Terrazas de los Andes

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	14.09.2010 »
	Curso integral de Bebidas Alcohólicas

Terrazas de los Andes

Terrazas de los Andes is a high elevation specialist producer of super premium wines, based in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.

In the late 1950s, the LVMH subsidiary Moët & Chandon sent its Chief Winemaker, Renaud Poirier, to Latin America to investigate the potential of the region for producing world-class wines. After traveling throughout the region, Poirier visited Luján de Cuyo, in the province of Mendoza. Highly impressed with the local conditions for winemaking, and the presence of unique high elevation vineyards, Poirier and Moët & Chandon decided to launch its first subsidiary vineyards ever outside of France.

History

Following decades of successful sparkling wine production, in 1999 Moët Hennessy Wine Estates and Bodegas Chandon Argentina inaugurated the Terrazas de los Andes winery, a still wines initiative based on the pairing of fine wine varietals to unique altitudes within Mendoza´s emblematic, snow-fed, high elevation vineyards.

The Terrazas de los Andes winery was launched following the restoration of an old Spanish style winery, established in 1898 by Sotero Arizu, one of the forefathers of Argentine winemaking. Arizu founded the winery in the heart of Perdriel, facing the impressive Cordon del Plata (a section of the Andes Mountain Range), where the cultivation of the best red grapes in the Province of Mendoza is concentrated.

Terrazas de los Andes has leveraged its 45 year history of experimentation with Mendoza microclimates, generated by tiered terraces at unique altitudes, to build a core wine philosophy based on Argentina´s primary country advantage in the world of winemaking: high elevation grape cultivation.

Unique among wine regions worldwide, altitude plays a key role for vineyards in Argentina as it impacts the temperature variation between day and night and favors the accumulation of certain aromatic and flavour components, especially the poliphenols responsible for the colour, body and structure of fine wines. With an emphasis on maximizing fruit expression, varietals have been carefully matched to each vineyard altitude: Chardonnay (3900 ft); Malbec (3500 ft); and, Cabernet Sauvignon (3200 ft).

Today, Terrazas de los Andes has made its mark on the international luxury wine market in 45 countries with the “Top Ranked Malbec from Argentina” over the past 10 years (1994-2004, Wine Spectator Top 100), twenty-one 90+ point, or 5 Star, rankings from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Decanter, selected as a Top 20 Global Value Vintner, Wine Spectator (2005), and awarded with a Bordeaux Varietal Trophy, Decanter (2006).

Terrazas de los Andes is part of the Moët Hennessy Wine Estates group, which includes Cloudy Bay, Green Point, Domaine Chandon, Bodegas Chandon, and Newton Vineyard.

Location

The Terrazas de los Andes winery is located in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza at 2600 feet above sea level.

The Terrazas de los Andes vineyards are found at various locations, according to grape variety and product line. Afincado and Cheval des Andes are cultivated in select parcels in the Las Compuertas (Vistalba) vineyard for Malbec and the Los Aromos (Perdriel) vineyard for Cabernet Sauvignon. Terrazas Reserva, Single Appellation wines, are Estate Grown across a variety of Mendoza districts: Tupungato for Chardonnay (southwest of the city of Mendoza); Vistalba for Malbec (north of the Mendoza River); and, Perdriel for Cabernet Sauvignon (south of the Mendoza River). The Terrazas line vineyards are found within Mendoza at the ideal altitude for each grape variety.

Climate

Mendoza is a desert dry region with only 7 inches of annual average rainfall, compared to 24 inches in Napa Valley and 34 inches in Bordeaux. In order to ensure an adequate irrigation of the vineyards, pure snowmelt from Los Andes Mountain Range is used for both furrow and drip irrigation, according to the vineyard.

Unique in the world of winemaking, elevation, rather than proximity to sea, moderates Argentine vineyard climate. The humidity coming from the Pacific is blocked by the Andes Mountains and the storms coming from the Atlantic Ocean do not reach Mendoza. The Mendoza temperature is moderated by the topographical tiers of landmass which create the basis for altitude specific vineyards.

Thermal amplitude varies depending on the terrace, from 16°C/61°F for the highest elevation vineyards of Chardonnay at 3900 feet, followed by 14°C/57°F for Malbec vineyards at 3500 feet, and 13°C/55°F for Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards at 3200 feet.

Variations in thermal amplitude and average temperature create unique microclimates, which in turn allow vineyards in Mendoza to adapt grape production to a wide range of altitudes, directly impacting fruit flavour and aroma profiles.

Soils

Geologically, soils within the Mendoza region are impacted by the presence of the Andes Mountain Range, and historical alluvial deposits. Soils closer to the Andes generally tend to feature more shallow soils, with larger stones closer to the surface. Soil composition within the Terrazas de los Andes vineyards also varies greatly, from low to medium levels of nitrogen (growth stimulation), potassium (nutrients), and fosforus (energy generation and fruit concentration), to high levels of gravel and sand, and varying lime deposits.

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