Big-Ticket Reds - Chile & Argentina pick up steam

Like two locomotives on diverging tracks, the vintners of Chile and Argentina have embarked on a challenging journey to make the wine world aware of the outstanding quality of their finest reds. While the final destination is similar, the route each is taking is quite different: Chilean winemakers are promoting several wine types, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenère, while Argentina, for the most part, is banking on one varietal - Malbec - as its top performer. As to which country will pull ahead in the coming years is anyone's guess, but it is clear today that Argentina, which had been left in Chile's dust for decades, is now barreling along at full speed in hopes of grabbing more of its neighbor's glory... From an evolutionary perspective, Chile has determinedly been pursuing the ultrapremium red category for a longer period of time and with greater zeal. Concha y Toro has produced a high-end Cabernet Sauvignon called Don Melchor each year since 1987, while the 1995 Seña, a joint project of Eduardo Chadwick of Errazuriz Winery and Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley, was the first well-known signature Bordeaux blend to emerge from Chile. On its heels, Casa Lapostolle, arguably the country's most visible luxury producer, released the inaugural 1997 Clos Apalta, a sumptuous red blend made primarily from carmenère. It was followed in short order by three distinguished reds from Montes: M, a Bordeaux blend; Folly, made from syrah; and Purple Angel, produced from carmenère. Each of these examples met with considerable critical acclaim upon initial release, and today dozens of Chilean producers throughout the country, especially in the Maipo and Colchagua valleys, have bought into the big-ticket red category. And many, such as Haras de Pirque, a relatively recent Maipo startup, have constructed elaborate showplaces to produce those wines. Argentina's top reds, however, are not quite as acclaimed and are generally smaller-scale projects. Only a few notable exceptions, such as Privada from Norton and Catena Alta (Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec), have garnered significant international attention. And Trapiche, a producer that dates to 1883 and cultivates 2,700 acres of vineyards, ups the Malbec ante even further by making three high-end, single vineyard offerings. Yet the world's wine press has primarily focused on the moderately priced bottlings of Malbec, Argentina's signature varietal. Although the best producers have become a bit impatient with the emphasis on value wines, it's indicative of growing pains, according to Susana Balbo, president of Wines of Argentina, a marketing arm for the country's wines. "It's normal in selling wine that a big volume of inexpensive Malbecs are coming into the United States. It's the same with Italian wines or Spanish wines - the big volumes are the lower-priced wines." Balbo, who also produces wine under her own label, is understandably a proponent of Malbec's complexities. "It is a wonderful varietal [from] which you can get great quality at $10 or $12, $40 or $50, or even $100." As consumers seek more complex, more finely crafted examples of Malbec, inevitably other increasingly impressive Argentine reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, will pop up on their radars as well. And given the prevalence of Spanish and Italian surnames in the country, non-French varieties will, too. For example, the important Zuccardi family embraces bonarda, sangiovese and tempranillo in addition to the usual French suspects. Certainly both countries boast hospitable terrains and climates ideally suited to growing vitis vinifera. "We have a deep belief that we have a paradise in which to grow grapes," says Aurelio Montes, a founding partner at the Montes winery, located in Chile's Colchagua Valley. Attributes such as abundant sunshine combined with cooling breezes from the Andes to the east and the strong west winds generated by the Humboldt Current that runs the length of Chile's Pacific coast are what he's talking about. Grapes ripen easily and evenly here because temperatures rarely get too hot. Lying across the mountains, Argentina also enjoys warm temperatures and cooling Andean breezes, but lacks the cold winds coming from the ocean (in Argentina's case, the Atlantic), given its inland location. Thus quality-driven winegrowers have climbed to higher and higher elevations to avoid a too-quick growing season. Vineyards in Argentina are typically planted anywhere from 740 to 5,600 feet above sea level, with an average altitude of 2,200 feet, the highest on earth. Yields at these lofty heights are comparatively tiny, but the trade-off is huge: perfect sunlight exposure and little or no vine disease (due largely to minimal rainfall), an ideal scenario in which to craft wines of the highest caliber. Though a point of controversy in some quarters, Chile's winemaking history is usually considered older