By Damian Doffo
I recently had the opportunity to join my father Marcelo and his wife María on the latest Doffo Tours adventure to Argentina. Although I have visited Argentina many times, I have always dreamed of sharing both our Argentine heritage and the world famous Mendoza wine country with our wine club members. The scale and magnitude of the Argentine wine industry is overwhelming. The Mendoza region alone produces more wine annually than the entire continental United States combined! I was very excited to coordinate schedules to be able to experience the visit as a guest of Doffo Tours!
We knew we were in for a treat as María worked in the Argentine wine industry and is very familiar with the top quality wine estates. She made arrangements to visit only the very best. And it goes without saying that if my father is involved in planning anything, there will be only the most incredible culinary experiences as he is a self proclaimed foodie. All of the tastings were tour guided experiences with many offering lunch tastings or dinner with a pairing. Needless to say, thanks to Marcelo and María, every single property we visited delivered above and beyond expectations!
María and my father truly set the bar very high with our accommodations the first night of the tour. The lodge at Rosell Boher was the perfect introduction to the beauty of the Argentine wine country with a private villa for each guest complete with a rooftop jacuzzi and sparkling wine on ice. The sunset faded into vineyards as far as the eye could see, with the Andes providing a stunning backdrop. This magical moment was certainly a highlight of the trip for me and the rest of the guests.
I was very excited for our first day of tasting as the tour included a visit to Viña Cobos, a Paul Hobbs winery project. Paul Hobbs is touted as the King of Malbec with some of his vintages reaching $300.00 per bottle. The sommelier who conducted our tasting was a gracious host and ended the tasting with the holy grail of Argentine Malbecs, the 2016 Viña Cobos Malbec, Chañares Vineyard. This wine was very robust and full bodied, but what impressed me the most was the voluminous mouthfeel and overall weight of the wine. The altitude and the purity of the water source truly showed. The winemaker, Paul Hobbs, selects only the best vineyards for this wine. The most intriguing fact is that only the center of each vineyard block is harvested for this wine program. The remaining fruit on the peripheral rows and vines are sold to other winery properties.
After the tasting concluded, my father and I were able to break away from the larger group and were given a private tour of the production area. The production team was in full swing as the harvest season had arrived. I had an incredible experience as we observed the fruit reception and processing line. I was pleased to see that our setup for processing and vinification was very much the same, if not a machine or two better! I left Viña Cobos feeling validated, knowing that our little winery shares some of the same production protocols as one of the best winemaking houses in the world.
One of the most recognizable wineries of Argentina is Catena-Zapata. The Catena-Zapata family is at the very heart of the wine industry in Argentina, being one of the pioneers in the Mendoza wine country. The winery building name “La Pyramide” or “The Pyramid” is architecturally inspired by Aztec culture. The tasting experience was incredible as it even included a screening of the history of the Catena-Zapata family and its key role in the viticultural advancements made in Mendoza wine country. The family has founded the only private research and development laboratory for viticulture and enology in the country! Most viticulturists follow the recommendations put forth by the Catena Wine Institute.
The winery that truly blew my mind in terms of production capabilities was when we visited Salentein Winery, appropriately dubbed the “Cathedral of Wine.” The estate only produces a mere 10 million liters of wine annually, or approximately 2.65 million gallons. You read that correctly. The entire winemaking facility is built underground, reaching 3 stories in depth with the deepest layer being the barrel room storage area that features a skylight and echo chamber in the middle of the room. Our tasting was conducted in a private tasting room 30 meters underground! Needles to say there was no cell service for any social media posting. After the tasting concluded we were privileged to be able to view the family’s private art collection, a total treat for those who appreciate fine art.
Very much in Marcelo’s style, he had to save the Ace of Spades for the grand finale. We headed an hour north of Mendoza to the highest wine growing valley in Argentina, Valle de Uco. The Alpasion Lodge in the Valle de Uco is nestled up against the foothills of the Andes. It was one of those places where you just cannot stop taking pictures. The lodge was modern and rustic and the service team on site was incredible. The majestic Andes peered into every window, giving you the impression that you could reach out and touch them.
This winery project was spearheaded by Michel Roland, world renowned as one of the most sought after consultants in the wine business. Michel has traveled the globe offering his expertise in production for hundreds of wineries in thirteen different countries. He is also the owner of several properties in Bordeaux and is involved in joint ventures in South Africa, Spain and Argentina.
We were fortunate enough to taste at Bodega Michel, which was a first even for my father and María! The tasting experience was over the top, especially due to our incredible host and tour guide, José. His tour was a complete journey which included a very informative walk through the ripening vineyards to an in depth tour of the wine production area. I would have loved to stay longer in the production area but apparently Michel is very particular about the length of time tours are actually allowed to walk through the winery! The wines were absolutely superb. We concluded our tasting there and José joined us for lunch at Diamandes Bodega. The backdrop for our lunch table was a very large picture window with a view of vineyards framed by the majestic Andes mountains. A wine tasting paired with an incredible meal was the pinnacle of our tasting experiences in Argentina.
If you have ever dreamed of experiencing the Argentine wine country, I wholeheartedly urge you to take your next adventure with my father and María. More information about these tours can be found here.
