Argentina Pt 3-Malbec in Mendoza

after leaving the wonderful estancia in azul, our group took a short flight to mendoza. an area known for it's outdoor activities and it's wine! as a group, we decided to set aside a day and rent a van to take us on a tour of some of the valley's finest vineyards. each one greeting us with unparalleled hospitality, tasty vittles, and of course, malbec!!!! i have always been a fan of this particular varietal. in fact last may i had an entire party dedicated to nothing but malbecs! so imagine my excitement at being able to taste this full bodied red at one of it's main sources!!

we booked our tour through "ampora wine tours" and were most pleased. they sent a van with a guide to meet us at our hotel and take us through the day in the uco valley. 

here tony and i stand outside the first winery of the day, bodega atamisque. enjoying a viognier and a breathtaking view of the andes (yay for seeing a new mountain range!). 

the steps leading down to the cellars of atamisque were lined with the various grapes they use in the production of their wines.

we were lucky enough to be there during their harvesting period, so could see the grapes being brought in, sorted through, and put into presses. here are all the lucky little green grapes that will one day be a chardonnay.

while touring the facility, we were given the chance to try the new wine straight from the steel tanks. at this point its fizzy, and very sweet. a lot like the sparkling grape juice we used to have as kids on special occasions! tony is trying the new viognier.

i'm trying the new malbec rossa. i don't normally like roses. or sparking wine. or overly sweet drinks. but something about this? i found most pleasant!! it tasted like grapefruit juice to me. 

all the soldiers lined up for our tasting! (and.....me.....beaming with excitement). everything we tried was amazing. not as sweet as a lot of what i've tasted in the us. my favorite was the "atamisque assemblage". a red blend of malbec, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petite verdot. it was a wonderfully balanced full bodied red!

our second winery of the day was gimenez riili. a little smaller than the first, but just as fantastic of an experience.

look how perfect all the cab franc grapes are!

here they offered us a barrel tasting. a little further along in the aging process than the afore mentioned tank tasting. these tastes were very close to being bottled. here i'm being poured a small taste of cab franc, one of my favorites!

another line up for another tasting! at gimenez riili, they paired each wine with food. dried fruits, cheeses and (omg) fresh made empanadas!!!! i haven't gushed about my new found love of empanadas yet, but argentina does them right!!! baked not fried with a dough that is delicate and flaky. filled with wonderful things like ground beef, onion and spices. i think we had some almost every day. and i regret none of them!! but i will say the ones we were served here stand out in my mind as being the most superior. of course, the pairing with the delicious cab franc didn't hurt!

this structure that looks like something out of a roger moore era bond film is our last winery of the day. almuerzo en bodega o fournier. the biggest and most extravagant of the sites we visited!

this is everything that the winery offers, though we only tasted four  of the offerings. my favorite being the tempranillo. which i got an extra pour of for pronouncing correctly!

this is also where we were served our lunch for the day. the restaurant was tucked at the back of the winery over looking their water reservoir. the food was unbelievable. definitely a gourmet experience! we were stuffed by the time we walked out of there, but appreciated every single bite! i promise more food pictures in a later post!

at the basement of the winer there is a breathtaking reception room and art gallery. sky lights have been installed to mimic the constellation of the southern cross. they will occasionally use this for parties and private events. i can't imagine a more spectacular venue!

cheers!!