In the center of the world’s premier location for
Malbec - Lujan De Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, we have built
a state-of-the-art gravity-flow winery surrounded by 80-year
old vines.
Our objective is nothing less than to produce
the best Malbec in Argentina - which is to say the best
in the world. No expense has been spared, from the latest
vineyard management to the stainless steel equipment and
the new French oak barrels in the underground cellars.
At each stage of winemaking, cranes and a multi-level freight
elevator combine to move the wine without pumping, thus
avoiding its detrimental effects on wine.
Ours is the first purpose-built winery in
the world to produce only Malbec varietals by gravity flow.
The ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vineyard we acquired in Lujan
de Cuyo had no winery: the grapes were sold to local wineries.
To produce the best Malbec possible by controlling each
step of the wine-making process, we knew we would have to
build our own winery.
Intrigued by the concept of gravity flow,
we went to California to study several winery construction
projects and became convinced that the extra cost of a gravity
flow facility would be more than offset by the superior
quality of the wine resulting from the elimination of pumping
the wine from each stage to the next.
To achieve gravity flow on the flat terrain
of central Mendoza, we built a moveable overhead I-beam
crane which could lift the crushed grapes up and over the
fermentation tanks, a deep cellar for the barrels, and a
multi-stage freight elevator to raise the aged wine above
the blending tanks and bottling equipment. In order to fit
this equipment into the traditional Mendoza winery design
of three equal naves, we raised the roof of the central
nave, creating the profile of a church - entirely appropriate
for the worship of the grape.
We ordered custom-designed French stainless
steel fermentation tanks, selection tables, destemmer/crusher
and press from Constructions Soudees du Coteau and Vaslin-Boucher.
Harvest: Hand harvested in small plastic
boxes of 18 kg
Average vineyard production: 100 quintals
per hectare
Fermentation: Alcoholic at 24ºC for
8 days. Natural malolactic fermentation
Alcohol: 14º
TA / PH: 4,91 / 3,8
Residual Sugar: < 1,8 grs/l
Production: 100.000 bottles
Tasting Notes: This wine is composed of
100% Malbec grapes selected from our vineyard located in
Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, 900 mts above sea level.
Ique is a wine without oak, fresh, young and with fruity
characteristics. Intense ruby-red with violet hints in color,
it possesses fruity aromas which remind of fresh red fruits
and white pepper. Firm structure, soft lush tannins and
satisfying end. Pairs well with meat, pasta and cheese
For more information
on this wine please click on the links below...
Harvest: Hand harvested, in small plastic
boxes of 18 kg
Average vineyard production: 85 quintals
per hectare
Fermentation: Alcoholic at 24ºC for
9 days. Natural malolactic fermentation
Alcohol: 14.5º
TA / PH: 5.29 / 3.7
Residual Sugar: < 1.8 grs/l
Production: 60.000 bottles
Types of oak and length of time in bottle: 12
months in French oak and 9 months in bottle, in our underground
cellar
Tasting Notes: Estate grown and bottled
100% Malbec made of selected grapes from old vines with
a production limited to 85 quintals per hectare. After a
rigorous selection, the grapes are fermented for 9 days
in small, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.
As a final point, this wine is aged in our underground cellars
for 12 months in French oak barrels, and 9 months in the
bottle.
Notes: This is a huge wine, deep red violet
with dark fruit aromas, firm structure, full-bodied, long
finish. Excellent with rich spiced dishes, strong cheeses,
roast or grilled meats, tuna, salmon and chocolate.
For more information
on this wine please click on the links below...
Harvest: Hand harvested, in small plastic
boxes of 18 kg
Average vineyard production: Just a kilogram
per vine
Fermentation: Alcoholic at 24ºC for
8 days. Natural malolactic fermentation
Alcohol: 14,5º
TA / PH: . 25/3.78
Residual sugar: < 1.8 grs/l
Types of oak and time in bottle: 14 months
in new French oak and 12 months in bottle, in our underground
cellar
Production: 14,440 bottles
Tasting Notes: Our showcase Malbec. Highly
selected grapes from our old vines with restricted production
not exceeding 1kg per vine. Following a rigorous selection,
the grapes are crushed, then fermented for 8 days in small,
temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Finally, this
wine is aged in our underground cellars for 14 months in
new French oak barrels, and 12 months in the bottle.
