Bodega Visits

Viña Cobos
The first bodega (winery) I got to visit was Viña Cobos, Sonoma winemaker extraordinaire Paul Hobbs' Argentine venture. Anything associated with Paul Hobbs equals quality and deliciousness, so I was excited. It was set up as a private tour by my traveling buddy Patty, who is a wine tour guide in Sonoma and had the "in." So Patty, Windsor and I got the royal treatment and had the complete time and attention of a fabulous hostess, Mariana.

The tasting was all Malbec, all the time - five different 100% varietals. It was so cool to taste a Malbec that was made from a blend of appellations side by side with one from the area of Luyan de Cuyo, and another from Velle de Uco. We then tried two different single vineyard Malbecs, again, one from Luyan de Cuyo and another from Velle de Uco. It was so fun to note the subtleties and differences of each wine - terrior is an amazing thing.












The next bodegas we visited were arranged through Trout and Wine. We had done our Andes trip with Trout and Wine and had loved loved loved our tour guide, Juan, so very much that we asked to have him be our winery guide the next day as well.

Mendel
The bodegas we toured were in the area known as Luján de Cuyo in the heart of Mendoza wine country. The first stop of the day was at Mendel, an old, historic winery run by one of Argentina's most famous winemakers, Roberto de la Motta. Mendel specializes in Malbec, of course, and their nearly 100-year-old vines yield some of the areas best fruit. It's a small, boutique winery where "ancient vineyards, passionate people, experience and friendship are blended to create remarkable wines."

Our amazing hostess at Mendel, Cecelia.

Terrazas de los Andes
After the small and quaint Mendel, we headed for the well appointed Terrazas de los Andes, the fine wine arm of Chandon Argentina. It is a large bodega, and the property houses a restored winery (originally built in 1898), a guest house, outdoor kitchen, lush gardens and massive crush and cellar facilities. The wine standout of the day: Cheval des Andes 2006, a Bordeaux-style blend that is created as a joint venture with the famous French winery Cheval Blanc.

Patty with the best guide ever, Juan.

The Terrazas herb garden.

Herbs from the garden laid out to dry.

Club Tapiz
This is where I enjoyed an incredible gourmet lunch (one of my fave meals of the entire trip - I wrote about it in a previous post here). The wines presented were all paired with the meal. The Tapiz Sauvignon Blanc is considered to be Mendoza's finest (who am I to argue?); we were also treated to their excellent Syrah and Malbec.

Tapiz vineyards and olive trees, with the snow-capped
peaks of the Andes in the distance.

Tapiz's sparkling wine cellar. Bubble windows, of course.