Bodegas Callia is one of the most prolific producers in San Juan owned by the group M.P. Wines (which owns Salentein in Mendoza and Pyros winery in San Juan). The winery owns three different estates in three valleys: Tulum Valley, Pedernal Valley and Zonda Valley, all in San Juan.
The winery is particularly known for their good value Syrah, Bonarda and Viognier among other wines. You can visit Callia winery Monday through Saturday for a tour and wine tasting.
Finca Las Moras winery, founded in 1993, is one of the most prolific producers in San Juan with a wide range of wines. Owned by Peñaflor (Trapiche), the name of this winery comes from the fact that the vineyards are surrounded by mulberry trees, or ‘moras’.
With over 1,100 hectares of vineyards planted in various valleys in San Juan, their star wine is the Las Moras Gran Syrah made with their premium Syrah grapes from Pedernal Valley (1,350 metres), Zonda Valley (950 metres) and Tulum Valley (650 metres).
Established in 1993 under the guidance of renowned viticulturalist Richard Smart, Fincas Las Moras has significant vineyard plantings in San Juan and is one of the best-known brands and wineries in the region.
With a capacity for producing 9.5 million litres of wine, the facilities of Finca Las Moras winery are modern and temperature controlled to be able to produce quality white and red wine in the heart of the Tulum Valley.
The winemaker is Eduardo Casademont who works closely with the rest of the Peñaflor team including the group’s winemaking director Daniel Pi.
Eduardo has been making the wines of Finca Las Moras since 2006 and studied winemaking in Mendoza at Don Bosco.
With over 1,100 hectares of vines, Finca Las Moras vineyards are spread around several wine regions of San Juan. The principal wine regions are:
At an average of 1,350 metres in altitude, this is one of the highest-altitude wine regions in San Juan and the combination of cooler temperatures, wide diurnal range and chalky soils produce red and white wines of freshness, concentration and structure.
Named after the famous Zonda wind that blows through the region, this wine region of San Juan is tucked into the foothills of the Andes mountains and is at an average of 950 metres in altitude. The region is suitable for a wide range of grape varieties and produces wines with a full body, good fruit concentration and structure.
The largest wine region in San Juan, the Tulum Valley has an average altitude of 650 metres and is one of the warmest wine regions of San Juan. Here the wines reach phenolic ripeness quickly and the wines are known for their approachability and ripe fruit expression.
With a wide range of wines, there are varieties and styles of wines to suits most budgets and tastes within the range. Some highlights include:
At the very top end of Finca Las Moras wine portfolio is Sagrado Pedernal: a complex Malbec from the prized Pedernal Valley which offers richness, structure and juicy fruit expression.
Mora Negra is a typically Argentine blend of Bonarda and Malbec, both of which are very important varieties from San Juan, and is a rich blend from the Tulum and Pedernal Valleys.
Gran Syrah is one of the top Syrah wines from San Juan and in Argentina, and is a complex blend taking the top lots of Syrah grapes from all three of their main wine regions.
The Paz collection, meaning peace, is a series of wines including a pure Malbec, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, a Syrah, a Bonarda, and a Sauvignon Blanc which is focused on the best varietal expression of these emblematic varieties from emblematic wine regions in San Juan.
Demencial is a duo of wines from Pedernal Valley, including a fresh Pinot Noir and an interesting Blanc de Blancs blend of Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Meaning ‘the untouchables’, Los Intocables is an innovative range of wines from Finca Las Moras which have been aged in oak bourbon casks to impart a layer of toasty, vanilla and caramel aromas, which are typically found in bourbon. The range includes Black Malbec and Black Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes for which are picked from very low yielding vines for their intense and deep colour; a red blend of Syrah, Merlot and Bonarda; and a Chardonnay, which although the name is White Chardonnay it takes on an amber hue following the ageing process in Missouri bourbon barrels.
