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Valle de Uco Lodge - Breakfast
Breakfast was ready when you were at Valle de Uco Lodge.After our day of rest, or looking at real estate, we are ready to get back on the road again and taste more wine.
Today’s plan was to visit a number of bodegas in the Valle de Uco and then return to Mendoza. We fly to Buenos Aires tomorrow morning.
We had another great breakfast at the Valle de Uco Lodge, settled our bill and were on our way at 9:30 AM - on time! Our first appointment was at O Fournier at 10:30 AM.
O Fournier
O Fournier is one of the most impressive and unusual wineries in Mendoza. The building itself resembles an airport tower topped by a flying saucer. Huge pillars suspend cubicles of glass and they have a giant subterranean cellar that has the capacity to hold close to 2,500 barrels at a constant temperature and humidity.
The land above the cellar has been designed so that there is a huge skylight that forms a cross on the floor of the cellar, allowing in just enough light for effect but not enough to raise the temperature. The name of O Fournier’s signature wines (Alpha Crux and Beta Crux) are named after the Southern
Valle de Uco Lodge - Breakfast
Jo-Anne enjoyed the fresh fruits and Bryan had a four-egg omelette. Great way to start the day before wine tasting. Cross constellation that can only be seen in the Southern hemisphere; the constellation is also signified by the lit cross on the floor of the barrel room.
The building is made of black steel, concrete and glass and has suspended walkways. It has been noted by others that
if Darth Vader owned a winery, this is what it would look like.
Yet, and most importantly, the building is extremely functional. The sweeping arch is a service ramp that permits the incoming trucks to unload the grapes. Thus, O Fournier takes advantage of gravity in its production and minimizes the use of pumps. The glass cubicles are air-conditioned labs (with beautiful views of the Andes) and spectacular tasting rooms.
We were met at the winery by Federico Yañez, who showed us around the bodega. Federico joined O Fournier three weeks ago and lives within walking distance of the bodega. He was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English.
O Fournier is one of the few bodegas that grow Tempranillo the traditional Spanish way, which is with the plant low to the ground and not strung up.
When showing us the fermentation tanks, Federico asked Bryan if he wanted to punch the cap. Bryan was delighted to take advantage of
O Fournier - Approaching
O Fournier has the most striking design that we have seen in South America. It is a very bold and masculine design, with black steel, stainless steel, concrete and glass. Bryan loved it. this opportunity and concluded that punching down the cap was much harder than it looked.
O Fournier’s property consists of 90 hectares of land, of which 76 are planted. O Fournier also purchases grapes from local vineyards (they tested grapes from 170 bodegas and selected the 12 best, with which they have 5 year contracts).
After a thorough and informative tour with Federico, we tasted the following wine:
(1) 2001 O Fournier Alfa Crux - this wine is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Malbec and 10% Merlot and has been aged 18 months in 80% new French oak and 20% in new American oak; 14% alcohol; deep red color (but not purple), very herbaceous, touch of violets, spicy and complex; this bottle was opened for us to taste and clearly needed additional time to breath and would be much better after decanting; we rated this wine a 8.5/10.
To taste wines requires buying the bottle of wine. Our plan was to taste the Alfa Crux and then take the wine back to Mendoza with us to enjoy that evening. Also, we wanted to buy a bottle of the Syrah, of which there were only 3,000
O Fournier - Destemming
Federico explained the destemming and gravity feed into the fermentation tanks at O Fournier. Note the lights in the photo as the recently-completed harvest had continued through the night. bottles made.
Bryan pulled out his American Express card to pay and Federico explained that they didn’t accept credit cards. This was similar to Vina Alicia, so Bryan produced some American Express traveler’s cheques. No, that wouldn’t work either. Federico said that O Fournier will be set up for different payment types when the tasting room is completed but for now they only accept cash.
Federico suggested that we go to an ATM, which was only 5 kilometers away in E. Bustos. He gave us precise directions to go directly to the bank and we determined that we could get there and back without veering too far from our schedule.
Banking in Argentina
We got back in the car and were in front of the bank in minutes. This ATM did not have English as an option, making it a bit difficult for non-Spanish speakers. Bryan tried every combination and permutation with the ATM options before concluding that it simply wasn’t going to work. So he went into the bank and waited patiently in the line.
