Cheval des Andes is a joint venture between Terrazas de los Andes and Pierre Lurton, the winemaker at the illustrious Cheval Blanc estate in St. Émilion. This legendary Bordeaux estate, founded in 1832, is renowned for producing some of the region's most prestigious wines. One bottle of the highly regarded 1947 vintage set a record for the estate with a resale at auction for $109,324.00.
Pierre Lurton, intrigued by the ties between St. Émilion and the Malbec grape that is grown so successfully in Argentina, proposed a joint venture in 1999 after discovering the beauties of old vine Malbec from the Las Compuertas vineyard on the Vistalba Terrace.
The first few vintages were blended by Pierre Lurton under the direction of the winemaker responsible for Terrazas. Today, however, there is a dedicated winemaker for Cheval des Andes in the person of Nicolas Audebert, formerly of Krug champagne, and a separate facility is under construction.
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