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Uco Valley

Benmarco Expresivo Malbec Cabernet Franc from Susana Balbo Wines, wine tasting note

Susana Balbo Wines Benmarco Expresivo

by Clorrie Yeomans September 30, 2021

More about Benmarco Expresivo

Benmarco Expresivo Malbec (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%) blend from Susana Balbo Wines is an exotic wine with a complex nose of cassis, black pepper and cardamom. It is lively, fresh and incredibly long, and shows the more feminine side to Gualtallary, while still delivering the remarkable trademark minerality in the finish.

The BenMarco wines are a special range dedicated to the viticulturist, conceived from the vineyard to express the purity of every terroir with non-intervention winemaking. The focus is on picking at the optimal moment, using natural yeast for fermentation when possible, avoiding acidity adjustments, and racking into second- and third-use barrels.

More about Susana Balbo Wines

Susana Balbo Wines is the family winery of winemaker Susana Balbo and was established in 1999. It is located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza and the winery is run by Susana, her two children José and Ana, and one of Argentina’s top viticulturists, Edy del Popolo.

The winery’s philosophy is to focus on sustainability, with a strong commitment to the environment and local community; terroir knowledge, by reflecting some of Argentina’s best wine terroirs in their wines; and winemaking skills, drawing on the team’s extensive experience.

Learn more about Susana Balbo Wines.

September 30, 2021 0 comment

Los chacayes guide. Establishing the Association of Los Chacayes IG producers (Asociación de Productores de la IG Los Chacayes). Photo from Corazon del Sol

Featured Posts Argentina Wine Guide Mendoza Argentina Features Wine

Guide to Los Chacayes Wine Region & Wines

by Amanda Barnes August 26, 2021

written by Amanda Barnes

Los Chacayes is a relatively new wine region in the Uco Valley and home to some of the most exciting new white and red wines of Argentina. Tucked into the Andes foothills in the Tunuyán region, Los Chacayes pioneered by the Lurton brothers, François and Jacques, famed Bordeaux winemakers who decided to invest in Argentina and plant in this virgin land back in 1996. They were clearly onto something as Los Chacayes is now one of Uco’s most desirable sub-regions, with over 1,800 hectares planted to date.

Guide to Los Chacayes

Wineries

Quick Guide to Los Chacayes

Best Wines to try

Map of Los Chacayes

Guide to Los Chacayes GI & wine region

The GI, which was established in 2017, was formed not on the basis of ‘terroir’, but using the legal boundary. This means that, while it isn’t an enormous area, it is quite a diverse region. There are over 700 metres in difference between the highest- and lowest-altitude sites, which in turn make for climatic differences, with sites ranging from moderately warm to extremely cool-climate (from Winkler III to Winkler I). What is more, there are also diverse alluvial and colluvial soils with granite, sand, clay, boulders, and metamorphic and volcanic rocks. And all this within a 15-kilometre radius!

Its great diversity means that Los Chacayes is suitable for a wide range of varieties. There are some excellent white wines from the region — I’m particularly partial to its Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and white Rhône blends. Los Chacayes also produces a range of red varieties with Mediterranean varieties (Garnacha, Syrah and Mourvèdre) performing particularly well, as well as Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. As is the case right across Argentina, Malbec is the local star and Los Chacayes Malbec tends to be filled with bright red fruit aromas with good acidity and firm, structured tannins.

August 26, 2021 0 comment

Argentina Wine Guide News Argentina Features Wine

Association of Los Chacayes IG takes formation (Asociación de Productores de la IG Los Chacayes)

by Amanda Barnes August 12, 2019

written by Amanda Barnes

Earlier this month, 24 wine producers with vineyards in Los Chacayes IG in Mendoza’s Uco Valley formally established the Association of Producers from the Los Chacayes IG (Asociación de Productores de la IG Los Chacayes). It marks the growing tendency in Argentina to highlight regional differences and put microclimates and subregions, most especially in the Uco Valley, on the international wine map.

Putting Los Chacayes IG on the map

“Los Chacayes was the third IG (Indicación Geográfica) approved by the INV, which certifies that the grapes come from this specific origin,” explains Eduardo Soler, owner and winemaker at Ver Sacrum, who has been elected as the first President of the Association.

The definition of Los Chacayes as an IG is part of the modern denominations of wine regions in Argentina – defined by geographical and climatic characteristics rather than political boundaries. Los Chacayes IG comes after Paraje Altamira IG and Gualtallary IG, and proceeded the announcement of the El Cepillo IG which is imminent.

“We founded an association of producers within the IG to work together to promote Los Chacayes IG and also fund studies into the soils and climate so we can identify better the characteristics of our grapes and wines from this region,” explains Soler. “The association will also enable us to represent the IG together in front of other associations and organisations.”

So far there are 12 founding producers within the IG, each of which have vineyards within the parameters of the IG:

Ver Sacrum (of which the owner Eduardo Soler is President)
Bodega Lurton Piedra Negra (of which winemaker Thibault Lepoutre is Treasurer)
Corazon del Sol (of which winemaker Cristian Moor is Secretary)
Casa de Uco
Colli di Boasi
Chandon
Bodegas y Viñedos La Esperanza
Maria Mirta Sance
Fernando Javier Cutillo
Esteban Nicolas Rosberg
SuperUco
Los Chacayes SA

Another 12 associate members bring the total number of producers within the association to 24 wine producers.

Altamira terroir & the subregions of the Uco Valley: Sebastian Zuccardi interview

by Amanda Barnes November 15, 2018

written by Amanda Barnes

Sebastian Zuccardi is a third generation winemaker in Mendoza and one of the most respected winemakers of his generation. In this interview, Amanda Barnes asks Sebastian Zuccardi all about the terroir of the Uco Valley and the climatic conditions and soils that make it distinctive. They discuss Altamira and the best Uco Valley wine regions for making Malbec with texture, and explore the changing climate in Mendoza. Read on for highlights from our Sebastian Zuccardi interview, or watch the video interview below.

The climate & weather of Altamira and the Uco Valley

How would you describe the normal weather in Mendoza?

Mendoza is a desert at high altitude, so in general we have a lot of sunlight! The fantastic thing about the Uco Valley, especially in this part of Altamira which is close to the Andes mountains, is that we are very close to the sun. So the sunlight is bright all the time. In general it’s very dry and warm.

Climate change in Mendoza

Your family has been making wine here for three generations. How have you seen climate change over the years, and how has it affected your winemaking?

It’s difficult to say because I don’t know if it is really climate change or just a cycle. But it is true that in the last three years it has been cooler than the years before. But I can’t tell you if this is just the weather or climate change. But recent harvests have been a little bit more humid and cooler. So for our style of wine it seems interesting because we are looking for slow ripening and we are not looking for very high levels of alcohol.

November 15, 2018 0 comment

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