Once in front of the teller, Bryan tried to explain that the ATM wouldn’t work and he wanted to withdraw
O Fournier - Punching Down
Bryan was able to actually try punching down the cap at O Fournier. It was difficult! Federico mentioned that it was easier with the special shape of the tank, which he showed us down one floor. some money. Since he didn’t speak Spanish and no one else spoke English, there were lots of hand motions and heads nodding and shaking. He was able to understand that the ATM was not working and would not be available until 1:00 pm. How about cashing a traveler’s cheque? No, that was not possible. No cash here. That process took 25 minutes.
Bryan gets back in the car, relays his unsuccessful attempt to get cash to Jo-Anne and mentions that he remembered seeing an ATM as we passed through one of the small towns that morning. We determine that we should get some cash there and then return to O Fournier. Not only did we have to pay for the bottle of Alpha Crux - we wanted to buy a bottle of the limited edition Syrah!
After driving for 15 minutes, we reached the first small town, La Consulta. We drove through this town twice but couldn’t see the bank. So we asked a woman on the street and she pointed down the road. We followed her directions. Still no bank.
Maybe it was the other small town? Another 10 minutes of driving and we get to
O Fournier - Cross - Outside
You can see the cross that allows the light to pass through to the barrel room below. It is fascinating to know that there is a huge room with 2,500 barrels of wine beneath the earth in front of the picture. the second town. No bank.
What to do? Our new plan was to go to our lunch appointment and then return to O Fournier and get our wine. The ATM back in the town by O Fournier would be working by then.
Now, we were pointing toward Clos de los Siete, which is near the small town of Vista Flores. As we approached the town, Bryan remembered that this was where the bank was! Straight to the other end of town and yes, there was the bank. Inside of two minutes, Bryan emerged with five 100-peso notes!
Now, to Clos de los Siete for lunch!
Clos de los Siete
We arrived at the gate quickly and were explaining our appointment for lunch to the guard. There was some confusion and she called the bodega. Another car appeared behind us and we recognized Eckart and Nani, who we met during dinner last night at the Valle de Uco Lodge.
Eckart spoke with the guard as they had reservations for lunch as well. It appeared that there were not reservations and lunch could not be served because no one was there. However, the guard said that we
O Fournier - Cross - Underground
Bryan and Jo-Anne are standing in the exact center of the cross, which is lit by the sunlight above. Yes, they are surrounded by 2,500 barrels of wine! could drive around and look at the bodegas ourselves if we wanted to.
Clos de los Siete is part of a project involving several friends who set up a wine adventure. Seven investors, all wine producers, share the Campo. The estate covers 847 hectares of vineyards of which 300 hectares have been planted and 100 of which will go into production this year. It is divided into seven wine cellars and so is named Clos de los Seite (Vineyard of the Seven) and will ultimately consist of seven bodegas at the base of the Andes.
This was a spectacular project. On one side of the road is a military base (and therefore undeveloped land) and the other side has vast expanses of vineyards. Each vineyard block is marked with a blue sign showing the owner, varietal, and date planted.
We drove up to Flechas de los Andes and went inside the bodega. There was a small bus in front of the bodega and inside the tasting room was set up for a dozen people. We didn’t see anyone and walked around the bodega taking pictures. This was, in our opinion, the nicest bodega that we had visited
O Fournier - Bottle Inventory
O Fournier bottles and labels its wine completely by hand. Here, you can see the unlabeled bottle inventory in one part of the underground storage area. These bottles will be labeled for the specific export market that they are going to. in Argentina.
After speaking with Eckart, we agreed we should all go to Adrover, which is a small family bodega near Lujan de Cuyo. Before leaving the property, however, we drove up to Bodega Monteviejo. Rather than going back to the road, we took a straight line down a vineyard road separating the blocks of vines. It reminded us of driving through cane fields in Hawaii!
The Bodega Monteviejo of Catherine Pere-Verge is complete and functional and will serve all of the producers this year. The bodega is on three levels and covers a surface area of 8,000 square meters. The layout allows gravity-powered winemaking to avoid the use of pumps and has a planned capacity of 1.5 million bottles a year.
We walked into the production area of Monteviejo and after a few minutes a woman appeared and said that there were no tours or tastings. We walked around and took some photos from the highest point. The view over the vineyards against the Andes was spectacular!
Now, north to Adrover!
Adrover
We drove north, crossed the Mendoza River and stopped at a gas station in Lujan de Cuyo for Eckart to call Adrover
O Fournier - Urban Oak
The name of the wine is 'Urban Uco', named after the Valle de Uco. For certain U.S. markets, O Fourier decided to call this wine 'Urban Oak'. Pete, who we had dinner with on our first night at Valle de Uco Lodge, bought some of this wine in Florida and explained that it was called Urban Oak and not Urban Uco. to get directions. We overshot the mark by a couple of exits and needed to go south across the Mendoza River again to the bodega.