than that of its larger Andean neighbor. Both nation's viticultural roots are traced directly to Spain and the Catholic Church, both of which spread grapes along with European culture and the gospel. Much of Chile's modern winemaking history revolves around the Maipo Valley, long the epicenter of the country's viticulture (most other regions are referred to as lying north or south of Maipo), and the wine region that hems Santiago, the nation's capital, on three sides. It was here in the mid-1800s that some 30 French varieties - many from Bordeaux - were transported for planting. The timing turned out to be advantageous because these cuttings famously predated the phylloxera devastation that took hold in Western European vineyards a few decades later. Chile has yet to fall victim to phylloxera, both because of the health of the original vines and the isolated topography - the Andes to the east, the Pacific to the west, the Atacama desert to the north and the desolate cold of the sub-Antarctic south - that keeps out vineyard pests. Soon after the imported cuttings took root, wine estates were established in the Maipo Valley. A handful endure today, four of which - Cousiño-Macul, Santa Rita, Concha y Toro and Carmen - are among Chile's elite producers. Each makes at least one luxury red, usually a blend of Bordeaux grapes. Their collective depth of experience has been a key to the remarkable quality of Maipo Valley red wines in general. More than 26,000 acres of vineyards extend throughout the region, with red varieties accounting for 84 percent of the plantings. Cabernet sauvignon dominates (70 percent), followed by merlot (12 percent) with the balance in small percentages of carmenère, syrah and malbec. The climate is Mediterranean-like with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Growing conditions vary, however, among Maipo's three major wine zones: Central Maipo (on the plains at 1,800 to 2,100 feet), Coastal Maipo (toward the ocean and below 1,800 feet) and Alto Maipo (toward the Andes and above 2,100 feet). Cousiño-Macul, founded in 1856, grows its red fruit on two estates in Alto Maipo: Macul, in the southern reaches of the city of Santiago, and Buin, a new estate located approximately 20 miles south and slightly east of Santiago. Although much of the production has shifted to Buin, the original estate at Macul, with its glamorous gardens and tree-lined paths, is still important for the fruit it contributes to Cousiño-Macul's upper-tier reds, especially because several plots of ungrafted cabernet sauvignon vines are more than 50 years old. Head winemaker Matias Rivera describes the differences in the two sites thusly: "The Buin estate has great soil diversity with a large percentage of stone subsoil mixed with sand and clay. Cabernet sauvignon works especially well at this site and the resulting wines are mature and powerful. Regarding Macul, the soils are more varied, but all have a deep, well-drained clay texture that produces more elegant, delicate wines with rich fruit and refreshing acidity." To celebrate the winery's 150th anniversary, Rivera and his team embarked on a project to highlight the best plots on both estates. The result is the 2004 Lota, a complex blend of 85 percent cabernet sauvignon and 15 percent merlot drawn from dozens of wine lots. Macul represents 40 percent of the final blend with the cabernet sauvignon components coming from 72-year-old vines and the merlot from 23-year-old vines with an average yield of 1.5 tons per acre; Buin's 60 percent was made up of seven-year-old cabernet and merlot vines with an average yield of 1.8 tons per acre. The inaugural bottling offers rich fruit aromas and a deep earthiness, with notes of fig and coffee, that embodies classic Alto Maipo terroir. This terroir has long been a signature of the finest Alto Maipo reds, a factor that the local winemakers stress. Jean-Paul Lacaze, winemaker at Domus Aurea near Macul, says, "There is a difference between our Cab and the other Maipo Cabs [just] as there is difference between Merlot from St.-Emilion and Pomerol, or Cab from Pauillac or St.-Julien." He explains that a primary distinction among the Alto Maipo reds is the softness of their tannins compared with other Maipo wines, a quality that Lacaze believes vintners from the area - and from Chile in general - have not done enough to communicate to the rest of the world. "Many people are still looking on the map to see where Chile is," he ruefully observes. Enrique Tirado, winemaker of the formidable Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon from Concha y Toro, has certainly been doing his part to define Alto Maipo's terroir. The vineyard from which this wine is made stands some 2,100 feet above sea level on the southeast edge of Santiago in the Puente Alto subzone, and is composed of alluvial soils with a large amount of stones. Tirado notes that these highly permeable, low-nutrient soils make it easier to control plant growth. "Limiting excessive plant strength leads