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About the Winery

Built in 2001, Bodega Monteviejo was the first winery in the Clos de los Siete estate. Flying winemaker Michel Rolland invited an esteemed collection of French vignerons to begin a wine adventure in Mendoza, and Clos de los Siete is the result. Rolland invited Catherine Péré Vergé, owner of Château Le Gay in Bordeaux, to be part of the Clos and she was the tireless head of the company until she passed away in 2013. A mantle her son Henry Parent has now taken up.

The winery is partially covered by a sloping vineyard garden, with the other half opening out into a sculpture courtyard with a sweeping view of the Andes mountains. The shell of the winery is in the centre where all the winemaking action takes place and around the outside corridors, there is a rotating art exhibition which adds extra interest during a visit. You can taste Monteviejo’s wines over lunch at their restaurant which sits at the top of the winery with stunning views over the majestic Andes.

About the Winemaker: Marcelo Pelleriti

The first winemaker in South America to gain a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker, Marcelo Pelleriti is one of Argentina’s most renowned winemakers. Monteviejo was his first gig as a qualified winemaker, although as a child he made vino patero with his grandfather which spurred his interest in the career.

Taken under the right hand of Michel Rolland, Pelleriti has grown with the winery becoming an exceptional producer in the Uco Valley region and also in France where he produces wines for the family in Château Montviel, Château La Graviére, Château Le Gay and Château La Violette in Pomerol, Bordeaux.

Also a musician, Pelleriti has a personal wine portfolio  – Marcelo Pelleriti Wines –  some of which he makes with a few of Argentina’s best-known musicians. It is this love of music which also led him to start Monteviejo Wine Rock (a wine and rock festival) which takes place at the winery each year in April.

Interview with Marcelo Pelleriti:

About the Vineyard: Vista Flores

In Vista Flores, Monteviejo’s vineyards are spread over rocky, loam and sandy soils with a poor structure, ideal for concentrated fruit, structure and deep colour. Drip-irrigated, the vines are trained in a high trellis conduction system reaching 1.8 meters and planted in high density with 5,500 plants per hectare.

The vineyard is split into 1 to 3 hectare lots, and in some cases, smaller parcels are isolated for the very top lines. They have planted indigenous clones of Malbec and French clones of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. No fertilizers are used in the vineyard and all of the grapes are hand harvested.

About the Wines

Producing a host of varieties and lines from their everyday Festivo range to the ultra-premium microvinifications of Lindaflor and Lindaflor La Violeta. The focus is on Argentina’s most emblematic varieties: Malbec, Chardonnay, Torrontés and rich Bordeaux-style blends.

The fruit comes from their Vista Flores property and is concentrated and aromatic, complimented by the traditional winemaking methods using manual selection, small lot fermentation, microvinification and barrel ageing. The four lines comprise: Festivo, Petit Fleur, Lindaflor and La Violeta.

Varieties: Torrontés, Malbec, Chardonnay, Red Blend (Malbec, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Where to buy Bodega Monteviejo’s wines

• Widely available in Argentina (wine shops, restaurants and bars)
• Internationally available (US, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia). See importer details below.

Visiting Bodega Monteviejo

You can visit Bodega Monteviejo for a tasting and/or lunch either alone or combined with other Clos de los Siete wineries. For tastings and a tour of the winery and their gallery space, you can visit Monday to Friday at 11, 12.30  or 3pm, and on Saturdays or Sundays at 11 or 12.30.

The Espacio Monteviejo restaurant is open every day of the week for lunch and serves a wine paired menu of modern Argentine cuisine. The head chef is Nadia Heron, one of Mendoza’s most respected chefs today, and the menu is based around seasonal and local ingredients. Each dish is paired with wines from Monteviejo’s wine portfolio.

Vegetarians, celiacs and special diets are catered for (with previous notification).

Videos

More articles related to Bodega Monteviejo

• An interview with Marcelo Pelleriti. Amanda Barnes interviews one of Latin America’s best-known winemakers, Marcelo Pelleriti. They talk false egos in the wine world, oysters and Jimi Hendrix. And a little bit about wine.
• Bringing art into the wine world. A profile on the art and culture events and activities of Bodega Monteviejo.