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Masterclass on the old vines of South America

Sommelier Masterclass: The old vines of South America

by Amanda Barnes March 4, 2021

South America is home to some of the oldest productive vines in the wine world and has a wealth of vineyards over 100 years old. In this Sommelier Masterclass on the Old Vines of South America presented at the Somm Con Virtual Summit 2021, Amanda Barnes interviews a panel of expert winemakers and agronomists on the value of old vines in Latin America and specifically focuses on Torrontés, País, Semillon, Carignan and Malbec.

In this hour-long masterclass, the panel guide us through some of the key varieties and old vine terroirs of Chile and Argentina:

Overview of South American wine and old vines in Bolivia, Peru and beyond with Amanda Barnes
Old vines and Torrontés in Cafayate with Francisco Tellechea of El Esteco
País – the first vine of South America and its role in Maule, Itata and Bio Bio with Julio Bouchon of Bouchon Family Wines
Field blends and old vines of Semillon, Cinsault and other varieties with Emily Faulconer of Viña Carmen
Old vine Malbec and other old vine Bordeaux Varieties in Mendoza with Andrés Vignoni of Viña Cobos
Carignan and VIGNO – an appellation for old vines with President of Vigno, Julio Bouchon
Q & A and the challenges of protecting old vines in South America with the panel

Sommelier masterclass speakers

Julio Bouchon, owner at Bouchon Family Wines & President at VIGNO

Fourth-generation vigneron in Maule, Julio Bouchon, of Bouchon Family Wines, has been leading the País renaissance in Chile and is President of VIGNO, an old vine Carignan association in Chile’s Secano Interior.

With his exciting portfolio of wines at Bouchon Family Wines as well as his personal project with South African winemaker David Niewoudt, Longavi Wines, Julio has been instrumental in putting País – the first planted in the Americas in the 1500s – back on the map for quality wine, as well as championing old vine Semillon, Chenin Blanc and Cinsault. Today he is also leading Chile’s old vine Carignan association, VIGNO, which has 16 member wineries and is the closest to an Old World appellation or DOC in Chile.

Emily Faulconer, Winemaker at Viña Carmen

One of the leading and most innovative winemakers of her generation, Emily Faulconer is the Chief Winemaker of Viña Carmen.

Born in Temuco, in southern Chile, Emily studied winemaking in Santiago and has extensive experience across Chile having worked as the winemaker for Viña Arboleda in Aconcagua, Viñedos de Alcohuaz in Elqui and Maquis in Colchagua. Today she specialises in driving forward Viña Carmen’s extensive portfolio with a special emphasis on old vine field blends in southern Chile as well as premium Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo valley.

Andrés Vignoni, Viña Cobos

A sixth-generation wine grower in Mendoza, Andrés Vignoni is today one of the leading winemakers of the new generation and a specialist in working with old vine Malbec as winemaker of Viña Cobos.

Having grown up among the vines in Mendoza, after graduating from university as a winemaker Andrés worked vintages abroad in New Zealand and Italy before coming back to Mendoza where he has forged his way as one of the most promising winemakers of his generation. Working with Paul Hobbs, Andrés is winemaker for Hobbs’ winery in Cahors, France, and also in Galicia, Spain, as well as leading production at Viña Cobos in Mendoza where the single-vineyard portfolio focuses on old vine Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from special plots around Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley.

Francisco Tellechea, El Esteco

Born in Salta, Francisco is the Vineyard Manager of El Esteco winery which has some really old vines in Cafayate in the Calchaquí Valley.

Having worked in Salta, Catamarca, Mendoza and Peru, he has a wide range of viticultural experience and is passionate about preserving the old vines of northern Argentina to make top quality wines under the El Esteco Old Vines label.

Amanda Barnes, South America Wine Guide

Amanda Barnes is one of the foremost experts on South American wine having been based in the region since 2009. An award-winning journalist and Master of Wine student, she is author of the South America Wine Guide set to be published in Spring 2021.

A key contributor for Decanter and SevenFifty, she also writes about South America for Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Guide and The World Atlas of Wine, and is Editor of the Circle of Wine Writers’ magazine, The Circular.

