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Guide to Los Chacayes GI in Uco, Mendoza. A guide to the producers, wines and Los Chacayes wine region

Uco Valley & Los Chacayes video & guide

by Amanda Barnes February 27, 2023

Los Chacayes video documentary & guide

Los Chacayes is one of the newest appellations in Argentina. But despite being relatively new, this is also one of the most sought-after wine regions today. In this Los Chacayes video documentary, I want to take you through not only the history of this fascinating wine region which emerged from the desert in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, but also show you why this is a dynamic wine region to keep your eye on.

Since the first pioneer of the wine region, François Lurton and his family, planted here in 1996, it has exploded to become one of the hotspots of the Valle de Uco today with over 1,800 hectares of vineyards. It is also home to hundreds of vignerons, either making small-production wines from less than a hectare of vineyards, or larger scale wineries and projects. As well as having its own association of producers in the GI, Los Chacayes has also become home to some of the most glamorous vineyard resorts and restaurants in the Uco Valley.

In our Los Chacayes video guide, we start with a visit to meet François Lurton and his winemaker Thibault Lepoutre at the winery and vineyards of Piedra Negra, where we get to grips with the history of the region as well as the terroir.

As Thibault explains, this is an appellation which has an enormous amount of diversity within it — with a range of 700 metres of altitude and a patchwork of different soils.

Nevertheless, there is also a key character of Los Chacayes Malbec, as Thibault explains:

“Los Chacayes Malbec has a very fresh expression in the nose, sometimes floral with violets. But in the palate it has great structure and volume. This can be a challenge in winemaking to have a gentle enough extraction to retain elegance, yet without losing the concentration and volume that you get from this place.”

Then we move on to visit one of the many small producers in the region, in this case Mariana Onofri. I’ve long been a fan of Mariana’s wines, and she works in the beautiful estate of The Vines of Mendoza — which is one of the largest estates in Los Chacayes, although made up of hundreds of small producers.

She describes the essence of Los Chacayes, both in the glass and through the terroir, and we talk about some of the other exciting varieties beyond Malbec. In particular, the rise of the Rhone, or Mediterranean, varieties:

The Mediterranean varieties develop very well here. Garnacha, Monastrell, Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne… I believe they achieve a great expression with balance and ripeness. They can be lighter [in style], but still complex.

February 27, 2023 0 comment

Mendoza winery guide and Argentina Wine Guide. The ultimate guide to wines of Argentina

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La Celia: The oldest winery in Uco Valley launches new trio of terroir wines

by Amanda Barnes January 18, 2023

written by Amanda Barnes

La Celia is one of the oldest wineries in the Uco Valley. Although the Uco Valley is often mistakenly considered a new wine region, this southern area of Mendoza has a long history of not only grape and wine production but as an important farming area for Mendoza over the past two centuries. Founded in 1890, although with vineyards planted before, La Celia was part of a key historic estate in La Consulta, which used to span over 40,000 hectares. In its heyday in the early 1900s, there were over 4,000 hectares of vineyards planted!

Today the winery has a slightly more modest holding, of 600 hectares and 380 hectares of vineyards. It is still a very sizeable property in Uco, especially for what is effectively a single vineyard. Within those 380 hectares though, there is quite a bit of diversity. The vineyard spreads over three sub-regions in effect: Eugenio Bustos, La Consulta and Paraje Altamira.

In this video, we explore with agronomist Agustín Leiva and winemaker Andrea Ferreyra the terroir differences between their three sub-zones. We also discover why they have identified three different varieties as best performing in each: Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

After almost a decade of work with soil expert Pedro Parra of Chile and geologist Guillermo Corona of Argentina, La Celia recently launched a trio of single-parcel wines, named after the sub-regions, as their icon range.

Video: Visiting La Celia and its Paraje Altamira, Eugenio Bustos & La Consulta terroirs with Andrea Ferreyra and Agustín Leiva

The single terroir wines of La Celia

I had the pleasure of tasting a vertical of each of these three terroir-driven wines from La Celia starting from their very first vintage in 2017. Although the vintage certainly marks each year differently, there are some key characteristics that run through all the vintages. Not only in terms of the varietal definition, but also the way it expresses itself in La Celia’s terroir:

La Celia Paraje Altamira Malbec

La Celia claims one of the largest holdings of Paraje Altamira vineyards… just under 10% of the vineyards that fall within the GI!

(Read up about the appellation of Paraje Altamira, the GI here!)

This makes it a key player in the Altamira scene, and while a handful of their Malbec wines come from Altamira (as well as their wonderfully crisp Chardonnay), their top wine is from a specially selected plot of the most calcareous-rich soils of their vineyard. It is that calcareous component in the soils, along with the free-draining nature and large stones, and in combination with the high altitude and great diurnal range that produce this wine with typically chalky tannins and great freshness.

The small bunches of grapes, which come from a massal selection of old-vine Malbec, gives it great concentration too. It has the trademark floral note you typically find in Altamira Malbec. And it also carries an elegance and understated style, which is typical of Andrea’s winemaking at La Celia. Andrea prefers foudres and concrete over smaller oak barrels.