to grapes of highly concentrated color, aroma and flavor," he explains. "Producing a high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon requires an ability to manage plant growth all throughout the season, and we have achieved precisely that [here]." Tirado also cites the beneficial diurnal temperature shifts - from an average of 85 degrees during the day to 50 at night - and a long growing season as obvious benefits in the Puente Alto subzone. "Such high temperature fluctuations lead to mature, remarkably concentrated phenolic compounds, which, in turn, lead to high-quality tannins at harvest time," he explains. In addition to the Don Melchor, two of Alto Maipo's other most celebrated reds are produced at Carmen: the Gold Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the Winemaker's Reserve Red, a blend of cabernet sauvignon (generally about 50 percent of the blend), carmenère, syrah and smaller amounts of merlot and petite sirah. Both are made from grapes grown at Carmen's home vineyard, planted in 1953 in the Alto Jahuel area, just east of Buin. The oldest fruit goes into the Gold Reserve, while that in the Reserve Red is from vines between 15 and 17 years of age. María del Pilar González, who joined Carmen in 2001 after 25 years spent honing her skills elsewhere in Chile, makes both star bottlings. She still gets a thrill from working with the fruit grown here, especially the small section used for the Gold Reserve. "This single plot of nine acres naturally gives us a particular personality that is superior in quality to all the other grapes in the same vineyard," she notes. "The vines are easy to manage, the shoots are perfectly located and the clusters and berries are small." Furthermore, she adds that vigor is "perfectly balanced for the yields," which never go above 1.6 tons per acre. Pilar González's objective for the Winemaker's Reserve Red is to highlight the Alto Maipo terroir using the amalgam of five varieties. "I love the richness, its personality and, mainly, its finesse," she notes. And although she asserts that this wine is not as impressive as the Gold Reserve Cabernet (a rather modest assessment), she allows that the wine is "very well structured with outstanding elegance." Asserting that "80 to 85 percent" of any wine is made in the vineyard, she is willing to take only a small part of the credit for the end result. "I love big and impressive wines," she says. "I love to show the typicity of our Chilean fruit, perfectly balanced with the spicy character of the barrel aging." While she may shrug off the credit, it has become abundantly clear that in the current 2002 Winemaker's Reserve Red and the 2003 Gold Reserve Cabernet (only the first and second releases of these wines made by her) she has markedly improved these already exceptional Alto Maipo wines, making them into two of the finest reds in all of Chile. Located some 100 miles south of Santiago, the Colchagua Valley has become the main competitor to the Maipo Valley as home to Chile's most prominent red wines. Just over 90 percent of the plantings in this warm region are red grapes, with cabernet sauvignon accounting for slightly more than half, followed by merlot, carmenère and syrah. Excellent producers such as MontGras, Emiliana and Cono Sur are among its 35 wineries, but two particular estates have made the Colchagua Valley a familiar location for fans of luscious Chilean reds: Montes and Casa Lapostolle. Montes, which completed its twentieth vintage in 2006, was established in the 1980s by four Chilean partners, including Aurelio Montes, a longtime veteran of the country's wine industry. A 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon was the first release. Founded in 1994, Casa Lapostolle was originally a partnership between the Marnier-Lapostolle family of France (makers of Grand Marnier) and the Rabat family of Chile, but is today solely owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle group. Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle, great-granddaughter of the founder of Grand Marnier, is the general manager who has overseen the decisions that have made this estate one of Chile's most critically acclaimed producers. Interestingly, the founders of both of these preeminent estates selected the Apalta district as home base. Located in the middle of the Colchagua Valley between the cities of San Fernando and Santa Cruz (Apalta is part of the Santa Cruz DO or Denominación de Origen) some 40 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, Apalta is an isolated area bathed in cooling breezes from a small mountain range to the north, as well as from the more imposing Andes to the east. The Tinguiririca River, which encloses this zone, also helps moderate temperatures. While climate is certainly advantageous to growing well-structured reds, it was the soils that persuaded Marnier-Lapostolle to locate here. "I fell in love with the Apalta Vineyard in Colchagua; I knew I found something special," she recounts. Marnier-Lapostolle