits a short drive to the East of the Andean foothills and to the South of the city itself. The first was very hi-tech and shiny producing good, if fairly uninspiring wines but the second much more appealing and where I found:
Week M (2014) Clos De Chacras, Gran Estirpe 2010. AR$ 261 (~£19.49) from the cellar door.Clos de Chacras is a family run winery with an interesting history. The family originated in the Italian speaking parts of Switzerland and in 1883 Bautista Geronimo Gargantini moved to Argentina where he stated making a living as a livestock trader and meat marketeer. He was sufficiently successful that he raised enough capital to enter the wine trade, with subsequent generations following on, including his son who in 1948 made the first traditional method sparkling wine in Argentina.
Some time later the winery was sold, only to be reacquired by the founder's great-granddaughter and her husband in 1987. They re-established and modernised production from 2003 and now produce a range of eight wines.
The Gran Estirpe is their top range of two wines. One is a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merolt, but this is 100% Malbec and made from grapes grown in another but distinct nearby sub-region: Maipu.
It packs quite a punch, having 14.5% abv as this is a hot continental region and the grapes have plenty of sunshine to help them fully ripen and produce lots of sugar which then gets fermented to generate this high alcohol level.
It has been matured for 18 months in a mixture of first use French and American oak barrels, which we were shown as we were guided round the winery. Each barrel was marked not only with the type of oak, but the flavour characteristics each barrel could be expected to provide to the finished wine, such as 'complex', 'intense', or 'sweet'. Wines from these barrels are blended together to give the final result the winemaker is wanting and then bottled and released for sale after a further period of maturation in the bottle.
The deep ruby colour and obvious legs give a clue as to what to expect a little later. The nose is appealing, with black fruits and vanilla leading the charge. The mouthfeel is full and soft with well integrated tannins and gentle acidity. It is slightly warming, but full of fruit, and has a long finish where the oak and fruit gradually disappear together.
This bottle survived four flights in my suitcase and I am very happy that it did. The wine is sadly unavailable in the UK so it may be some time before I get to taste it again and I am less happy about that!
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