I just got back from Mendoza and I will share here my best lunch, best hotel and my “top 3” wineries in Mendoza!
Catena Zapata
On the way to the Uco Valley, leaving the city of Mendoza I passed through Agrelo. The visit to Catena Zapata had already been booked three months in advance. We did the afternoon wine tour. The family history is captivating and the staff is well trained. Brazilians know these wines well but in contrast to what I have imagined, it was one of the best visits in Mendoza. Moreover, their wines have evolved because Laura Catena is constantly conducting tests and making improvements since she is responsible for the research and development of the products.
I did the tasting of Adriana, Nicolas and Nicasia DV Catena. Afterwards, it was offered a special dessert wine called Saint Felicien. All the wines are amazing! What surprised me the most was the Cabernet Franc for its toasted and milky notes, aromas of lavender, thyme, rosemary, red and black fruits like raspberry and plum. In the palate, the red fruit is balanced by a pleasant milky palate of an impressive elegance and complexity.
The dessert wine presents mature pineapple notes and spices and a very nice end of honey without losing its balance.
The Best Lunch: Domaine Bousquet
Arriving at the Uco Valley, the Domaine Bousquet has a restaurant called Gaia. This was the best lunch of my trip, one of the best in meals in my life and at the best price in Mendoza, that I experienced. Also the service is wonderful, the chef came to talk to us and the wines are served at will. The visitor will be eating fresh vegetables from the winery’s garden and taking their fruity organic wines with good acidity. I was surprised by the white wine made of 50% Torrontes and 50% Chardonnay. The Torrontes grape is quite aromatic with special white flower nose!
While I write this post I miss Mendoza already, and all the smells of fresh thyme and rosemary flowers that are there naturally and also the cool breeze of the night in the Uco Valley…
Tupungato Divino
Next to the Domaine Bousquet is the Tupungato Divino that offers an incredible stay for a reasonable price. The Divine Tupungato lies among several vineyards in a extraordinary landscape. You can walk through there or ride a bicicle while you enjoy the sunset near the Andes mountains. There is a restaurant and the service to the guests is very attentive even when there is no dinner for some eventuality, they offer empanadas, soups and other very good options. The room is big with a fireplace and air conditioning, a desk room, a TV room and a large bathroom with amenities like shampoos made of wine. Many wines are present if the customer wants to taste wines from the region without leaving the hotel. A single drawback is that they don’t take credit cards.
Super Uco the best visit
The SuperUco Winery is a biodynamic winery and all vineyards are planted in circles around the main house where winemaking and tastings happen. The owner of the winery was waiting for me and I can tell you it was the best visit I’ve ever made to a winery. He explained many details. The SuperUco is an innovative winery that does not plant its vineyards in the conventional way. The aim of Michelini brothers is to have healthy and strong vines that can fetch the water alone so that there is no more intervention. His philosophy is to respect the terroir and to produce “honest” and authentic wines without altering or correcting them.
At the tasting we had also Tito’s company.
This is the tasting table.
We tasted the wines that come from the limestone soils. I can highlight one Malbec from Tupungato and the other Malbec that is comes from the biodynamic vineyards. The two feature a lot of minerality and personality and an incredible blackcurrent flavor! I acquired the biodynamic Malbec 2013 called Calcario. It is in the left corner of the photo with the different bottle.
This is the wonderful icon wine of SuperUco!
Piedra Infinita
The visit had a good explanation but what draws attention is the architecture of the place and its wines.
The wine Zuccardi Q Cabernet Sauvignon and the Zuccardi Z were my favorites. The Zuccardi Q is very tasty, an upfront fruit, full-bodied with spices. The Zuccardi Z features ripe red and black fruits and a minerality that I could say that tastes like shellfish. I became curious to do a wine and food pairing with shellfish with this wine…
Espero ter ajudado!
Cheers!
