Those of you who have been with us for a while will probably notice that I finally sent out a repeat this week. It was bound to happen, because of my unscientific method of picking wines: I send the wines that I have tasted and gotten really excited about in the past month. At least I repeated a good one! By the time I noticed, it was too late to change the shipments. For those who have been with me since April when I sent this out last, I will send you a bonus bottle next month to make up for this. In the meantime, enjoy this one.
The Vila family has been growing grapes in Argentina since colonial times. In an industry dominated by Italians and Basques this old Castilian family is a minority. Their vineyards cover several thousand acres. They have always been growers, not winemakers. Much of their acreage is under contract to large Bodegas, including some multinationals. Some grapes are sold on the spot market, crushed and sold as unfermented juice or (a small percentage) made into wine for bulk sale. All of the vineyards lie in the Cruz de Piedra area of Mendoza.
Six years ago the children (Pepe, Miriam, Susana & Sebastien) decided that they wanted to make and bottle wine. An impressive 400 acres of the best family vineyards were withdrawn from contract and turned over to them. Fernando’s son Pepe is the general manager. One daughter, Miriam, is in charge of sales. Last year’s winemaking team is gone, with Mónica Calderón replaced by a talented young graduate of the University of Mendoza, Sebastien Onofrio. Sebastien is ably assisted by yet another Vila sister, the energetic and dedicated Susana, while Miriam goes to another winery to work (at least for a 
while) as a winemaker outside the family.
The emphasis here is squarely on value. The Vilas are interested in good and fine, not great wine. What sets them apart from many other mid-size Argentine Bodegas is their absolute passion for quality and the investment capital to make it happen.
Before the new project, winemaking for bulk sale took place in a large shed with barely adequate equipment. To make wine worthy of bottling, a vast old brick building was renovated and filled with modern equipment and oak, including both barrels and innerstaves.
Tinto Fundación is one of the world’s great wine values. It is composed of 50% Bonarda, 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It is aged in a combination of 3 – 4 year old American oak barrels and innerstaves. This is a great wine for hard to semi-soft cheese, stew, or pizza. Drink now – 2012.
Some wines are special because they are made with obsessive care and attention to detail. Other wines are just darned-tasty. Though Budini Malbec is definitely a well-made wine, I have to put it in the darned-tasty category. This is proof once again that Argentina leads the world in the production of delicious wines at reasonable prices.
This wine qualifies for the ugliest label award in this month’s shipment (thank goodness it tastes so good).
wned Trapiche. Now, having sold Trapiche, his son Carlos is free to run the family estate with a total commitment to quality.
The Tomero has been a key character in the vineyards in Argentina since 1833. Tomeros controlled the water supply for each district in the province and regulated the channeling of the meltwater from the Andes to make certain that every user receives his fair supply. The tomero’s main tool was locks on the sluice gates of the irrigation channels that had been built into the vineyards. By openning the gates for set amounts of time he could make sure to give each vineyard its rightful supply of water.
Valle de Vistalba is a non-recognized sub-region within Lujan de Cujo, which is considered to be the best area in all of Mendoza for Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rocky alluvial soils provide excellent drainage, and a dramatic diurnal (day to night) temperature shift, allow for the grapes to remain on the vines for extended periods, creating powerful, lush wines sacrificing crucial acidity or making overly alcoholic wines. Also, because of the mountainous isolation and the ancient-style flood irrigation, Lujan de Cujo has largely escaped phylloxera, and many of the vines are planted on their original rootstocks.