Main photo by Matt Wilson

Find out more about the old vines of South America:

Video interview with Andrés Vignoni on old vine Malbec
Old vines in Maule with Christian Sepulvida, Bouchon Family Wines
Old vines in Itata with Leo Erazo, A los Viñateros Bravos

View our old vine register for South America

March 4, 2021 0 comment

Interview with Andrés Vignoni winemaker at Viña Cobos winery

Old vine Malbec: Terroir Talk interview with Andrés Vignoni

by Amanda Barnes January 19, 2021

written by Amanda Barnes

Mendoza is renowned for its Malbec and some of the superlative wines come from old vines as Viña Cobos winemaker Andrés Vignoni explains in this interview. As part of our winemaker Terroir Talk series, Amanda Barnes interviews Andrés on the challenges and rewards of old vines and what makes the wines so distinctive. Not only about old vines, but this informative interview also acts as a Malbec masterclass as Andrés shares his great knowledge about working with the variety in several sites around Mendoza’s wine regions.

With a tasting of the Viña Cobos Bramare single vineyard Malbec wines, winemaker Andrés Vignoni deep dives into the appellations and wine regions of Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley with a particular focus on Villa Bastias, where their Bramare Zingaretti comes from 100-year-old vines, and the region of Perdriel, where their Bramare Marchiori comes from 80-year-old vines.

Andrés is one of the most promising winemakers of his generation in Mendoza and this fascinating interview explores the experimentation in winemaking that the team at Viña Cobos are doing as well as looking at how the style of Mendoza Malbec has evolved over the years. Quintessential viewing for Malbec lovers!

Interview with winemaker Andrés Vignoni of Viña Cobos

Tasting of Viña Cobos Bramare single vineyard Malbec wines

Viña Cobos Bramare Malbec Marchiori Estate

This is a worldclass Malbec and such a quintessential expression of how Perdriel’s old vine Malbec made the variety famous around the world for its supreme quality and approachable style. With a comforting nose of red plum, sweet and exotic baking spices, and tea leaves, it is a seductive Malbec that draws you in.

In the palate, the classically sweet and ripe tannins make this incredibly approachable even in its youth but the full body and bright acidity with a long, aromatic finish let you know that this will cellar well for decades. A Malbec for Malbec lovers.

Perdriel, Lujan de Cuyo
100% Malbec
Winemaker: Andrés Vignoni
Winemaking: 18 months in French oak (55% new). Unfiltered.

Viña Cobos Bramare Malbec Zingaretti Estate

This gorgeous Malbec really shows the elegance and finesse you get from these 100-year-old vines in the cool sub-region of Villa Bastias.

Filled with wild floral notes, jarilla and spice aromas, it is a nuanced Malbec that has a fragrant style with a long finish, fine but firm tannins and persistent slatey minerality. A Malbec for Pinot Noir lovers!

Villa Bastias, Uco Valley
100% Malbec
Winemaker: Andrés Vignoni
Winemaking: 18 months in French oak (55% new). Unfiltered.

Part of our Terroir Talk series with some of the best winemakers in South America and a focus on the new generation of winemakers and wines.

Find out more about Viña Cobos in our online winery guide and on their website; and check out our interview with Andrés Vignoni on Mendoza Chardonnay!

January 19, 2021 0 comment

Chardonnay in Argentina. Bramare Vineyard Designate interview with Andrés Vignoni of Viña Cobos

Argentina Wine Guide Argentina Features Wine

The potential of Chardonnay in Argentina: Interview Andrés Vignoni, Viña Cobos

by Amanda Barnes April 28, 2020

written by Amanda Barnes

Paul Hobbs came to Argentina in the late 1980s in order to help revolutionize Chardonnay in Argentina, and that he did. Not only did he help local winemakers to take great leaps in improving the quality of their white wine by bringing in temperature control and French oak barrels, but he also established his own winery – Viña Cobos – there in 1999. At Viña Cobos he went on to explore the potential of Argentine Chardonnay, earning it critical acclaim internationally. Today Viña Cobos is still at the top of its Chardonnay game, as Amanda Barnes discovers in this tasting and interview with Cobos winemaker Andrés Vignoni.

