Mendoza: The Original Malbec?

While Cahors may be the birthplace of Malbec, full of exotic spices, and rustic minerality, Mendoza is unquestionably its home. The full-bodied dark-skinned and juicy Malbec once produced the black wine Cahors was famous for, was now producing tannic, plumy, and rich examples in the new world. So popular became this new style of Malbec, that this grape built glamorous reputations for its winemakers such as Chilean neighbors, Concha Y Toro, that inspired the modern producers in Cahors to redefine their product.

Wine production in Mendoza began lifetimes before Malbec had even even arrived in Argentina. Though Mendoza accounts for seventy percent of Argentina’s wine production as a region, it is helpful to note that certainly not all of the wine produced is made of Malbec, though it is the grape that defines the region. There are also outcroppings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, Torrontes, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Vineyards of the Uco Valley in the winter.

Malbec is also notably not the first grape to be planted here. Like other latin American countries, the first Vinifera varietals to be cultivated were done so by the Carthusians - monks, who required a sufficient supply of communion wine. These first settlers from the old world planted Pais, or Mission, as it is sometimes called, and learned how to sustain the crop on this uncertain terroir from the Incas and surrounding native tribes.

The Mendoza region, named for the capital city of Argentina stretches far beyond the boarders of the city itself. Comprised of the subregions of Miapu, Luján de Cuyo, and the Uco Valley. Each region has highly divergent soils types and unique properties as well as their own biodiversity. They’re incredibly distant from each other as well, in fact the distance between the subregions is quite surprising when consulting with a map.

Malbec itself likely didn’t arrive on the continent until the eighteen-sixties, nearing the beginning of the scourge of Phylloxera as it made its way across Europe. Though it is one of the scourging international varietals that has earned itself an extreme amount of popularity, a century ago, it was a merely pedestrian table grape used for blend strength in Bordeaux, and quaffing in the areas north of the Pyrenees. It is believed to have made contact with the locals of Mendoza via a nineteenth century French vineyard consultant, and ampelographer called Michel Aimé Pouget - somewhat of a of precursor to the flying vigneron of the next century.

Altogether Mendoza sits roughly eight hundred to twelve hundred meters above sea level. This altitude is prime for grape growing because it implies a healthy diurnal shift, a grand differentiation between day time and night time temperatures. Cool evening extend the ripening time, and time on the vine thus allowing for greater complexities and variations in flavors as the sugars mature and tannin develops. Further discussion on this concept is located

Here, well-draining rock and sandy soils are the key to their fine wines, as is the all-day sunlight. Mendoza Malbec is known for its new world palatability - flavors of cassis, plum and black cherry, with out the ostensible, overbearing mess of overripe jam and unbalanced sweetness that can plague other new-world regions. Acidity, herbaceous notes, and minerality are all ever present secondary complexities. These wines age exquisitely.

The Uco Valley

Lies about thirty kilometers to the west of Mendoza proper, it is essentially a separate growing area, centered around the towns of Tupungato, La Constulta, and Tunuyán. This region is significantly higher up than Mendoza proper, with altitudes exceeding eleven hundred meters in most places. Its southerly position also means southerly exposure to the sun’s rays which is much needed in a higher-altitude location. With every foot above sea level comes chillier temperatures.

The river Tupungato divides the province in half, separating the northern divide of Tupungato from the San Carlos divide, nearly forty or so kilometers to the south. This river is prized for its functionality for grape production. It moderated the often low temperatures at the end of season, with warming maritime breezes. It also acts as an auspice for crucial irrigation during the dog days of summer.

The arid, desert-like conditions in the Uco Valley can be both a blessing and a curse. The region sees very little rain, forcing some producers into investigating the possibility of dry-farming, or more commonly… Irrigation. “Il y a pas de Terroir!” Though in the defense of the regions very high quality terroir, the reason for such small amounts of dibble are because this region is protected by Mount Tupungato, which towers over the region by 6570 meters, keeping severe weather and the occasional shower on the other side of its crest.

Synthesis by winery Sophenia is a high-altitude Malbec with style. Slightly own the more timid side, this wine is driven by a solid core of minerality, so there’s no gaminess. Still with every ounce of brashness to be expected by a Malbec from Mendoza, however, the caretaker is welcomed by dry blackberry, flavors of dry rosemary, incense, and gravel, followed by pronounced gleams of cedar and allspice. The complexity does not replace the fruit in typical fashion, large notes of blackcurrant and black plum make up the intense fruit of this worthwhile bottle,

What really differentiates this subregional area from the others of Mendoza, is the consequences of the high altitude. The major outlying issue is obviously the risk of cold westerly winds which move in from the andes, the higher altitude can leave grapes exposed to the frost in the latter season.

During the summer, these winds help to drive up the acid and slow ripening of the sugars, meaning these grapes can stay on the vine weeks later than in any other area - further delineating the advent of enological complexities. The diurnal shift here can be far more detrimental during the latter seasons as well. nights are mind-blowingly chilly, it’s a wonder that grapes are able to ripen at all.

Soils are well-draining and and alluvial breakdowns of granite and calcareous marl. Because the soils are so well-draining, the vines are strained for father, arching deep into the gravel bedrock seeking the low-lying water table. Vine vigor, that is, canopy development, and yield is stressed as such. The fruit from the vine is thus small and flavors highly concentrated.

Toward the northern side of the Uco Valley is the town of Tunuyan, which is named for the river which blesses this district with temperature regulation. The vast majority of grape growing is concentrated in this general area. The reason that this specific area is worth mentioning is because the soils vary slightly from the rest of the Uco Valley.

