Tomero de Carlos Pulenta, Vistalba Mendoza

The vineyards here were planted 30 years ago on an alluvial plain 1200 meters above sea level where there is a 60° F temperature difference between night and day, ideal for high quality wine growing.The area is natually quite arid and a drip irrigation system is used to strictly control the vines and produce very small, concentrated berries. The current winery was built in 2002 on the family farm that is within sight of the snow capped mountains of Juján de Cuyo. The grapes are manually harvested then cooled to 6° C and a selection is made. The selected grapes are placed uncrushed (and with stems) into concrete tanks for four days of cold maceration then fermentation. The winery uses gravity feed exclusively with no pumping of the must or finished wines whatsoever. 80% of the finished wine is kept in steel while the other 20% ages is finished in barriques held deep in the ground for temperature stability then a blend is made.

Tomero Torrontes 2006, Mendoza  $13.99

Wow! This is so aromatic (think citrus, tropical flowers and your first love) you can smell it from ten feet away. But it is also BONE DRY, crisp and refreshing and just the thing for any Asian, Mediterranean or Latin dish involving seafood, pork or chicken. VERY limited!

Finca La Anita, Alto Agrelo Mendoza

One of the first wave of “Cult Wineries” in Argentina ,Finca la Anita is rarely offered in the US. This bodega was founded in the early nineties in an attempt to revive the tradition of small, self contained and self sufficient wine producers that began disappearing when the giant Co-ops and large producers funded by outside investment started buying all of the grower’s grapes for their world wide brands. All of the wines are estate bottled (and only in the best vintages) and the philosophy of the bodega is to let each vintage and varietal speak its mind, not force them into some “house style” through manipulation in the cellar. 

The estate farms 175 acres located on the slopes of the highest peaks of the Andes mountain range, at 1000 meters above sea level and far away from any signs of civilization, using strictly organic viticulture. The vineyards are composed of dry and porous soils, set off by the permanent reflection of the sun on the snowcapped Andes mountains. Cold, dry winters and dessert-hot summer days contribute to the quality of the harvest. A large part of the crop is sold off with only the best fruit going into these bottlings. 

Finca Tocai Friulano 2004, Mendoza  $18.99  ORGANIC

This is something you don't see everyday: a rich, textured and minerally Tocai from 40 year old vines in ARGENTINA?!?!? Made with no oak but lots of love, this will not scare away your resident Chard-o-phile but brings something different to your dinner table. VERY limited!