Mapping Mendoza. Argentina

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Gabriel Flynn
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Mapping The days of buying generic Argentinian Malbec at the top end may soon be over as winemakers focus more on terroir-driven wines that reflect specific sub-regions and vineyard sites.

1 Mapping The days of buying generic Argentinian Malbec at the top end may soon be over as winemakers focus more on terroir-driven wines that reflect specific sub-regions and vineyard sites. Christelle Guibert visits and finds the movement gaining pace Photograph: Marco Gouli New World wines are thought of, typically, as fruit driven, their main focus being on the grape variety rather than a sense of place. While many New World wine regions like to think they put terroir first, in Argentina it is actually happening, and forward-thinking producers are shifting the emphasis of their wines. The country has come a long way in the four years since my first visit in Back then, many wines were overripe, overoaked and overextracted, and sub-regions such as Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo were hardly ever mentioned. On returning in 2010, there was a clear move toward freshness and a more discreet use of oak and the Uco Valley, with its Tupungato district a rising star, had become the most talked about region in the country. Fast-forward another two years, and my most recent trip in November 2012 was all about discovering the different sub-regions within the Uco Valley, undoubtedly the finest area in. The pace of change is quite remarkable, and such progression could not have happened without the Above: Tupungato is the largest sub-region of the Uco Valley, whose main sub-appellation of Gualtallary soars to altitudes of 1,500m 3 0 A p r i l D E C A N T E R D E C A N T E R A p r i l

subappellation of Vista Flores (950m 1,000m) San Carlos: 7,250ha including the main subappellation of La Consulta (1,000m 1,050m) and Altamira (part of La Consulta, 1,050m 1,100m) small group of

Today, with 24,250ha planted, of which 10,000ha are Malbec, the Uco Valley represents about 18% of s wine production including the best Malbec in Argentina.