had discovered old, ungrafted French vineyards that were planted to a high density (2,670 vines per acre) in well-drained soils (in local dialect the name Apalta means "poor soils") and realized, "This was the place for me to start producing great wine." For winemaker Aurelio Montes and business partner Douglas Murray, the choice of Apalta was born of both need and inspiration. The 140-year-old vineyard in Curicó (just southeast of Colchagua), from which the inaugural Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted, was dying off. They urgently had to find a new fruit source. Research and experience convinced Montes that the future would be in Colchagua. While working for Undurraga, a producer known in the United States for its inexpensive, well-made wines, he had looked at Apalta as a source for red grapes. Although the wines produced here in the mid-1980s were unremarkable, due no doubt to overproduction, Montes recognized potential in Colchagua's unique soils of clay loam with granitic deposits. The decision was prescient because Montes quickly became one of Chile's most celebrated producers. Its estate in Apalta is home to some of the most beautiful and intricately planted vineyards in the country. Situated on steep hillsides (as much as 45-degree inclinations), most of the plantings face south - away from the sun in the Southern Hemisphere - so the grapes do not ripen too quickly. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot - the basis of the winery's famous M bottling - are grown here, as are syrah for use in the premium red Folly (100 percent syrah) and carmenère, for use in the Purple Angel bottling. Working with so many varieties in such a small area complements the house philosophy, notes Murray: "We believe that only through maximum diversity will Chile discover its true quality potential." The partners are understandably pleased with their grape selections. "When we introduced syrah in Colchagua, we had the highest hopes, but the actual results exceeded our wildest expectations," Murray says. "There are still many new terroirs to be discovered and new varieties that will show their worth." The pioneering work at Montes helped establish syrah alongside cabernet sauvignon as the most consistent red varieties in Chile, but carmenère remains something of a question mark. It has been promoted in some quarters as Chile's signature grape, but to date its performance has not added much weight to that claim. Perhaps this is due to a learning curve that still has not been fully explored. Interestingly, the grape was only positively identified as being carmenère in 1994, when a visiting French ampelographer cleared up the confusion. Winegrowers here previously thought the grape was actually merlot because of the similar shape of its berries. Imported from Bordeaux in the 1850s, carmenère is a mutation of cabernet sauvignon. Because it is a late-ripening variety, the grape was actually shunned by Bordeaux vignerons when they were faced with replanting in the late 1800s after phylloxera swept through their vineyards. Apparently few thought the grape was worth the gamble of beating the autumn rains. Hence Chile had fortuitously become the repository of a variety that quickly vanished from France. Jacques Lurton, who, along with his brother, François, produces Alka, one of Chile's finest carmenère-based bottlings, from their Lurton estate in Colchagua (the brothers have interests in Argentina as well). He admits there are a few challenges associated with growing the grape: "It is a very vigorous variety - highly sensitive to irrigation - meaning that great efforts are needed to achieve low yields. Also, to prevent the development of herbaceous tones, we have to ensure a high sugar content to achieve maximum ripeness." Alvaro Espinoza, one of Chile's most in-demand consulting winemakers, has done as much as any individual to elevate the wines made from carmenère. Two examples of his work, Grial, a 100 percent carmenère from Colchagua, and Antiyal, a blend of 50 percent carmenère, 40 percent cabernet sauvignon and 10 percent syrah from the Maipo Valley, demonstrate his deft approach with the grape. "In general, carmenère is a good variety to blend as it has good fruit and soft tannins," Espinoza says. Thus, for the Maipo wine, he uses cabernet sauvignon for structure and body, with the syrah adding a touch of tannin, while the Colchagua wine (from the Apalta zone) expresses itself better with full ripeness. For Espinoza, who is also a leading proponent of biodynamic wines in Chile, carmenère is a work in progress while he discovers the grape's different traits from various microclimates. (Espinoza also employs the grape in two blends - G and Coyam at Emiliana, a biodynamic project in Colchagua.) "It is difficult to describe the ideal areas to plant carmenère. As it is a late-ripening variety, a warmer climate works better; also the grape's herbaceousness tends to emerge in higher altitudes - 2,300 feet above sea level," he