La Celia La Consulta Cabernet Franc

This is probably favourite of the trio. La Celia was one of the early wineries to launch a single varietal Cabernet Franc, which is quickly becoming one of the key grape varieties of Argentina to hunt down. This comes from the La Consulta section of their vineyard, inbetween Paraje Altamira and Eugenio Bustos and has a sandy-loam topsoil before a layer of multi-coloured and mineral-rich rocks. The clones in this particular plot

The resulting wine has very fine, gravelly tannins with appealing freshness and a dark, peppery quality. It’s probably the most Bordelaise-style Cabernet Franc I’ve tasted in Argentina. Elegant and savoury.

Their Pioneer Cabernet Franc is also worth trying, as is the darker, more peppery Elite Cabernet Franc.

La Celia, oldest winery in Uco, and their terroir map — Andrea Ferreyra explaining the terroir differences

La Celia Eugenio Bustos Cabernet Sauvginon

Coming from the lowest part of their vineyard, in the sandier soils of Eugenio Bustos, this immediately strikes me as a very cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike the fruit-driven, sometimes fruit-bomb, Cab wines typical in most of the New World, here in the southern Uco Valley we seem to get a much more savoury spice-driven Cabernet Sauvignon.

It has acid and some grip, and oodles of spice. It calls out for morcilla on the asado!

January 18, 2023 0 comment

Pedro Parra terroir expert and winemaker on Itata and Uco Valley best terroirs

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Digging into Chile and Argentina’s terroir potential with Pedro Parra

by Amanda Barnes March 4, 2021

written by Amanda Barnes

Chilean-born Pedro Parra is one of the world’s leading terroir experts with a PhD in Terroir from Institut Agronomique National in Paris. Taking into account the relationship between geology, geomorphology, climate, soils, viticulture and winemaking, Pedro is an international consultant and has prolific experience in South America, where he has consulted over 50 wineries and dug over 20,000 soil pits between Chile and Argentina. In this interview, he shares his perspective of the top terroirs of Chile and Argentina.

“When I started consulting in South America in 2003, I was trying to help people understand what they had as terroir. Back then no-one was talking about soil. In Argentina, for instance, people were talking about altitude but not soils — there was no mention of alluvial terraces vs. clay, for example. I think the impact of producers looking at their soil type has had a big impact on wine production since.

Argentina is, in my experience, 99% alluvial soils, and out of the 10,000 soil pits I’ve been in, maybe 90% is simple alluvial soil, while 10% is complex alluvial soil. No-one likes to hear ‘simple’ but they forget that only 1% of Burgundy is Premier Cru!

Although simple is nothing special, the complex alluvial soils have very high quality clay, called montmorillonite clay, and some have a limestone component. It’s calcium carbonate technically, but in the mouth it feels the same as wine grown on limestone. Clay is like chocolate — you can get chocolate for a dollar at the local petrol station, or chocolate for $100 dollars from a top Parisian chocolatier! Argentina is very lucky because you have some exceptional clay, and some limestone.

Argentina’s most exciting terroirs in my opinion are those that have limestone, which you find in some certain places in Altamira and Gualtallary. It is very random in its distribution, you might have limestone while your neighbour doesn’t have any!

In Chile, most simply put, we have three major soil separations. The volcanic soils which come from the piedmont, or slopes, of the Andes range, and the granite soils from the slopes of the coastal range, and then in the middle — in the valley floor [aka. Entre Cordilleras], we get this vomit of the different slopes: which can be alluvial, colluvial and somewhere in between.

I think the most exciting terroirs are the fantastic granite soils we have — which we haven’t fully explored enough yet. You get perfect granite soils for vineyards ranging from Alcohuaz in Elqui down to Guarilihue in Itata. The granite in Guarilihue is very special because it has a lot of silt, which emulates limestone in the palate — this elegant minerality, a good mid-palate and a very long finish. In that sense it is quite similar to Gualtallary in Argentina. For me these ‘two Gs’, if you like, Gualtallary and Guarilihue, are the two top terroirs of South America.

But I am convinced that the best stuff in Chile hasn’t been discovered yet. I think in Southern Chile, below Malleco and into the lakes regions, there’s a great potential as the climate is similar to Oregon or New Zealand, you can dry farm, and there are many interesting virgin soils which have never been planted before. The future is definitely in the south.

I believe that to make outstanding wine you need outstanding terroir. Ultimately, terroir is much more important than the winemaker.”

Want to dig further into the terroirs of South America? Check out our Terroir Talks with some of the top winemakers on the continent!

March 4, 2021 0 comment

Silvio Alberto in Los Chacayes vineyard comparing terroir with San Rafael. Bianchi wine interview

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A tale of two terroirs: Los Chacayes IG and San Rafael

by Amanda Barnes October 3, 2019

written by Amanda Barnes

Los Chacayes IG in the Uco Valley is one of the newest appellations to be formed in Argentina, while San Rafael was, in fact, one of Argentina’s first denominations of origin. Although the two terroirs are separated by over 150 km in distance, Bodegas Bianchi has wineries and large vineyards in each. Amanda Barnes interviews Bianchi winemaker Silvio Alberto about both terroirs and the why he believes that Los Chacayes IG and San Rafael are equally capable of making excellent Malbec wines, but of a very different style.

