VINEYARDS
Our vineyards lie 930 metres above sea level in the superb winegrowing district of Lunlunta, in the Luján de Cuyo departamento of the Mendoza region (Argentina). This beautiful district nestles between the Lunlunta hills and the cascading Mendoza river and is dominated by the imposing backdrop of the Argentinian Andes.
Its stony, alluvial soils are irrigated naturally by the waters of the Mendoza river. Hot sunny days are followed by cool nights affording the vines the optimum daily thermal range - around 14 degrees centigrade - perfect for the growth of the vines and to shape the personality of the best adapted grape in this region: the Malbec.
With just 200mm of rain annually, the climate is dry and arid allowing the grape to produce superb sugars and conserve good acidity, colour and bouquet. This is a unique microclimate created by the combination of rising hills, wetlands and abundant vegetation.}
On both our estates (fincas), the traditional practices of pruning, tethering and thinning are done by hand right up to the harvest (cosecha), stem by stem, bunch by bunch, plant by plant. Such care of the vines leads ultimately to the best quality fruit.
"LA NARCY" ESTATE
Ancient vineyards
Our oldest estate "La Narcy" was established in 1910. It is located in Calle Olavarria, in the district of Perdriel in Lujan de Cuyo. This area is also known as Baños de Lunlunta (Lunlunta Baths), due to waters from natural springs that in past times were used for recreation.
Perdriel, a name from old Huarpe culture refers to the stone, the water and the guanaco (a type of small camel) that lived in the region.
The estate covers 4.5 hectares and is a mix of ancient Malbec vines and plum, peach and olive trees (we also produce and commercialise oil that has the estate's name).
The vineyard has a traditional trellis system which supports approximately 5.000 plants per hectare. Ours is a very old type of vine that gives a smaller crop of fruit of a higher quality with intense colours, which show not only in the skin but also in the rachis (the stem). This makes for a wine of rich, complex flavours.
Malbec vines were introduced to Chile around 1910 from the French region of Cahors, where they are known as Auxerrois y Cot and latterly to Mendoza province. The region is blessed with exceptional agro ecological characteristics that perfectly suited this variety of vine, and over time 50.000 hectares were planted and Argentina became the world's first major producer.
The vines are planted in their own root stock which extend down so deeply they catch all the minerals from the soil. This 'rebirth' is achieved by burying the shoots during the winter and the new plants emerge from the best and strongest vines. Thus the 'dead' plants grow again and the genetic component of the vineyard remains and lives on unchanged for generations. The method is called "massal selection" and is a traditional way of selecting suitable reproductive material from the best plants. These vineyards with their ancient stumps ensure the perfect conditions for the grape to ripen.
The soil is mostly alluvial with good drainage and contains stones of varying sizes at different depths depending of the distance from the hills and ridges. The terrain slopes down gradually towards the Mendoza river aiding optimal furrow irrigation.
Here in the Calle Olavarria, the soil, the climate and the winemaker work in harmony.
Planting distances continue last century's wine making practices, 1.80 metres (roughly 6ft) or less between rows of vines, that's why we do the work with horses so that we don't damage the vines.
The names of our products are a tribute to the people who first worked these lands: olive oil "Finca La Narcy" and Reserva Malbec "Farina".
"SANTA TERESA" ESTATE
New roots
We planted "Santa Teresa" – our new estate - in 2012. Located in Callejon Santa Teresa, in the Perdriel district, in the Department Luján de Cuyo, is it very close by our oldest estate "La Narcy".
Our passion for winemaking led us to acquire the estate in 2012. Finca "Santa Teresa" had been a vineyard in the 1980s but closed during the Great Depression of the late nineties. While many former vineyards disappeared as property developments sprung up, we took the bold decision to regenerate it as a working finca.
With an area of 7 hectares, the vines we planted were selected from neighbouring "La Narcy". We took only the best shoots and put them down to root. The following year, we pulled them up and replanted them in the new estate. All this would guarantee that Santa Teresa produced well-rounded wines, full-bodied wines, with character and intense fragrances.
The vineyard has a traditional trellis system and supports 5.000 plants per hectare. The distance between rows of vines is 2 metres and we employ a gravity irrigation system and conduct the water manually between the furrows.
The soil is clay loam and large stones lie deep underground because the Mendoza river used to run through these lands before it was farmed. Looking towards the north of the estate, we find ancient mulberries groves leading to an old mansion house and a chapel dedicated to Saint Teresa.
In tribute to the original inhabitants of this land, the Huarpe people, we have named the wine produced here Malbec "Ho-Ho", which means ‘blood’ in the Huarpe language.