says. "In vineyards close to the ocean or in other cooler sites, the grapes have more difficulty ripening." But Espinoza does not believe that carmenère will automatically fail in cool plots. "In extreme conditions - such as near the ocean - we get the best wines in exceptional years. But it is true that in the warmer areas, there are more stable conditions for carmenère," he says. If Chile can cultivate a formidable niche with carmenère, it will similarly distinguish itself in the same way that Argentina has with a French import that has found more fame in the New World than the Old. An overview of Argentina's wine production reveals that malbec is the most widely planted variety, with 123,000 of its 546,000 wine acres devoted to it. With malbec accounting for almost one in four grapes picked here, it follows that the M&M equation - Malbec + Mendoza - yields the lion's share of the country's output, red and otherwise. Taken altogether, the Mendoza province grows 70 percent of Argentina's wines and an astounding 84 percent of its Malbec bottlings, the latter figure proof that the varietal has found a happy home here. The province itself is named for the city of Mendoza, which lies some 675 miles west (inland) of Buenos Aires. Like carmenère, malbec was imported from France in the mid-1800s. In Argentina, it met with almost immediate success, especially in Mendoza, which was initially chosen as much for its connection via railway lines to Buenos Aires as for its exemplary climatic conditions. For some time now, it has been Argentina, not France, that is considered the source of the most stylish examples of Malbec anywhere. Contemporary bottlings from Cahors in Southwest France are comparatively lighter and earthier, and the grape is rarely seen these days in Bordeaux, following a terrible frost in 1956 that destroyed vast quantities of it in the Médoc. Growers subsequently replanted with merlot, relegating malbec to being a little-showcased blending grape in this area. Alejandro Sejanovich, vineyard director for Catena Zapata, a Mendoza winery that is one of Argentina's most esteemed producers, offers several reasons why malbec thrives in Mendoza, where vines are sited from 2,000 to almost 5,000 feet above sea level. "At higher elevations, you get much more sunlight intensity," Sejanovich says. "The air is thin and we are basically a high-altitude desert, so we have very low humidity. Malbec reacts to the sunlight and produces carotene. The sunlight produces the violet aromas you find in Malbec." Vineyard location is critical. "I think the altitude is the most important thing related to the terroir," Sejanovich says. His data demonstrate that by going up in altitude, temperatures are lower during the day. "This is very important because when you get temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the malbec plant shuts down and you lose energy - the plant respirates malic acid and sugar." Rainfall, or its lack thereof, is also extremely important. "Malbec [like most grapes] doesn't like to have rain during the flowering or during the harvest." Although the vineyards do receive isolated precipitation at various times during the year, rainfall is light and conditions dry out rapidly. Malbec grown under what are generally ideal conditions in Mendoza yields an abundance of black fruit flavors. "I like the blackberry, black cherry and black currant flavors," Sejanovich says. "There is always some spiciness, like pepper or licorice or anise, as well, depending on the vineyard site, and good, ripe tannins. During extraction in the vinification process, you get tannins that are sweet and not astringent." Mendoza is divided into more than a dozen growing areas, but only a few stand out from an ultra-high-quality perspective. The Mendoza River region, south of the namesake city, contains the most planted acres of malbec, all at elevations ranging from 2,100 to 3,600 feet above sea level. Luján de Cuyo, the most important department (wine zone), is home to several of the country's most famous wineries, including Catena Zapata, Norton and Terrazas. The soils, formed by alluvial deposits and the disintegration of minerals from the nearby Andes, are a primary factor in the quality of this department's wines, which, along with its signature Malbec, include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and even Viognier. Luján de Cuyo is one of the few departments to have earned its own Denominacion de Origen Controlada (DOC), designated in 1989, solely for its malbec. The land and various wine samples were studied by the Organización Internacional del Vino (OIV), which declared that the local malbec does indeed produce a unique wine. The resulting DOC carries strict requirements, including a minimum of 35 years of age for the vineyards, at least 2,260 vines per acre, and an aging process of at least one year in oak barrels and one year in bottle before release. > Alberto Arizu, winemaker at the Luigi Bosca estate, has been producing Malbec from the