This is a premium range of wines specially selected from top parcels of vineyards and aged in French and American oak for a minimum of 8 months. The series includes a Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend; a Syrah; and a Malbec. There is also a tropical-scented Chardonnay, which spends 6 months on the lees.
Within the other ranges for everyday drinking comes the Love line, which is focused on approachable varietal expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Chardonnay.
Alma Mora is an easy-drinking line with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot, a Syrah rosé, and a sparkling Extra Brut wine made from Chardonnay, Semillon and Malbec.
Dadá is a youthful range which plays with the aromas of different oak toastings to create a portfolio of wines: Dadá 1 which is a combination of vanilla and red fruits, Dadá 2 which offers aromas of mokka coffee and black fruit, and Dadá 3 which is all about spices. There is also a range of other limited bottlings, including a sweet Malbec and a sweet Muscat.
There is also the Finca Las Moras classic range which is the entry-level range and offers great value for everyday wines with good varietal typicity.
There is also a range of Specialities, which are special releases and lines of wines from all the ranges and show the innovative spirit of the winemaking team.
Finca Las Moras winery is not open for public visits.
Bodegas San Huberto is a producer with three wineries, two in Argentina and one in China. The flagship San Huberto winery is in Vistalba in Lujan de Cuyo, and the other Argentine winery is in the department of Castro Barros in La Rioja. Their third winery is in Huailai in China.
With over 200 hectares of vineyards planted in La Rioja and 120 hectares planted in Lujan de Cuyo, Bodegas San Huberto produce a wide range of wines including Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Bonarda, Chardonnay, Torrontes, Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Yellow Muscat.
Bodega El Esteco winery was founded in 1892 in the Calchaquí Valleys by French brothers David and Salvador Michel, along with David’s Italian wife, Gabriela Torino. Pioneers of the winemaking industry in the Calchaquí Valley, the winery was one of the first to commercialise Torrontés wines, which became one of the first Argentinean wines to be exported internationally. Today, the winery is owned by the Peñaflor Group (who also own Trapiche) and produces a diverse range of wines which includes red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, all of which you can taste on a visit to the winery or by staying overnight at their luxury wine hotel, Patios de Cafayate.
One of the longest-running wineries in Argentina, El Esteco was first founded in 1892 by brothers David and Salvador Michel, two immigrants from France, and David’s Italian wife, Gabriela Torino, who came to make a life in the New World in Salta. They planted vines in the Calchaquí Valleys and their children and descendants continued to grow the business acquiring more vineyards and commercialising some of the first Torrontés wines internationally.
In 2004, Grupo Peñaflor purchased the estate and pivoted to focus on high quality wines relaunching as Bodega El Esteco. Today the winery makes some of the most exciting wines from the Calchaquí Valleys from their expansive vineyard estates with 780 hectares between Cafayate and Chañar Punco. Bodega El Esteco makes a diverse range of varieties and blends and produces on average 15 million bottles a year across the ranges.
Bodega El Esteco has over 780 hectares within the Calchaquí Valleys, all of which are high-altitude vineyards over 1,600 metres above sea level. The vineyards are split between the regions of Cafayate (with 520 hectares planted) and Chañar Punco in Catamarca (with 260 hectares planted).
With several vineyards in Cafayate, these vineyards are where El Esteco winery gets some of their most treasured wines from old vines which can be up to 80 years old. Some of the old vines, in particular, are planted in the traditional pergola system, whereas newer plantings are in VSP. Soils are typically poor and sandy with good drainage.
El Esteco winery has also planted an exciting new vineyard in El Socorro where very rocky soils provide a different terroir which in combination with the 1,800 metres altitude the winemaking team believe it will produce unique wines with the Malbec and Cabernet Franc they have planted to date.
Chañar Punco vineyard is 80 kilometres away from Bodega El Esteco in a unique sub-region in northern Catamarca at the southern tip of the Calchaquí Valley. The vineyards, which were planted in the late 1990s, are surrounded by the Quilmes Mountains and average around 2000 meters above sea level, providing a unique microclimate with high solar exposure, hot days and cool nights, along with poor, rocky and calcareous soil.
