Biodynamic, lo-fi and seriously cool climate, this Pinot Noir from winemaker Gabriel Dvoskin exudes the fresh style that El Cepillo is capable of. Notes of raspberries and violets haunt the nose while the palate reveals fine tannin, a gravelly texture and a racy finish.
This more humid, cooler sub-region of the Uco Valley is good terrain for Pinot Noir and this top pour from Salentein proves how good it can be. Deep cherry, truffle and dried rose petal aromas make for a charming wine with fresh acidity and a long finish. With this textured and elegant wine, winemaker Pepe Gallante shows how it’s done without overdoing it.
Salentein winery is easily one of the most impressive wineries to visit in Mendoza. Founded in 1996 by a Dutch entrepreneur, the estate is based in the heart of the Uco Valley with some of the most striking modern architecture in Argentina. As well as the showcase winery, dubbed the wine cathedral, Salentein has an art gallery, sculpture garden, two restaurants, a wine hotel, a chapel and another workhorse winery. With all this on offer, as well as some of the finest wines in Tunuyán, it’s easy to see why Salentein is one of the most-visted wineries in Argentina.
Read more about Salentein
One of the early adopters of Cabernet Franc, La Celia’s pioneer line is all about celebrating its long-standing relationship with this increasingly important variety in Argentina. Structured and yet smooth, this is a nice classic example from Uco.
O
Read more about La Celia
Plenty of sweet wines get made in Argentina but few are worth writing about. This, however, is the exception, and has been my favourite sticky in Argentina for many years. Made with partially botrytised grapes, this wine has intense aromas of honeysuckle, peach compote and lemon curd. Terrazas were the first to plant Petit Manseng in Argentina, in 1999.
One of the fine wine pioneers of Mendoza and a pioneer in Gualtallary in the Uco Valley, Terrazas de los Andes winery was originally founded as the fine wine sister of Chandon in 1992. Although the winery is in Luján de Cuyo, most of its vineyards are in the Uco Valley and Terrazas de los Andes was a pioneer of the now renowned region of Gualtallary – first planting there in 1993.
Today the wines include a wide range of old vines from Las Compuertas and new vines in Gualtallary, Paraje Altamira, El Peral and Los Chacayes, and under the hand of winemaker Marcos Fernandez there is an increasing drive towards fresh, terroir-focused expressions in the top Parcel range.
Read more about Terrazas de los Andes