A gorgeous morning dawned for our first full day of the Argentina tour. Clear blue skies, barely a hint of cloud and the Andes could be seen in their absolute prime. Our first stop was Dominio del Plata – the dream realised by one of Argentina’s most prized winemakers – Susana Balbo. She has pioneered the development of top class, innovative winemaking and her estate in the Agrelo area of Mendoza was a joy to behold.
Juan was our host and he communicated the passion of the estate absolutely brilliantly.
We tasted three contrasting Malbecs from the barrel with the winemaker and then headed upstairs for more tasting. Entry level and premium level Torrontes wines were paired up and then we moved onto more Malbec and a Bordeaux blend (with a bit of Malbec!)
Before you knew it lunchtime had arrived. A fresh green salad gave way to the piece de resistance – a sublime slab of perfectly cooked medium rare beef. It was sensational! We rounded off lunch with flan and dulce de leche, blue cheese and a glass of late harvest Torrontes which was a perfect ending.
No respite as we had an appointment with the fabulous Achaval Ferrer estate. This is now established as one of the best estates in the whole of Argentina.
Despite the prestige, everyone we met was charming relaxed and friendly and we settled in straightaway to a very relaxed tasting of some very serious Malbecs from Mendoza as well as the Uco Valley. Sonia Rivas was an excellent and very amusing host and it was a pleasure to taste such prestigious wine in such an easy going way. Three sublime Malbecs and a Passito Malbec rounded off a truly memorable day