They also discuss the potential of Cabernet Franc in Argentina and Silvio reflects on his experience as one of the first Argentine winemakers to release a single-varietal premium Cabernet Franc (with Andeluna winery in 2003) that helped contribute to the current boom in the variety in Argentina.

A tale of two terroirs: San Rafael and Los Chacayes IG

Interview with Silvio Alberto of Bodegas Bianchi

Amanda Barnes: Can you tell us about Los Chacayes IG (Geographical Indication) and why it has been set up as a special sector of the Uco Valley?

Silvio Alberto: The Uco Valley, and Los Chacayes in particular, is for me one of the best areas in Argentina for making excellent wine because of some of the different characteristics here.

Firstly, this is a big place with a lot of rocks. The origin of the soils is alluvial and the grapes take on a mineral component which shows in the wines as very fresh and with a lot of fruit.

The other important characteristic is the altitude of Los Chacayes, which is at more or less 1,200 metres above sea level. At this altitude you can obtain very good temperatures during the day and night, with a very big difference in temperature between them – approximately 10˚C to 15˚C difference in temperature. You get very good phenolic maturation with regards to colour and tannin, but also aromatically.

AB: How does Malbec from Los Chacayes compare with Malbec from San Rafael?

SA: If you compare Los Chacayes with San Rafael, the difference is incredible. Both San Rafael and the Uco Valley are great terroirs for our icon wines, but in San Rafael, you can obtain a wine that, just after alcohol fermentation, has an excellent mid-palate. It is big with sweet tannins; it’s incredible.

If you compare that with the wine from Los Chacayes, the wine from Los Chacayes is more nervous, with more tannin and ‘salvaje’…

AB: Wild?

SA: Wild! Los Chacayes is in fact named after a fox, Los Chacayes, which we find in the wild.

AB: What differences do you find in making Malbec from Los Chacayes versus San Rafael?

SA: You need to work more with the wines from Los Chacayes in the Uco Valley, because you obtain more tannin. The wines are much longer but you need to work throughout the year in the barrel with batonnage and with the lees to obtain more volume and more of that mid-palate.

But in San Rafael you get the mid-palate as soon as it finishes the alcoholic fermentation. You need to pay more attention to the wine from Los Chacayes, but sincerely, the quality when you finish all of the processes; the result is excellent.

AB: You are very well known for working with Cabernet Franc in the Uco Valley, and made Argentina’s first super-premium Cabernet Franc back in 2003. Why do you think Cabernet Franc has such an affinity with the Uco Valley?

SA: I am a fanatic of Cabernet Franc because it is totally different to Cabernet Sauvignon! It has different aromas and the tannins are very sweet, and it has great potential for ageing. I remember I opened a bottle of the 2003 Cabernet Franc one month ago and the evolution is incredible.

The Uco Valley and Cabernet Franc are excellent partners, Cabernet Franc here has the best conditions to grow with sweet tannins under this perfect sun. You need to protect the grapes a little bit from the sun, because you need to protect the aromas of the Cabernet Franc, but the tannins are very sweet, and you have good ageing potential and very good structure.

Argentina is obviously Malbec for now – it is our first and most important variety -but Cabernet Franc has an excellent future in Argentina.

A taste of Bianchi wines

Bianchi Gran Familia Corte 2017

This blend comes from their Los Chacayes vineyard with 59% Malbec, 23% Petit Verdot, 11% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and a smidgen of Tannat. Dark with wild herbal notes, this is a taut wine with spicy tannins and a slightly ashy finish.

Bianchi Particular Malbec 2017

Coming from San Rafael, this Malbec is from old vines in their Asti vineyard, which has sandy soil with some pebbles. The wine has juicy red fruit aromas with pink peppercorn spice, and sweet and ripe tannins on entry, with a smooth and aromatic finish.

Bianchi Particular Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

This is a very distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon and Silvio feels that the potential of Cabernet in San Rafael is quite unexplored and certainly underrated. On the nose there is sweet spice, roasted red pepper and citrus peel. Feminine and silky.

Bianchi Enzo Blend 2017

Bianchi’s first icon wine, made from old vines in San Rafael. A well-integrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (41%), Malbec (35%), Merlot (15%) and Petit Verdot (9%), which are blended before being aged in oak. This is a deep wine with rich concentration and lovely perfume adding a different dimension. There’s fruit, spice and fine-grained, silky tannins. Delicious.

Bianchi Premium Extra Brut 2011

Bianchi is well-known for its good value bubbles, but this is the crème de la crème of their sparkling wine portfolio and an accomplished traditional method bubbly. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from San Rafael, this wine has spent seven years on the lees and displays toasty notes of pastry and stewed apple. Mouthfilling bubbles with a fresh and creamy finish.

October 3, 2019 0 comment

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