A highlight within Eugenio Bustos and the southern Uco Valley, Finca La Celia winery is not only one of the oldest in the region but also one of the most significant players in Altamira and La Consulta. Although renowned for its elegant Malbec and Cabernet Franc under the hand of winemaker Andrea Ferreyra, La Celia has a large portfolio to discover and is open for visits both to the winery and historic posada.

 

About Finca La Celia winery

The oldest winery in the Uco Valley, La Celia was established in 1890 by Eugenio Bustos — after whom the town was later named. Eugenio left his estate to his daughter, Celia, which is where the estate’s name comes from today. At the time it was remarkably large, spanning over 40,000 hectares. The winery became so important to the region that the national train line was built to stop right at its front door!

In 2000, Viña San Pedro bought part of that original property, including the historic winery building. With over 380 hectares of vineyards to choose from, winemaker Andrea Ferreyra makes a range of wines which focus on Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. The mid-range Pioneer line offers great value, while Elite and Heritage are elegant exponents of Uco, and its recently launched Terruño is the top of the top. You can visit La Celia for a tasting and tour, or even stay overnight at their posada by the vines.

Finca La Celia vineyards

While Finca La Celia is effectively one large single vineyard, it spans over 380 hectares. And within that area, the vineyards actually span three different sub-regions and several different soil structures. Within their own vineyard there is over 200 metres of altitude difference too, which gives a slightly different climate and average temperatures to different parts of the vineyard.

This gives a lot of room for agronomist Agustín Leiva and winemaker Andrea Ferreyra to work with, producing wines that go from the macro vision to the micro vision.

The vines are on average 25 years old and the main grape varieties planted include Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

Paraje Altamira vineyard

This is the highest sector of the vineyard, at 1,100 m.a.s.l and the soil is quite classically Altamira — with a shallow topsoil and then deep rocky subsoil with some calcareous content. Here there is a range of varieties planted by the most exciting is their minerally and fresh Malbec (especially in the single-block and Heritage line) and Chardonnay (in the Pioneer line).

As well as the main vineyard, there is also a new block of vines at higher altitude which is beginning to come into fruition.

La Consulta

Located in the middle between Eugenio Bustos and Paraje Altamira, these vineyards are at 1.050 m.a.s.l and have deep sand-loam soils. After a meter or so depth though, there is a layer of colourful and mineral-rich rocks which give a very different profile to the wines.

The real star here is their Cabernet Franc.

Eugenio Bustos

These vineyards are right next to the main winery, and are the lowest elevation at 980 m.a.s.l with deep sandy-silt soils. This combination typically results in elegant and aromatic wines, with less structure than those of the other two vineyards. Frost is however more of a problem here, so sometimes the yield is dropped due to frosts resulting in more concentration.

The variety that really stands out here is their Cabernet Sauvignon.

Watch this video about the different character of the wine regions within the vineyard and how it impacts the wines:

Read the full article online here!

 

About Finca La Celia wines

LA CELIA RESERVA

This is a great entry-level range to begin exploring the wines of La Celia and understanding the house style here. Offering great value for money, they are all easy-drinking and fruit-forward while also classically elegant. The grapes come from Eugenio Bustos and La Consulta, and includes a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Rosé (80% Pinot Noir-20% Pinot Grigio), Malbec, Malbec-Cabernet Franc (80% Malbec-20% Cabernet Franc) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The highlights of the portfolio in my opinion is the Malbec- Cabernet Franc, as well as refreshing Rosé!

LA CELIA PIONEER

One of the best-known ranges of Finca La Celia, the Pioneer line all comes from La Consulta and Paraje Altamira and includes a Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is increasingly fresh in the new vintages and the Cabernet Sauvignon is also one of my favourites in the range.

LA CELIA ELITE 

La Celia Elite offers two wines: a Malbec from Altamira and Cabernet Franc from La Consulta. This is the line in which you really start to see some great ageability come through and the wines offer not only good varietal definition but regional definition too. The Cabernet Franc is  definitely a highlight.

LA CELIA HERITAGE

La Celia Heritage is a 100% Malbec wines from Paraje Altamira, reflecting the more floral style typically associated with this subregion. Andrea’s winemaking has increasingly moved towards a more elegant style and there is limited use of oak in this super premium wine, which is a refreshing change in Argentina. Using large toneles, the character of the vineyard and Malbec is well preserved and there’s both freshness but also concentration.

TERRUÑOS

This is a very limited release but definitely worth finding if you can. A trio of terroir wines from Uco (as explained in the above video) which includes La Celia Paraje Altamira Malbec, La Celia La Consulta Cabernet Franc, and La Celia Eugenio Bustos Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are made with grapes from a small plot of land, around 1 hectare, and reflect La Celia’s greater focus on specific terroirs and polygons within their estate.

 

About the winemaker, Andrea Ferreyra

One of the Uco Valley’s most prominent female winemakers, Andrea grew up surrounded by the vineyards at her grandmother’s finca in the Uco Valley.

She joined La Celia in 2006 and became the chief winemaker in 2012. Prior to joining La Celia, she’s worked at several wineries in Mendoza including Bodegas y Viñedos La Rural (Rutini Wines) and Cavas de Weinert.

Andrea has been championing more elegant wines over the past few years and her work is really starting to pay off with the new vintages of La Celia being increasingly fresh and precise.

There’s been a good deal of work happening not only in the winery but in the vineyard too working with consultants and terroir experts Pedro Parra and Guillermo Corona to isolate special plots and terroirs within their large single estate.

Visiting Finca La Celia winery

The winery is open for tourism and offers a guided visits and tastings from Monday through Saturday with previous reservation. There’s a dedicated tasting room and shop.

The restaurant is also open every day, with prior booking. The menu is a la carte and offers a variety of homemade food. There are also options for people with dietary restrictions like celiac (including their famous empanadas!), vegans and vegetarians.

The posada is also available to book and is one of the few wineries to offer accommodation in southern Uco. It has four bedrooms which are in the traditional and historic house which is set within a large garden inside the vineyard, and has a large pool to enjoy in the summertime.

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You can book lunch or dinner by emailing the winery at [email protected]

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