Club Corner
April 2024 Wine of Month Club
Women Winemakers in Mendoza, Argentina Situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes, Mendoza takes pride as the primary wine region in Argentina. Boasting some of the highest altitude vineyards worldwide, it covers an expansive area of 167,704 hectares (414,405 acres). Surpassing the combined regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa Valley, Mendoza accounts for an impressive 70% of the country's wine production. Within the Mendoza appellation, three sub-appellations, namely Maipu Valley, Lujan de Cuyo, and Uco Valley, showcase remarkable diversity in terms of soil quality, altitude, and climate. Despite not actively searching for female winemakers while curating this month's wine selections, I was delighted to discover that both of my preferred Mendoza wines were crafted by women. Susana Balbo graduated from Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981 and established herself as Argentina’s first female enologist and, since then, has been considered one of Argentina’s top winemakers. Three times her industry peers elected her to the Presidency of Wines of Argentina because of her work ethic, innovative winemaking techniques and dedication to the worldwide success of Argentine wine. After working for twenty years as a consulting winemaker, Susana founded her own brand in 2000. In 2001, she broke ground for her winery in Agrelo in the Luján de Cuyo district of Mendoza. There, she makes her Susana Balbo “Signature” line of wines, as well as wines under the Crios, Nosotros and BenMarco labels. Her winemaking approach for the wines that bear her name is to seamlessly apply her human touch and enhance the grape’s innate character. Over several decades of winemaking in Argentina, Susana has earned a reputation for a pioneering spirit and innovation. She is known for experimenting with various barrel sizes and aging regimens, fermentation of wine in egg-shaped concrete fermenters, and wild yeast fermentations. Jimena Lopez of Graffito has produced wine for almost 20 straight harvests in 7 countries including France, Germany, and California. She also owns her own boutique winery, Graffito, which boasts consistently high accolades from top wine reviewers. She is a passionate, dedicated winemaker with tenacious drive and an unmatched attention to detail. Jimena’s winemaking principles reflect her personality in their sincerity. “In my eyes, good winemaking is simple wine making. It needs to start in the vineyard. The good quality and purity of the grapes is essential. We can have the best technology in the winery, but what you don’t have in the vineyards you can’t have in the cellar. I believe there are three things that make the difference in great winemaking: Know-how, obsession for details, and above all passion.” Salud! The PlumpJack Wine Team 2022 Susana Balbo Signature Brioso White Blend Region / Country of Origin: Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina About the vineyards: Susana Balbo and her team strategically chooses to work with grapes from the best geographic indications (GIs) in the regions of Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley in Mendoza. A region with a wide variety and styles of grapes, with vineyards of unbeatable quality make a great asset in the making of premium wines. About the winemaking: 38% Semillón, 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Torrontés. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillón: Destemmed. Macerated in the press with dry ice for 4 hours (before pressing), pressing, fining for 36 hours. The Semillón was de-vatted to concrete eggs and the Sauvignon Blanc to barrels. Fermented with natural yeasts. Torrontés: Destemmed. No maceration during pressing. Selected yeasts. Fermented in barrels. Once fermentation had finished, the wine was kept on lees for two months to improve the mouthfeel. Final blending and racking to oak barrels for four more months. Aged in French oak barrels (60% new, 40% second-use) for 5 months. Tasting Notes: It has many aromatic layers, with floral and citrus notes that combine with hints of fresh grass, white fruits and orange. In the mouth, floral, fresh and fruity flavors are in perfect balance with the unctuousness of a successful aging in barrels. A wine with minerality, lasting finish and a great aging potential. "A scented nose with pure golden berries, pears, fresh guava and a hint of grapes and lychee. Bright, high acidity on the palate with a fine, phenolic twist and minerality in the finish. Drink now.” 93 Points James Suckling Winemaker: Susana Balbo Price: $27.99 bottle/ $302.29 case Suggested Food Pairing: Fish, rabbit, Asian food and spicy and hot sauces. 2019 Graffito Cab Franc Region / Country of Origin: Perdriel, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina About the Winery: Winemaker Jimena Lopez left her corporate wine job to pursue her dream of making her own wine, and she now handles all aspects of Graffito from vine selection to the final blend with a precise attention to detail. She believes so deeply in her wine quality that she puts her fingerprint stamp of approval right on the label. Jimena made her own winemaking dream a reality when she came across an old-vine Malbec vineyard planted in 1908 in Alto Agrelo farmed by Don Pepe and his family. The balance and structure coming from these old vines are the pillars of Graffito. Jimena also sources grapes from family-owned vineyards in Los Arboles and Vistaflores in the Uco Valley to round out her wines with the perfect blend of fruit flavors, floral notes, and spices. About the winemaking: Graffito Cabernet Franc is hand harvested from vineyards that are about 25 years old and have an average vineyard height of 3000 feet that are planted in soil of clay and loam. The wine is aged for 15 months in second and third use French barrels. This deeply concentrated wine is named after the color of “graphite” and shows beautiful expression and structure. Only 100 cases are imported to the U.S. so this is a very special wine. Tasting Notes: Delicate and elegant wine with floral aromas and notes of raspberry, cherry and sweet pepper. “Dark cherries, plums, dried herbs, graphite, chocolate and cloves on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Rich core of dark fruit with delicious chocolate and walnut notes. Vivid finish.” 91 Points James Suckling Winemaker: Jimena Lopez Price: $25.99 bottle / $280.69 Suggested Food Pairings: This is a very food friendly wine and pairs perfectly with roasted chicken, lamb gyros or soft cheeses.