Interview with Andrés Vignoni, winemaker at Viña Cobos

Amanda: So we are going to taste two of your Chardonnays. Viña Cobos is, I’d say, probably the winery most famous for its Chardonnay in Argentina. Can you tell us about the style of Bramare Chardonnay and how it has evolved over the years?

Andrés: Our style is very related to respecting the variety. But, more than that, what we are looking for is to reflect a sense of place in our Chardonnays.

First, we have to let people understand that Argentina is not just Malbec… and we do have a wonderful foundation with Malbec. So in that sense, we are exploring different places and today we have these two Chardonnays in our top tier called Bramare Vineyard Designate. One of them is from our Arbolitos Vineyard, which is located in Los Chacayes, with colluvial soils with lots of sharp stones and a rocky soil profile where you can find this structure. The texture is super thin, but at the same time, elegant. The pursuit of our Chardonnay philosophy is trying to deliver this balance between fruit, sense of place and elegance.

We have been working a lot with coopers as we try to really develop the correct expression of oak integrated with the Chardonnay. And so our Burgundian philosophy is very linked today with our style of the wine.

The second wine is our Zingaretti estate, which comes from a totally different place in Mendoza called Villa Bastías. It is a place surrounded by hills and is super cold. Here we really keep acidity, minerality and the floral side of Chardonnay but at the same time we get some creaminess, texture and a very long finish on the wine.

So both have complexity, yet they are simple to understand and they deliver a lot of joy!

I absolutely agree in terms of joy! One of the great things about your Bramare line, with the Malbec too, is the great difference you find in these vineyards. We often associate altitude with colder temperatures here in Argentina, but that isn’t always the case. Can you tell us how important the mesoclimate is for these Chardonnay wines?

The mesoclimate is key. For example, Zingaretti Vineyard is also surrounded by hills so all the cool air comes from the mountains and it is stuck there. And this is the last vineyard that we pick, even later than Gualtallary, for example. Or El Peral.

It isn’t just about the altitude, but also about these small spots that can really deliver another dimension. Obviously that’s also really linked with the texture of the wine – not just with the aromas.

We find that Los Chacayes with its sharp stones, more solar influence and a lot of wind, has a much more straight, direct texture than Zingaretti, for example.

Chardonnay in Argentina is something that we are all really getting very excited about and we’re really beginning to see the true potential for great Argentine Chardonnay. Do you have a favourite pairing for these wines?

I really like Chardonnay with empanadas. And with mollejas! Sweetbreads. It’s amazing!

Sweetbreads on the grill with a nice Chardonnay – perfect!

Read more about Viña Cobos in our winery guide

April 28, 2020 0 comment

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Viña Cobos

by Amanda Barnes March 17, 2019

written by Amanda Barnes

Viña Cobos winery is the acclaimed wine producer belonging to international winemaker Paul Hobbs. Having worked in Argentina since 1988, Paul Hobbs became so convinced of the potential of Argentine Malbec that he started his own winery, Viña Cobos, in the heart of Mendoza’s Luján de Cuyo in 1999. Twenty years on and Viña Cobos is one of the most respected producers of single-vineyard Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Argentina. Focused on the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo, the Cobos wines are complex, concentrated, polished and increasingly vibrant. Young Head Winemaker Andrés Vignoni is proving to be one of the most accomplished winemakers of the new generation. Cobos is their top-of-line brand, Bramare is an exciting single-vineyard range, and Felino is their worthy entry-level range.

About Viña Cobos & Paul Hobbs

The story of Viña Cobos winery really started with the arrival of international winemaker Paul Hobbs in Mendoza in the late 1980s. Born in upstate New York to a farming family, Paul Hobbs started his career in winemaking after studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis in California in the 1970s. He soon rose to fame as a promising young winemaker while working at two eminent wineries in Napa: Opus One and Simi Winery.

March 17, 2019 0 comment