Wine

What began in 1959 as an experiment to make sparkling wines in Argentina’s Mendoza region has resulted in the exceptional high-altitude still wines of Terrazas de los Andes. Terazzas’s wines exemplify the varied terroirs and climates of Mendoza through its Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay plantings.

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In 1959, Champagne house Moët & Chandon decided to venture outside of Europe and established Bodegas Chandon to begin researching vineyards and winemaking in Mendoza, Argentina. This move represented both the first subsidiary of Moët & Chandon outside of France, and the first in Argentina by a French Champagne house. Forty years later, in 1999, Moët Hennessy and Bodegas Chandon founded Terrazas de los Andes winery. The company bought and restored an 1898 Spanish-style winery in the Lujan de Cuyo region for the production of still wines. Terrazas de los Andes is an exploration of both high-altitude wines and the regions best suited to growing specific grape varieties.

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Altitude has a huge impact on vineyards in Argentina due to its affect on day/night temperature variation. This variation results in wines with superior color and concentration, as well as rich aromas and flavors. With an emphasis on maximizing fruit expression, grape varieties have been carefully matched to specific vineyard elevations: Chardonnay (3,900 ft); Malbec (3,500 ft); and Cabernet Sauvignon (3,200 ft).

The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard is located at 3,200 ft. elevation, and is densely planted with old, un-grafted vines. Irrigated with the pure water running from Andean glaciers, these old vines produce some of the most profound Cabernet Sauvignon in South America. Another vineyard source is the exceptional Las Compuertas vineyard on the Vistalba terrace, situated at 3,500 ft. elevation. This site utilizes densely planted un-grafted Malbec vines that were planted in 1929.

The last vineyard is Tupungato, located on a wild, beautiful site south of the winery in the Uco Valley within Mendoza province. This vineyard was planted 10 years ago in the modern style with Chardonnay and a bit of Pinot Noir. Located at 3,900 ft. elevation, this vineyard provides an ideal environment for these delicate grapes.

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The black grapes are crushed and cold-soaked prior to cool temperature fermentation in stainless steel tanks. After a maceration of 2–5 weeks, depending on the requirements of the wine, it is pressed, blended and aged in barrel. During the aging process, the wines are racked every three months. The varietal wines are aged 6 months in cask, the Reservas around year for Malbec and Cabernet and 7–9 months for the Chardonnay.

The Afincado wines undergo a five-week, low-temperature fermentation and maceration, and both of the wines age around 18 months in barrel and another year in bottle prior to release.

Chardonnay is harvested quickly and pressed gently to prevent any bitter flavors. In some cases, the fruit is tank-fermented, but for the Reserva wines, it is barrel fermented and aged in oak for six months on the lees, which are stirred weekly.

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We spoke with the charming Manuel Louzada, former winemaker at Terrazas de los Andes:

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