NICHE NICHE GOES TO THE ANDES!
The Wines…
La Agricola, Cara Sur Moscatel Blanco 2019
Grape: Moscatel
Cara Sur is a small winery formed in 2011 as a partnership between two couples who were inspired to revive ancestral vines and produce wines from traditional Argentine varietals. Sebastián Zuccardi and Marcela Manini teamed up with Nuria Año Gargiulo and Pancho Burgallo, an avid mountaineering couple who live in Barreal, in the Calingasta Valley of San Juan, north of Mendoza. This mountaineering spirit is represented in the name: Cara Sur translates to "south face" and refers to the more challenging approach to Cerro Mercedario, one of Argentina’s tallest peaks.
The vineyard sits alongside the Los Patos River in Barreal on stony soil at 1500 meters above sea level. This wine is made from 50-year old vines. Grapes were destemmed and fermented dry on the skins with native yeasts. Aged for a little over 6 months in 50L demijohns.
Via Revolucionaria, Torrontés Brutal 2019
Grape: Torrontes
Via Revolucionaria is located in the Uco Valley in Tupungato, Mendoza; Matias Michelini, the winemaker and agronomist, strives to make experimental wines that express the terroir of this cooler climate. These wines are extremely low production.
This wine is 100% Torrontes from 47-year-old vines grown at 3,940 feet of elevation in sandy soils. Macerated for 6 days with the stems; fermented with native yeasts for 60 days in open-top fermenters. Aged in French oak.
Onda Brava, Cinsault Valle del Tata 2019
Grape: Cinsault
Onda Brava is a partnership between Dani Rozman of La Onda and Leonardo Erazo of Rogue Vine / A Los Viñateros Bravos. This collaborative effort is focused on the ancient, unirrigated and ungrafted vines in the hills of Itata. They explore sites that highlight the granitic soil and maritime influence that makes this region unique. The winemaking is very simple, and they use cement tanks as well as open Rauli vats. Grapes are foot-trodden as well as hand-destemmed in zarandas (the large bamboo mat-like sieves that are extended on top of the vats) utilizing traditional winemaking techniques. The wines are produced on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the town of Cobquecura.
The Cinsault grapes are from a 60-80-year-old vineyard with granitic soil. 50% foot-stomped, 50% hand de-stemmed with zaranda, fermented in open-top Rauli tank, aged in cement galileo.
Domaine Bousquet Winery, Brut Methode Traditionnelle
Grape: 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir
Vineyards are located in Tupungato, Alto Gualtallary. By the foothills of the Andes at 4000 ft. altitude. The vineyards enjoy a marked thermal amplitude. Gravel and sand Soil. Manual harvest during the first and second week of February. Cold macerationat 8°C for 24hs to extract aromas and flavors. Fermentation with selected yeast at a maximum temperature of 20°C for 15 days. Second fermentation in bottle and 6 month over lees.