2 Photographs: Garcia Betancourt (2). Map: Maggie Nelson Uco Valley: main subregions and appellations Tupungato: 8,995ha, including the main subappellation of Gualtallary (1,300m 1,500m altitude) Tunuyan: 7,250ha, including the main subappellation of Vista Flores (950m 1,000m) San Carlos: 7,250ha including the main subappellation of La Consulta (1,000m 1,050m) and Altamira (part of La Consulta, 1,050m 1,100m) small group of young and talented winemakers now placing a huge emphasis on terroir. To me, they represent the new Argentina; the driving force of these movements toward terroir and regionality. Today, with 24,250ha planted, of which 10,000ha are Malbec, the Uco Valley represents about 18% of s wine production including the best Malbec in Argentina. This picturesque valley in the foothills of the Andes is about 25km wide and runs north to south following the course of the Tunuyan River for 70km as it flows down from its source high up in the Andes. It has some of the highest-altitude vineyards in, rising from 980m to 1,500m above sea-level. Because of this altitude, Uco Valley is the coolest zone in and benefits from the influence of cold air from the Andes resulting in fresher styles of wines. Identifying terroirs Uco Valley has three sub-regions: Tupungato to the north, San Carlos to the south and Tunuyan occupying the central area. Within each sub-region, official and yet-to-be-approved sub-appellations have been identified. Gualtallary is the main one in Tupungato (see box above), where the altitude rises from 1,200m to 1,500m. The soils were formed from the sediments of the Las Tunas river basin and other streams in the foothills. Vista Flores, the main sub-appellation of Tunuyan, rises from 800m to 1,000m, its soils coming from the sediments of the streams and alluvial cones near the Andes. To the south, La Consulta, the main sub-appellation of San Carlos, is in the middle of the alluvial cone of the Tunuyan River and its soils contain plenty of rock and pebbles dragged by the river when it emerged from the mountains two million years ago. The move towards single vineyards and appellations is very new to Argentina. In 1994, Bodega Catena Zapata planted its first vineyard, in Gualtallary, a 120ha vineyard called Adrianna, with no extensive study of the soil. Alejandro Vigil, Catena s head of winemaking and one of the pioneers of regionality, explained: Eleven years ago, when I started at Catena, my job was to homogenise the Adrianna vineyard but now we are going in the opposite direction and we realised that it was better to respect the diversity of the soil in order to find different terroir and work with them accordingly. Although modern technology is used NORTHERN MENDOZA A N D E S M O U N T A I N S N Rio LUJAN DE CUYO TUPUNGATO TUNUYAN Rio Tunuyan U C O V A L L E Y SOUTHERN MENDOZA MAIPU 6 SAN CARLOS Rio Diamante 3 Rio Anchayuyu Altamira (micro appellation) EASTERN MENDOZA appellations Las Compuertas Vistalba Agrelo Gualtallary Vista Flores La Consulta such as aerial photography to help with vineyard management and digging trenches to see the soil profiles it is still quite a new thing in Argentina. But it is quickly becoming the main focus for many producers, and the results are very encouraging. After digging 296 holes (or calicatas) in its Adrianna vineyard, Catena has so far identified 12 micro-terroirs, including the two new single-terroir cuvées: White Stone (see box, p38) and Angel s Bone Chardonnay. In the past, we used to harvest all at once but now that we know our soil structure better, we can have up to two months difference in picking times within the vineyard to ensure we Argentinian wine regions A Salta E B Catamarca F Neuquén C La Rioja G Rio Negro D San Juan Pacific Ocean C H I L E C H I L E Santiago 0 ANDES ANDES D F E B C G A kilometres ARGENTINA kilometres Above: Bodega Catena Zapata planted its Adrianna vineyard the first in Gualtallary 19 years ago and has since identified 12 micro-terroirs within it Top: Doña Paula s 135ha Finca Alluvial vineyard in Gualtallary, where vineyard manager Martin Kaiser has dug 160 holes, or calicatas, to make a detailed study of its soils Above: Sebastián Zuccardi with one of the large stones found all over the aptly named Piedra Infinita vineyard, his new venture in Altamira a micro-appellation at 1,100m in La Consulta in San Carlos My dream is for the consumer to ask for a bottle of Zuccardi La Consulta rather than for a Malbec from Sebastian Zuccardi harvest the grapes in optimum condition, said Vigil. He hopes to release other bottlings of microterroir cuvées from Adrianna in future. Similar studies have also been carried out by Doña Paula as Martin Kaiser, its vineyard manager, explained: In Finca Alluvial, our new vineyard in Gualtallary, we made a very detailed study of the soil by digging 160 holes scattered around our 135ha. Understanding regionality Sebastián Zuccardi is another of the new generation of innovative producers, refusing to rest on his laurels since joining his father, José Alberto, at the family business in When he arrived, they had no vineyards in Uco Valley but Sebastián saw the potential and bought land; they now own 200ha there and Sebastián runs this side of the business. We visited the Piedra Infinita vineyard, his new venture in Altamira, a micro-appellation at an altitude of 1,100m in La Consulta. Within a space of five metres, the soil structures vary widely, from sandy to very rocky soil. This is a key factor, as deeper soil, for example, with a high level of clay, requires less water than a soil with a higher percentage of sand and gravel. It is by localising these divergences that vineyard managers can identify the best terroir for each grape variety. As early as 2008, Zuccardi started talking about regionality and single vineyards. For the Alluvial range, I took the decision to put the grape variety on the back label. My sales team thought I was going mad but my dream is for the consumer to ask for a bottle of Zuccardi La Consulta rather than for a Malbec from. This was an ambitious move at such an early stage but things progress very quickly in Argentina. While Roberto de la Mota from Mendel winery shares Zuccardi s view, not everyone does. He cautions: Consumers need to have the relationship between the place and the characteristic of the terroir. This is the direction we are going in but, in our view, before starting on the label, people need to understand sense of place what all these specific terroirs mean. It will take more than a few days to fully understand the differences of each area but even after a couple of tastings, it was obvious to me that a Malbec from La Consulta in San Carlos has totally different characteristics from a Malbec grown in the higher altitude Gualtallary in Tupungato. Wines from Gualtallary tend towards stoney flavours, while wines from La Consulta, a warmer area, typically have riper tannins and fruit. Vista Flores, in the Tunuyan sub-region, gives very floral wines. Even within the appellations there is variation. Altamira, a micro-appellation within La Consulta, 3 2 A p r i l D E C A N T E R D E C A N T E R A p r i l

for 15 years produces wines with noticeably silkier tannins, and a vertical tasting of eight single-vineyard Malbecs from Gualtallary revealed differences in style between each wine which were pretty