DOC since 1991 and characterizes its wines as displaying "unusual aromas of stone fruit backed by mature, sweet tannins." An increasing number of top-flight Argentine reds are coming from a subzone of Luján de Cuyo known as Perdriel. Wineries such as Achaval-Ferrer, Norton and Viña Cobos (steered by Napa Valley winemaker Paul Hobbs) have sourced fruit from this exceptional microclimate, situated at 2,900 to 3,000 feet above sea level. The most impressive wine from this zone is, arguably, a 100 percent Malbec called La Bienvenida ("the welcome"). Bernard Magrez, owner of several distinguished properties in Bordeaux, including Château Pape Clément in Graves and La Tour Carnet in the Médoc, is the wine personality who created this already-distinguished brand. He is but the latest French vintner to enter the ultrapremium Argentine wine market; others preceding him include noted flying enologist Michel Rolland, who consults for several wineries in Mendoza, and Pierre Lurton, director of Château Cheval Blanc, who has partnered with Las Terrazas winery in Mendoza to produce Cheval des Andes wines. Prior to coming to here, Magrez had been won over by the quality of Argentina's wines when he was importing them into France as part of his négociant business. "I [became] convinced of the originality and uniqueness of Malbec wines," he recalls. "It was the impetus for me to buy this property, which included older malbec vines." He completed the purchase in 2000 and has 25 acres of malbec under vine, the average age of which is 50 years. The current 2003 La Bienvenida is sublime with enticing aromas of blackberry, clove and cigar box, and offers great concentration of fruit with a lengthy, well-structured finish. While it perfectly personifies malbec's profile, the wine no doubt achieves its stature and grace from Magrez's winemaking philosophy itself. He calls the well-bred, stylish wine "a beautiful expression of Argentine Malbec, offering first an immediate seduction, followed by great complexity." Speaking more broadly about the forthcoming red wines that Argentina produces, Magrez enthuses, "[They] are a reflection of the region and its generous and extroverted people." Continuing south, the Uco Valley region is also particularly prized for its malbec and cabernet sauvignon fruit, though it is slightly cooler than Luján de Cuyo, making it a bit more versatile. Varieties such as chardonnay and sémillon, as well as pinot noir, also do well here. All of them can achieve ideal ripeness in vineyards sited as high as 4,500 feet above sea level by soaking up maximum sunlight, a scenario that may explain why Uco has attracted substantial foreign investment. Two of Catena Zapata's most prized vineyards are located in the Uco Valley: the Adrianna Vineyard in the Tupungato department and the Altamira Vineyard in the San Carlos department. Both sites provide fruit for the winery's signature red, Nicolás Catena Zapata, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec; both are planted in predominantly sandy soils. The Adrianna plot (named for Nicolás Catena's youngest daughter) supplies both cabernet sauvignon and malbec for the final blend, while Altamira contributes only malbec. At 4,856 feet, Adrianna is the highest-sited malbec vineyard in Mendoza; its fruit possesses a strong mineral quality with red currant flavors. Located a few miles south, Altamira is quite cool and yields grapes with bright acidity and ample cassis fruit. Although visionary proprietor Nicolás Catena has been credited with elevating malbec to surprising heights - both literally and figuratively - he believes cabernet sauvignon holds great promise in Mendoza as well. "The high-altitude desert of Mendoza, combined with the warm, sunny days, allow for a core of dark cassis and black currant fruit flavors," he says, "while the cool daytime temperatures [promote] intense aromatics of sweet spice with a touch of fresh mint and eucalyptus." He explains that the cold nighttime temperatures help retain good natural acidity, while the intense sunlight means "excellent structure of finely grained tannins." Finally, he points out that the poor, shallow soils in the Andean foothills lend a distinct minerality to wines made from cabernet. Catena, who built his iconic, Mayan-inspired winery in 1983, has already enjoyed resounding success with Cabernet Sauvignon, both in his signature Nicolás Catena Zapata and the Catena Alta bottling, proving Argentina can deliver the goods with this varietal. "Our Cabernet Sauvignons can offer the best of both worlds - the exceptional ripeness and concentration of many New World regions, along with the aromatic intensity, complexity and balance often associated with some of the best Old World regions." Catena is also partnering with a group that knows a little something about Cabernet Sauvignon: Domaines Baron de Rothschild. Their 50/50 cab/malbec blend called Amancaya, priced at a mere $19, showcases attributes of both varieties seamlessly. Mendoza is thought by most