Thursday was our Uco Valley day. An hour and a bit’s drive south, past Luján de Cuyo, took us to the town of Tunuyán, bathed in more beautiful sunshine.
Our first visit was to the winery of Laureano Gomez, sometimes called the father of Pinot Noir in Argentina. He worked at Trapiche for 35 years, becoming winemaker there and then at Salentein, but in 2009 left to set up his own winery, which he runs with his family. We met his son Agostino who grew up in this lovely environment and works both in the vineyards (although they buy in most of their grapes they work closely with growers) and the winery. We took glasses with us for our tour of their winery and tasted various wines from previous years that were ready or nearly ready for bottling (they bring in a mobile bottling line when they have sufficient quantities to fill). From tank we tasted a fresh Pinot Noir from 2024: they buy their Pinot grapes from San Carlos which is further south so cooler. Then two Malbecs from 2023, one a Reserva (which had been harvested a week later and had longer in barrel). They were so fine flavoured and rounded it tempting to say they were Merlot and some of us did – duh! Finally from barrel some Merlot, that would go into their Gran Reserva blend with loads of fruit and sweet vanilla.
Agostino talked passionately about the importance of vineyard work, starting with pruning in June to ensure quality not quantity. On our way to their tasting room we saw the remnants of grape must which had finished fermenting being shovelled out of a tank into a basket press, and a huge cake of pressed must that was a first for most of us!
In the tasting room had a glass of their glorious Gran Reserva from 2018, a beautiful wine of which they made just six barrels. A Malbec/Merlot blend it was really smooth, though its firm tannins and dense fruits suggested quite a way to go! A fabulous wine to finish on! Some of their wines are stocked in Gaucho’s restaurants in London, their main export markets are the US, Switzerland and Brazil.
Then to Giménez Riili for a completely different experience. Their vineyard and winery are in a complex called ‘Wines of Mendoza’ which the Giménez Riili family were involved in developing. Different companies – and individuals – have invested in vineyards and five wineries in 300ha of the Los Chacayes area, which is at 1,500m and 20km from the Andes. Their enterprise includes 5ha of vines (they also have vineyards in other areas), the winery, a restaurant and a guest house and spa.
In front of glorious views of the mountains our guide Christian explained about the family’s history (immigrants from Spain and Italy both set up wine businesses, and their children met in 1980 at a wine show!). In the 1980s there was a massive decline in Argentinian wine consumption (due to economic woes, and cheaper beer) and many wine enterprises went out of business. The family carried on making wine by buying in grapes and renting space in wineries, until the Wines of Mendoza opportunity came up.
Over a glass of rosé Christian showed us the pit dug to demonstrate the stony soil, and we tasted grapes and learnt about differences between their leaves. They grow Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and of course Malbec.
In the winery we saw the tables where whole, hand harvested, bunches are sorted, then destemmed and selected again, then fermented in stainless steel (and when there is no room, in big plastic cubes wrapped in cling film!). They also have concrete tanks and eggs, and a growing collection of barriques which they use from new to 5th use.
We tasted some Malbec that was still macerating, fermentation had not started so the juice was really sweet, and from barrique a Syrah from 2023 that was just completing its second year in oak. They only make wines from free run juice, any ‘press wine’ is sold to other wineries, so their quality is very high.
The quality of our four step menu in their Michelin recognised restaurant was also very high. An antipasto of tomato pesto and proscuttio was followed by empanadas, a choice of main and a choice of dessert, accompanied by a succession of wines that demonstrated once again the range of styles and very high quality wines of Mendoza, this time in the Uco Valley. Federico, who runs the business, greeted us and gave us further flavour of this family business, who export widely but celebrate their roots – wines are named after family groups: parents, uncles, even the partners of grandchildren!
A restful drive back to Mendoza and most definitely a quite night.