3 Above: the Finca las Divas Cabernet Franc vineyard of Riglos, set at 1,350m in Gualtallary. Right: Alejandro Sejanovich, owner-winemaker of Manos Negras ( Black Hands from the soil and the wine) in Altamira is a Malbec specialist who planted Catena s Adrianna vineyard in 1994 and managed it for 15 years produces wines with noticeably silkier tannins, and a vertical tasting of eight single-vineyard Malbecs from Gualtallary revealed differences in style between each wine which were pretty convincing: the wines had a similar fingerprint the same backbone, freshness and elegance but the structure and fruit profile of each was different. It might signal exciting times ahead, but the movement towards terroir-driven wines is still in its infancy and the market for such wines is a still a niche one. Most Argentinian wines remain generic, blended from sub-regions within. Edgardo del Popolo, consultant at Doña Paula and general manager at Dominio del Plata said: Consumers see Argentinian wines as being very rich in fruit and very oaky, but this type of wine is taking Argentina towards a dead end. Today it s all about expressing the different terroirs. The time has come for wine drinkers to start learning about the different sub-regions and appellations of Laura Catena D E C A N T E R A p r i l

Photograph: Garcia Batencourt Mapping appellations I m convinced we are going to see increasingly more bottles labelled with specific geographic indications rather than generically as just another

4 Photograph: Garcia Batencourt Mapping appellations I m convinced we are going to see increasingly more bottles labelled with specific geographic indications rather than generically as just another bottle of Malbec from Argentina. While Malbec dominates the wine scene, the development towards terroir is helping producers to experiment with new varieties. Rafael Calderón, Riglos general manager explained: We planted our vineyards nine years ago and we are now fine-tuning to increase grape varieties or plant new ones that we know are working well with the type of soil. Cabernet Franc, for one, has great potential and it seems to suit the Uco Valley climate well. The style is very different to that from the Loire where it can be vegetal and stalky. The wines display amazing freshness and beautiful structure with lots of floral and savoury characteristics and seem to blend very well with Malbec. For some this matches the Argentine blueprint: In Argentina, we look for green rather than overripe characteristics, while other parts of the world try to avoid it, said Kaiser. But to fully understand the topography of s different sub-regions and appellations, there needs to be a map something that has long been missing here. (Imagine a wine map of Bordeaux or the Rhône with no communes or AC delimitations!) In late 2012, the Catena Wine Institute published a map highlighting the Consumers see Argentinian wines as being very rich in fruit and very oaky, but this type of wine is taking Argentina towards a dead end Edgardo del Popolo Principal Appellations of, which also lists the 25 sub-appellations approved by the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura. The INV is the government agency that approves the information to be used on Argentinian wine labels. For a wine to feature its Indicación Geográfica, or IG, 100% of the grapes need to come from region the listed on the label. The first appellations law was signed in 1999 and there have been several amendments over the years; about 100 appellations are still pending approval, including Gualtallary. Laura Catena remembered when her father, Nicolás Catena, started his wine revolution in the 1980s: It was not uncommon for us to have a top-quality vineyard bordered by a high-yielding, overly watered vineyard belonging to a bulk producer. At that time, we did not think that an appellations law would help the region, because Below: the Michelini brothers of Zorzal Mathías (also of Passionate Wine), Maurizio and Juan Pablo (see box, p38) 3 6 A p r i l D E C A N T E R

Left: harvesting grapes at the DiamAndes vineyards in Vista Flores, a subappellation of Tunuyan that gives very floral Malbecs it would not indicate anything about wine quality.