There are much higher percentages of clay along with the alluvial rocky soils found elsewhere. Clay retains water, which is helpful during the dry end of the seasons. The soils in the is micro-region are quite deep as well, whereas a lot of the rest of the valley consists of bedrock peppered with basalt and cut limestone fragments. Moisture and groundwater are retained within the deeper clay soils, which contributes to better vine health overall.

Luján de Cuyo

This subregion graces the foothills fifteen kilometers south of Mendoza, within the valley of the same name. This valley makes up the formidable host of some of the largest and most successful labels in the world. Like Tunuyan, the region is divided into two sections by the river Mendoza, also a runoff of the Andes full of brisk fresh water. This area stretches over twenty miles in all directions and is essentially the birthplace of the modern advent of wine in Argentina. It, notably, is also the first appellation to receive a DOC in 1993.

As it is such a vast and old wine growing expanse, this has given growers here the tie to analyze the way that different altitudes, soil composition and winemaking techniques affect the final wine. Essentially - they have had some time to establish a bit of rudimentary Terroir. This has resulted in the disambiguation of delineated terroir within the surrounding areas, roughly akin to the size of Castigliano Falleto, or La Morra in Barolo.

There are five of these plots that are mapped in distinction, based on the regional villages outlining the region of Luján. The names of these smaller outcroppings of individual terroir are: Perdriel, Agrelo, Las Compuertas, Vistalba, and Ugarteche. - Organized from hard to pronounce to harder.

Vistalba: Soils around this village are rocky and dense. They are incredibly shallow with bedrock right under a layer of well-draining sand and sandstone, covered in a flecking of limestone, which refracts light onto the grapes for additional ripening. Just between the bedrock there is a jumbling of clay, which stores moisture. There is very little rainfall here, resulting in a need for irrigation form the Andes-fed Mendoza river - flood irrigation, that is, which deposits additional minerals that feed the vines essential nutrients as they develop their fruit.

Slightly less aggregate, is the Climat to the east, Compuertas, which has a drier climate, and is a bit larger than Vistalba, has sandy soils similar to those found in Vistalba, with the edition of some gravels and sporadic granite from the changing of direction by the river over centuries, it would be an understatement to say that Compuertas is quite complex. This area has the benefit of being slightly hillier than surrounding climat, giving way to warming westerly winds from the Atlantic.

Across the river, in Perdriel, soils have been affected by river directional change as well. Soils here are a mixed bag of alluvial deposits, with elevated levels of river clay. It is slightly less well-draining than other areas, and sometimes does not even require irrigation like its neighbors to the north. The predominant soils are loams storing water deep underground, which is good for vine struggle. The top soil is notably arid.

Marchiori and Barraud produces a single vineyard from Perdriel, Cartel 2 Marchiori, an incredibly rich example of ostentatious plum, and bramble that opens with symphonies of anise and vanilla. The wine slowly develops into further complexities, like those of leather polish and cassis; hints of ripe red cherry, and limestone. Tannins are more lush and compliment the juiciness of the wine, but are ever-present and the finish is a bit drying. This is a fine example of terroir.

Agrelo, the largest Climat, is hunkered down South of Perdriel. One of two climate with no direct access to the river, there is no way to flood irrigate as in some of the other plots. This embankment has less clay for water storage, and is made up of alluvial, well-draining soils of consistent quality and mineral content. Agrelo, like other areas in Mendoza is reliant on diurnal shift for delayed ripening, and irrigation for a consistent supply of water. Wines from this area have exceptional acidity and an interesting mineral characteristic.

Ugarteche, upstream, is far sandier, and less alluvial than any of its neighboring climat. There is more concentrated limestone here, and the area has a tendency toward fresher fruit flavors. Drip irrigation is necessary being further away from the Mendoza than some of the other Climat. Ugarteche is probably the most well draining off all of the climat. There is very little clay to retain moisture, and berry-sizes are infinitesimally smaller. Sometimes this area can face problems with adequate canopy development, and vine shutdown without adequate irrigation.

Miapu

The last region in Mendoza worth mentioning, oppositely positioned from Luján de Cuyo, this small town lies to the east of Mendoza proper, and about twenty kilometers from the Luján area. Notably, elevation-wise the area is the lowest of the three villages, and is the least well regarded. That is not to say that any of Mendoza specifically is making poor-quality wines, just the other two are home to a lot of very highly-regarded wines, and esteemed terroir. Miapu is producing great wines, but can often be neglected in the same breath as the other two regions.

One estate that is producing incredible quality wines is the family-owned winery of Carinea, specifically the Gran Reserva. These stately Malbecs are truly something to talk about, with striking mineralogy, and mid-palette of excellent breadth, these wines are as astute as any celebrated old-world example of Cabernet. The lush texture of ribbony blackcurrant and fresh black cherry are quickly displaced by mouth-warming alcohol, and brash tannin, laden with a beam of gravel. A quintessential example of Malbec. After some ritual decanting of an older example, oxygen uncovers leather, and white pepper but as with all wines of distinction, patience is a virtue.

Though a few famous estates have land holdings here, this slightly lower-elevation area is regarded for higher production capabilities, Rain shadow protects these vines from some of the harsher weather confined to Chile and associated with the tropics of the Pacific. Like the other two regions, Miapu also benefits from the cooling rays of the sun at altitude. It is slightly warmer due to the lower altitude, and the Mendoza river provides irrigation downstream from Lujan.

Though the three subregions of Mendoza may be bottled occasionally in reserve bottling, the bulk of wine produced is blended from the three regions creating a cuvée of the producer’s best holdings. Some high quality vineyards are admonished as such on labels, but for the most part, Mendoza Malbec is known for its value at a modest price point. Examples from the Maipu valley will always be some share of the wine, due to its structure, consistency, verve and most importantly, proximity to the vast majority of wineries in Mendoza, which makes it an asset for bulk quantity.

That’s all,

~K