Arriving at Adrover, Adrian took us on a tour and tasting. It was certainly great to have Eckart with us as Adrian did not speak any English so Eckart was our translator. We made him work!
Bodega Adrover was built in 1950. The Adrover family purchased the bodega six years ago after it had been abandoned for ten years. They have 25 hectares of vineyards approximately 20 km south of the bodega and are producing approximately 220,000 liters a year (capacity is 250,000 liters a year). The wine ferments in the original concrete-epoxy tanks. For aging, Adrover uses 200 American and French oak barrels.
Adrian offered us the following wines for tasting:
(1) 2001 Adrover Chardonnay - this was buttery and smooth and golden in color; they had 800 bottles remaining; they do not make Chardonnay any more (they sell the grapes); $3.50; we rated this wine a 8.5/10. Yes, we bought a bottle to bring back to California.
(2) 2004 Adrover Barbera - this is an Italian red grape
O Fournier - Bryan Taking Notes
Bryan is taking notes on the tastings at O Fournier. We tasted Crux A and intended to buy a bottle of O Fournier's Syrah (only 3,000 bottles produced). varietal; it is not put on oak and is unfiltered; it is positioned as a soft wine; only seven wineries produce this varietal; it was light, soft and fruity; $3.50; we rated this wine a 6.7/10.
(3) 2004 Adrover Cabernet Sauvignon - this is their everyday Cabernet Sauvignon; it is also not put on oak; it was perfumy and jammy; $3.50; we rated this wine a 7.3/10.
(4) 2001 Don Sebastian Cabernet Sauvignon - this is the top wine at Adrover and is named after Adrian’s father in law, who manages the vineyards; it is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and spent 14 months in French oak and four years in the bottle; the bouquet had hints of cinnamon and vanilla, and it tasted of cassis and vanilla; this gold metal winner cost $7.00; we rated this wine a 8.8/10. We also bought a bottle of this to take with us to California.
(5) 2004 Adrover Merlot Reserva - this was a big, oaky and jammy Merlot with a dark, deep color; it was more structured; $7.00; we rated this wine a 8.5/10. Eckart and Nani bought a bottle of this merlot.
(6) 2002 Adrover
O Fournier - Tasting
Federico and Jo-Anne are in the tasting room, surrounded by glass overlooking the Andes. Note the integrated containers for spitting (these had copper drains to a catch-basin below). Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva - this wine was 14 months in oak barrels and three years in the bottle; it was a pure cabernet with a bouquet of chocolate and vanilla and tasted of cassis with good tannins; $7.00; we rated this wine a 8.3/10.
Adrover wines are not available in the U.S. Adrian mentioned they had not located a distributor that would give them what they believed to be a fair price for their wine. The do export to Switzerland and Brazil.
We tried to call a few other bodegas to see if we could visit them but it was already 4:30 PM and most were closing up. As Eckart and Nani were also staying in Mendoza for the night (and flying to Bs As in the morning on the same flight as us) we decided to meet up at the Vines of Mendoza at 7:30 PM.
Park Hyatt Mendoza
The Park Hyatt is one of the nicest hotels in Mendoza and is located in the center of the town. It has an impressive and historic façade from the 19th century but is a new hotel. Knowing it was our tenth anniversary, the Park Hyatt upgraded us
Flechas de los Andes
In our opinion, the nicest bodega in Argentina was Flechas de los Andes, which is part of the Clos do los Seite group. While the design of many were outstanding, the finishing of Flechas de los Andes was above them all. to a suite! We were in room 837, on the top floor. It was amazing.
It was a fabulous room and blogging in luxury surroundings is definitely the way to go.
When we checked in, there was a message for us from Avis so, after getting to our room, Bryan called Avis. The person on the phone asked a few questions and requested that we allow an extra 15 minutes when dropping off the car. This prompted a call to American Express, who insured our rental car. It took two calls and approximately an hour to file a claim with American Express so the rental car return should be relatively straight forward. Interestingly, American Express has a web site where you can check the status of your claim (
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance Claim Inquiry).
Before we left for our trip we had made arrangements to meet Federico Cassone for dinner in Mendoza. Federico was the President at O Fournier and has been working with his family on their own bodega. Federico had mentioned he would be in Brazil that week but would be back for dinner. When we arrived in Mendoza we called Federico several times but did not manage to reach
Flechas de los Andes - Floor Detail
You can see the design and finishing of the floor just outside the bodega - amazing! him. We concluded he must have been tied up and went to the Vines of Mendoza to meet up with Eckart and Nani.