5 Left: harvesting grapes at the DiamAndes vineyards in Vista Flores, a subappellation of Tunuyan that gives very floral Malbecs it would not indicate anything about wine quality. Today, Argentinian producers in premium regions are focusing on quality, and we believe that the time has come for wine drinkers to start learning about the different sub-regions and appellations of. The map is very much focused on Catena s vineyards but, so far, this is the best one published which delimits the all of the region s sub-regions and appellations. The INV is working on detailed generic maps, but it might take a while before any are released. But judging by the pace of change in Argentina, no doubt by the time I make my next trip things will have progressed dramatically. D Christelle Guibert is Decanter s International Tastings Director Guibert s top 10 wines with a sense of place Photograph: Garcia Betancourt Gualtallary Catena, Adrianna Vineyard White Stones (95) Bibendum The best Chardonnay I tasted in Argentina. This is the first vintage and comes from 27 selected rows in the Adrianna vineyard that are surrounded by white stones. Lots of minerality with creaminess and white flower characters. Weighty palate has buttery, yeasty notes, almost like a Meursault. The hint of honey on the finish suggests some botrytised grapes were used. Drink Alc 14% Doña Paula, Cuvée Spéciale, Riesling- Sauvignon Blanc (90) Not yet released This is not a blend often associated with Argentina. Very aromatic with lime and floral notes, courtesy of the Riesling, and the Sauvignon Blanc brings lots of zestiness on the palate. There s also a touch of Chardonnay in the mix that adds complexity to the final result. Drink 2013 Alc 12.8% Passionate Wine, Demente (93) N/A UK A new venture from Mathías Michelini, one of Argentina s most talented winemakers. This cuvée is a blend of 65% Malbec and 45% Cabernet Franc. Plenty of violet and herbal notes. The palate is fresh and vibrant with juicy fruit and spice, and nice leafiness on the finish. Drink 2013 Alc 14% Riglos, Finca Las Divas Cabernet Franc (91) The Secret Cellar Cabernet Franc is a new addition to the Riglos range and this wine shows great promise. Delicate strawberry fruit with some floral notes and minerality. The palate is fresh and vibrant with plenty of red fruit characters and a touch of spice, medium weight with well-integrated tannins. Drink Alc 15% Riglos, Gran Corte (91) (2009) Butlers Wine Cellar, Good Wine Online, Highbury Vintners A blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Beautiful expression of black fruit with excellent oak integration. Nicely textured on the palate supported by a fresh acidity; good depth of fruit on the finish. Don t be put off by the high alcohol; the freshness offsets the power. Drink Alc 15% Zorzal, Terroir Unico Malbec (91) N/A UK Another new venture from the Michelini brothers, Mathías (of Passionate Wine, left) Juan Pablo and Maurizio. This is a very fruit-driven wine with no oak use; the grapes were fermented using an amphora. Plenty of juicy and vibrant red fruit characters with a good freshness, very focused too. Drink 2013 Alc 13.8% Vista Flores DiamAndes, Viognier (90) (2010) No2 Pound St, Wine Direct International Beautiful peachy fruit with floral characters and citrus notes. Very rounded on the palate but well supported by a lively acidity and some stone fruit. A delicate style of Viognier. Drink 2013 Alc 14% Altamira & La Consulta DiamAndes, Gran Reserva Malbec (91) (2008) Cavas de Gaucho, Liquid Pleasure, Secret Cellar Mainly fruit from the winery s vineyard in Altamira with some sourced from an old vineyard in La Consulta. DiamAndes is part of the Clos de Los Siete winery and its wines are the most elegant of the range. This is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, expressive in aroma with notes of deep black fruit and spice. Compact palate with rich fruit supported by a lively acidity. Good depth too. Drink Alc 14.5% Manos Negras, Malbec, Altamira (91) Coe Vintners, Cavas de Gaucho This is the first vintage from the very talented duo, Alejandro Sejanovich and Jeff Mausbach, previously part of the Catena team. The Malbec grapes are sourced from the Altamira vineyard. Plenty of bright fruit with notes of blackberry and cherry fruits, very inviting. The palate is vibrant and juicy packed with a fresh acidity and again plenty of bright fruit characters, lovely purity to it. Drink 2013 Alc 14% Sebastián Zuccardi, Alluvional, La Consulta Alliance, Secret Cellar The first vintage of this new range. This Malbec displays some spice and deep black fruit with a hint of mint. There is a bit of oak but it s well integrated and balanced by freshness. Drink Alc 14% For full details of UK stockists, see p A p r i l D E C A N T E R

the essential guide to

the essential guide to MENDOZA PROVINCE Uco Valley Mt. Aconcagua Elev 22,800 7 Mt. Tupungato Elev 21,500 Los Arboles 1150 m AMSL Luján de Cuyo Elev 3,200 Luján de Cuyo Tupungato Elev 3,900 Gualtallary