consumers to be virtually synonymous with Argentine wine, but as should be expected given the country's size and varied microclimates, there is more to Argentina than its best-known wine region. Of those, perhaps Argentina's most intriguing, if not fully developed, wine region is Patagonia, the most southeastern wine zone in the country (Patagonia shares its borders with Chile and is part of that country, as well). Encompassing the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquén, this territory is about six degrees cooler than Mendoza on average, and thus better suited to white varieties, such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc; among the reds, pinot noir is especially happy here. Investors have noticed the region's improving wines, and it is estimated that an additional 2,500 acres will be planted over the next five years in Neuquén alone, which will markedly increase Patagonia's current annual production of 1.7 million cases. As further proof of this area's potential, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, managing director of Bolgheri's famed Tenuta San Guido estate, began producing miniscule amounts of Pinot Noir from Patagonia in 2004 under the Bodega Chacra label. While Rio Negro has been a grape source for some time, high-end reds are a relatively new phenomenon in Neuquén. To date, the most sophisticated have come from Bodega Familia Schroeder, located in the small municipality of San Patricio del Chañar, some 25 miles from the city of Neuquén. The family's vineyards are sited between 985 and 1,320 feet on stony soils that sit on an ancient riverbed containing pebbles, gravel, sand and clay. Two top-drawer efforts from Familia Schroeder beautifully define the family's vision: a seductive Merlot and an intriguing Pinot Noir/Malbec. Roberto Schroeder, the firm's managing director, justifies the latter's rather unusual blend: "What is the meaning of Burgundian and Bordeaux after the grapes have adapted to a different terroir," he poses. "The blend is the result of freely mixing flavors without any previous marketing preconception." Both wines display excellent acidity with complex varietal aromas: The Merlot offers notes of currant and rhubarb, while the Pinot Noir/Malbec exudes scents of red plum and blackberry jam. Schroeder especially loves the way the pinot and malbec coexist and credits this to the grapes' environs. "Pinot noir from Patagonia is very well structured, so its subtleties, rather than being overpowered by the malbec, intermingle harmoniously, giving a complex and very elegant continuum that ages wonderfully." As Argentina continues to produce better and better wines, Nicolás Catena says, "Our greatest challenge is to get the higher-quality Malbec into the glasses of consumers throughout the world. Our experience has been that once they taste these Malbecs, with their concentration, softness and absence of bitterness, they become instant converts." Schroeder counters that while Malbec has served as a great calling card for Argentina, the country has more to offer. "Argentina should keep communicating Malbec because it's a great wine, but should, at this stage, also talk about its wonderful bottlings of Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Bonarda, Chardonnay and others. We can arguably be the producers of the best Malbecs in the world, but this does not necessarily mean that Malbec is our only and best wine." "The message is ultimately in the glass," Catena observes, "and as Mendoza continues to increase the quality of its wine, the global wine community will continue to take notice of Argentina as one of the most dynamic, up-and-coming wine regions in the world." On the other side of the Andes, Chile continues to shake off its value-only reputation, amplifying instead its high-end reds crafted from different varietals in various regions. Carmen's Pilar González reflects on what lies ahead: "We have the knowledge and consistency to continue growing as a wine country. We have to persist in the nonstop improvement of our quality, and we need to look at the requirements of the consumers, because in the end, they have the option to make their choice among our [best] wines or those from California, Australia, Spain, Argentina or many other lands." Though both Chile and Argentina seem headed toward the same destination, one that now has critics exalting over their highbrow reds, each nation is approaching the station via different routes. Chile's red focus, though more and more taking into account its would-be signature grape, carmenère, seems, at least for the foreseeable future, to embrace a handful of leading varieties. While Argentina, for all the talk of cabernet and even pinot noir, will continue to be linked directly to the fortunes of its malbec. Consumers would do well to take both journeys. Contributing Editor Tom Hyland is based in Chicago. He can be reached via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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