Vines of Mendoza
The Vines of Mendoza is a wine bar in Mendoza around the corner from the Park Hyatt. There you can taste the top Argentine wines or buy a glass of wine. It was established by two Americans, Michael Evans and David Garrett, who love Argentina and saw the opportunity in Mendoza.
Michael and David also have a Wines of Argentina Wine Club, based on the U.S. wine clubs, where they will send you two bottles of Argentine wine every 6-8 weeks. And they are also developing land in Valle de Uco (by Bodega Lurton) where they will sell and manage small vineyards for foreign investors/land owners. They have an option on 500 acres and will be selling the first tranche within days.
By the time Eckart and Nani arrived at the Vines of Mendoza, we were all starving. Our wine guide, Florencia Pereyra, brought out several bottles of wine for us to taste and to our delight one of them was a Cassone Familia wine. Before tasting wine, Florencia ordered some
Flechas de los Andes - Tasting
The tasting room at Flechas de los Andes was set up for a group, that didn't include us! Next time ... appetizers from the restaurant down the road that were delivered in minutes. We tasted the following wines:
(1) 2003 Eugene Foster Reserva Malbec - this is a gravity flow Malbec; it was big and fruity, but had a bit of a medicinal taste; we rated this wine a 7.9/10.
(2) 2003 Obra Prima Reserva Malbec (Cassone Familia) - this was a very nice wine, big and full, deep color (almost black) jammy, vanilla; we rated this wine a 9.1/10.
(3) 2000 Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon - this was a traditional cabernet wine with some pepper and oak on the nose and cassis and vanilla (but not sweet) to taste; it reminded us of a Page Mill Winery cabernet from California; we rated this wine a 8.5/10.
(4) 2001 D.V. Catena Cabernet - Cabernet - this is the cabernet that Catena Zapata sells locally (not for export); it is jammy and plumy with vanilla and cassis (much sweeter when compared directly to the Carmelo Patti); we rated this wine a 8.9/10.
It turned out that Florencia knew Federico Cassone and had worked with him in promoting his family bodega. After several calls, she was able to
Clos de los Seite Group - Scale
The Clos de los Seite group has immense scale in the Valle de Uco. You can see the vast vineyards (over 500 hectares) in this photo. find out that Federico could not get a flight out of Brazil so he would not be able to meet us for dinner. On the recommendation of the Vines of Mendoza we went to Don Mario, which is a local steakhouse (we couldn’t get in to 1884 Frances Mallman on such late notice).
Dinner at Don Mario
Don Mario is a restaurant where the locals go. It was bright, crowded and bustling. The specialty of the house is big steaks and so Bryan ordered the filet, grande and Jo-Anne ordered the petite filet. They were both huge. The guy at the table next to us has a steak that was so large it looked like it could feed a family of five! He polished it off and ate his French Fries too.
We ordered a bottle of the Familia Cassone’s Obra Prima Reserva Malbec (reviewed above) to enjoy with our meal. It was perfect!
It had been a long and eventful day and tomorrow we’re on an early morning flight to Buenos Aires.
Trip Blogs
*
Itinerary *
Day 0 and 1 - Departing SJC and First Day in Chile *
Day 2 - Chile - Colchagua Valley *
Day 3 - Chile - Santiago via Algarrobo *
Day 4 - Argentina - Mendoza *
Day 5 - Argentina - Lujan de Cuyo *
Day 6 - Argentina - Valle de Uco * Day 7 - Argentina
Adrover - Fermentation Tanks
Adrian was explaining to our group (Eckart, Mei, Jo-Anne and Bryan) the history of how he and wife, Maria Marta, bought a former high-production bodega that had been idle for 10 years and modernized it to produce their wines. - Valle de Uco to Mendoza
*
Day 8 - Argentina - Buenos Aires *
Day 9 - Argentina - Buenos Aires *
Day 10 - Back in the USA!
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Federico Cassone
non-member comment
Such a nice trip!
I'm so glad and happy you guys had a nice trip. Unfortunately I couldn't see you time but we'll do it next one for sure. Thank you for trying the Malbec Obra Prima, it's a great Malbec from us!: comes from a 102 year-old vineyard (from my grandfather), 12 months in new French oak and lot of pasion and taste of the Cassones. Come back soon.