Notes: Deep ruby with violet reflections,
intense cherry, blackberry, and spice aroma, well-balanced,
full bodied, soft elegant tannins, long-lasting finish.
Delicious with rich spiced dishes, strong cheeses, roast
or grilled meats, tuna, salmon and chocolate.
For more information
on this wine please click on the links below...
The quality of our vineyard and winery as well as our willingness
to provide the best possible equipment for our winemaker
enabled us to attract one of the stars of Argentine winemaking,
Mauricio Lorca, to join us.
Mauricio has university degrees in Enology and Viticulture.
At age 21 he began his professional life in Mendoza at Bodega
Esmeralda. Two years later he joined Michel Torino in Salta.
At 24, he returned to Mendoza to become Head Winemaker of
Luigi Bosca. Four years later he was made Head Winemaker
at Finca La Celia where he produced several prize-winning
wines. We are proud to have him at Bodega Enrique Foster.
ABOUT THE REGION
MALBEC
Malbec is a varietal originating in the Cahors region
of southwestern France near Bordeaux where it is also
known as Auxerrois or Cot. Malbec is primarily blended
into Bordeaux wines to give added color and dimension
to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot but is also produced
in Cahors as a varietal, meaning a wine that is at least
80% Malbec. The climate of southwestern France, however,
does not allow the Malbec grapes to ripen fully, making
it impossible to achieve the soft, rich complexity of
the best Argentine Malbecs.
LOCATION
At present, we have two Malbec vineyards located in what
is generally acknowledged to be the world’s best
terrain for the Malbec grape, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza,
Argentina. Our vineyards sit at an elevation of 3000 feet
above sea level on the eastern flank of the Andes, with
hot days, cold nights and little rain. The first vineyard,
in Carrodilla, where we have built our winery, consists
of 30 acres of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines planted
in 1919 and the second, in Las Compuertas, has 20 acres
of less venerable vines planted in 1966.
HAILSTONES
By having vineyards in separate locations we, in common
with others in the Mendoza area, lessen the risk of hail
storm damage - an annual threat just before harvest in
February and March. Some vineyards have installed screen-like
netting to deflect the hail but the long-term effects
on the grapes of screened sunlight and the increased heat
and humidity under the nets are not well understood. We
prefer to risk losing some grapes from time to time, as
happened in Carrodilla in March 2003.
IRRIGATION
The old vineyards of Mendoza do not use automatic drip
irrigation but rely instead on irrigation canals first
built by the Huarpe Indians a thousand years ago to capture
the constant flow of melting snow from the eternally white-capped
peaks of the Andes, thus creating an oasis of green in
the desert that was Mendoza. The sandy gravel affords
excellent drainage and is ideal for vines. At times, old
vineyards have used to good advantage their ancient water
rights in order to flood the dormant vines each winter
for two to three weeks under a foot of water. This curious
procedure has no effect whatever on the vines at that
time of year but it does drown potential vine pests in
the earth such as the phylloxera beetle, thus maintaining
the health of the vines ecologically.
PRODUCTION
Complementing the traditional methods of vine care, we
have adopted the latest procedures of canopy management
and green harvesting to reduce production and thus concentrate
the flavors and sweet tannins of our densely planted old
Malbec vines (2,200 vines per acre). Following our purchase
of the old vineyard, we have more than halved our yield
from 11,500 to 4400 lbs per acre vastly improving the
quality of our grapes. This effort has been directed by
our vineyard manager who holds degrees in both agricultural
engineering and enology and has had many years of experience.
PRODUCTION