The vineyard orientation runs from North to South which allows fresh winds from the north to pass through the vines’ canopy. The vineyard is irrigated by a drip irrigation system.
High-altitude vineyards characterise the wines of Bodega El Esteco in all their lines which range from everyday, easy-drinking wines to some of the most complex and ageworthy of the Calchaquí Valleys.
Amaru is the entry-level line of wines from Bodega El Esteco, meaning water in the native Quechua language. The wines are fruit-forward and easy-drinking focused on expressing the variety, which includes Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Torrontés and a Torrontés Rosé.
The Don David Reserve wines are a homage to the winery’s founder, David Michel, and is a good value line of monovarietal wines including Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Syrah, Bonarda, Torrontés and Chardonnay. The red wines typically spend 12 months in oak, adding some structure to the otherwise fruit-driven portfolio.
Inspired by the impact of the moon and sun and the great diurnal range of temperatures in the Calchaquí Valleys, the Ciclos line of wines includes monovarietal Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc wines, as well as a rosé of Malbec and their top of line ‘Icono’ red blend made of Malbec and Merlot which spends 15 months in barrel. Within the Ciclos wines there are also three sparkling wines made in the Charmat method: an Extra Brut made from Chardonnay grapes, a Rosé made from a blend of Malbec and Pinot Noir, and a Torrontés Dulce which is a sweet sparkling wine for desserts and aperitifs.
The El Esteco range of wines offers excellent value for complex and distinctive wines which really reflect the high altitude terroir of the Calchaquí valleys. The two main varieties are Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, which each display the much darker, spicier and fresher character so typical of the high-altitude vineyards, and there are limited-edition releases of ‘El Esteco Old Vines’ wines. This range of Old Vines wines includes Torrontés (one of the best in Argentina), Criolla, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon – which are all worth hunting down.
A long-standing icon of the Calchaquí Valleys, Altimus is the top red blend of the vintage – changing percentage of varieties and location of parcels each year, depending on what lots and barrels performed best. Malbec often leads in the blend, framed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, occasionally with Tannat, Syrah or Bonarda. It is a complex wine which spends around 18 months in oak barrels and can cellar well for over a decade.
I think this is one of the most distinctive wines in Northern Argentina. Coming from the special Chañar Punco vineyard in Catamarca, this is always a powerful wine with intense dark fruit, mineral and animal aromas coming from the rich blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot grapes planted in this field blend. It is aged for 18 months in barrel and cellared for several years in bottle before release, and could keep cellared for many more! One to decant and enjoy with steak.
Bodega El Esteco winemaker Alejandro Pepa was born in Mendoza but moved to take up the challenge of making high-altitude wines at Bodega El Esteco where he has been for several years and focused on capturing the freshness and intensity of this extreme terroir.
“Cafayate has immeasurable riches in its soils with unique grape varieties and an excellent terroir for producing great quality grapes and wines,” says Alejandro Pepa, who works side by side with the lead viticulturist for El Esteco Francisco Tellechea.
Bodega El Esteco winery is in a gorgeous colonial-style white building just outside the centre of Cafayate, and offers a host of wine experiences so you can enjoy the wines and privileged location of the winery and its vineyards.
Tasting experiences include a classic tour and tasting of its emblematic wines, or you can dig in deeper with a special micro terroir tasting which focuses on special lots and old vines. You can also do a special tasting of their icon range of wines at the winery.
On Friday evenings, the winery hosts a special tasting and wine-paired dinner under the stars so you can enjoy the flavours of the Calchaquí Valleys by starlight.
To linger even longer in the evenings, book yourself in for an overnight stay at their gorgeous Hotel Patios de Cafayate which has 32 rooms in a beautiful colonial-style mansion with stunning vineyard and mountain views.