Learn more
March 2022 Wine of the Month Club
South America Keeping up with South American wine takes some effort these days. While budget Malbecs and Carmeneres will hopefully continue to line grocery store shelves, the viticultural trends and tensions playing out over this gigantic continent generate a dynamism that goes much deeper. This month we are featuring two outstanding examples of recent Latin American winemaking from families in Chile and Argentina whose roots in their respective regions date back to the 19th century. Both embody the interplay between tradition and innovation that makes the South America such a vital and ever evolving wine destination. Winemaking in the Americas initially followed conquest and conversion. The first grapes and vines were brought by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, and planted and grown widely to ensure a steady supply of sacramental wine for Mass. Viticulture took to the continent so successfully that wine producers in Spain convinced King Philip II to restrict American production, and in 1595 the Council of the Indies imposed limits on wine production and vine cultivation. This proved hard to enforce and despite Phillip’s successors repeating the restrictions throughout the 17th century, local winemaking continued, albeit in diminished form. When the restrictions were finally lifted for good in the early colonial period, European wines flooded the market and overwhelmed the local product. It wasn’t until the 20th century that the modern South American wine industry, buoyed by the influx of French grapes flourishing in the Phylloxera-free soil of Argentina and Chile, began to export significant amounts of product. This was how the former became the largest producer of Malbec (known as Cot in France) and the latter Carmenere (another French grape originally from Bordeaux.) Today, Argentina and Chile are the fifth and ninth largest contributors, respectively, to the 6.8 billion gallons of wine produced worldwide every year. The most important Argentine wine region is Mendoza, located in the eastern foothills of the Andes and featuring some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world. Mendoza has 167,704 hectares (414,405 acres) of vineyards – more than the regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa Valley combined – and accounts for 70% of the country’s wine production. Within the Mendoza appellation there are three distinct sub-appellations that exhibit extraordinary diversity in soil quality, altitude, and climate: Maipu Valley, Lujan de Cuyo, and Uco Valley. Our red selection this month comes from Maipu, which features some of the oldest vines in Argentina and is renowned for its powerful and elegant Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. From Mendoza, it’s just an hour’s flight over the mountains to Santiago, Chile, the capital city and the center of its wine world. Known as a winemaker's paradise, Chile has a perfect climate for growing vines, abundant water from melting snow, and a virtually pest and disease-free environment. The climate is very hot and dry in the north, and colder and wetter in the south. The proximity to the Andes creates a huge variation between daytime and nighttime temperatures, which is vital for the acidity levels of grapes. The dryness also makes it a natural hub for organic, biodynamic, and sustainable wine production; 75 percent of all exported Chilean wine is sustainably produced. The largest and oldest wine region is the Maule Valley, 250 miles from the capital and home to our white wine this month, a light skinned variant of the Pais grape (also known as Mission in California) which was the first widely planted wine varietal on the continent. Salud! The PlumpJack Wine Team 2018 Famiglia Mosso Malbec Region / Country of Origin: Mendoza, Argentina About the vineyards: Francesco Mosso arrived in Argentina from Turin, Italy, in 1860, leading a Piedmontese immigrant colony. The famiglia eventually settled in Mendoza, where they became devoted to viticulture. In 1909 the brothers Juan Bautista Mosso and Antonio Mosso finally built their own winery in Luján de Cuyo, with production capacity of five million liters. In 2002 Ernesto Mosso and Pablo Mosso, Juan Bautista and Antonio’s respective great-grandchildren, followed the family tradition and began producing wines in a winery located in Chacras de Coria. Their flagship wine is Malbec produced from the family’s old vines grown in Lunlunta. The vineyards are located 2,821 feet above sea level. About the winemaking: Light crushing, classic temperature-controlled fermentation during 7 days, using selected yeast. Pump-over and delestage during extended maceration of 20 days. 8 month: 30% volume in French oak first use and 70% volume in American oak second use. Suggested cellaring 5 years. Tasting Notes: Alluring color showing redish purple hues. Intense and complex aromas of red fruits, which harmonize with vanilla and mocha with reminiscence of fresh plums. Full bodied in mouth, its flavors lead to a polished and lingering finish. Winemaker: Ruben Sfragara Price: $27 bottle/ $291.60 case Suggested Food Pairing: Pairs well with a wide range of foods from beef and pork to game birds or even meat-based pastas and mature cheese 2020 J. Bouchon Pais Salvaje Blanco Region / Country of Origin: Maule Valley, Chile About the Winery: Bouchon Family Wines began in the late 19th century when young viticulturist Emile Bouchon left Bordeaux, France for Chile. Today, Julio Bouchon and his children carry on their 4th generation family winemaking tradition in the Maule Valley. With their in-depth soil research and innovative winemaking, Bouchon is preserving the historic character of the Maule Valley with distinctive, terroir-driven wines. Each J. Bouchon wine is certified sustainable by the Wines of Chile Sustainability Code. The winery practices sustainable farming along with use of horse-plowed fields and dry farming to preserve their historic vineyards. About the winemaking: Pais Salvaje blanco is a wine born from a discovery within J Bouchon’s Pais ‘jungle’ vines (see photo at top of blog for shot of actual "vineyard"). After their first harvest of Pais Salvaje red in 2015, they realized that certain clusters of these wild vines were much lighter in color than others. They decided to harvest and vinify these lighter clusters separately. The wine is fermented and aged for 6 months in an ancient tinaja (clay amphora) with native yeast with no filtration. Tasting Notes: This is a wine of character. Copper yellow in color with fruity aromas of green apple and pear with a hint of earthy funk and white pepper. In the mouth it is very juicy and savory, with a long finish. Winemaker: Christian Sepúlveda Price: $23 bottle / $248.40 case Suggested Food Pairings: Enjoy with grilled fish, light sauced pasta or a fresh summer salad.
Learn more