2020 vintage was historical in many ways. It has been the earliest vintage in the last 50 years !
Following a dry and prolonged mild winter at the foothills of the Andes, the sunny days of spring allowed for an early bud burst and flowering. The good weather prevailed over the rest of the season, with low rainfall.
The abnormally warm vintage, especially in March, led to our earliest vintage ever. All the grapes reached phenolic ripeness in a very short time span this year. The absence of rain during the harvest allowed the grapes to reach the winery in excellent conditions. The harvest started on the 10th of March in Altamira and finished on the 26th of March with grapes from San Pablo.

Winter went by with regular temperatures, but sprouting occurred a few days earlier than usual (October 5th in the case of Malbec). Furthermore, flowering, fruit set and veraison occurred during the expected dates.
Fortunately, good weather predominated throughout the season with little rainfall, specifically during March (16 mm) in relation to the historic average for that month (30 mm). These typical weather conditions (sunny and dry days, and also an important thermal oscillation between night and day), allowed both grapes and tannins to ripen slowly, which helped preserve a remarkable freshness. The harvest started on March 25th and finished on April 22nd.

A particularly harsh winter in the foothills of the Andes Cordillera was followed by a sunny spring, enabling budding and flowering to take place as usual.
However, the night of 13 October 2017 brought a dramatic fall in temperatures, affecting the setting of the fruit in some plots, and resulting in a smaller number of berries in the bunches. Fortunately, fine weather predominated for the rest of the season, with not much rain and a completely dry March.
These conditions, typical of the Mendoza region, with dry, sunny days and a particularly pronounced difference in 2018 between day and night-time temperatures, enabled the grapes and tannins to ripen slowly and steadily, while preserving a superb freshness. On 25 March 2018, temperatures fell once again in our high-altitude vineyard, but the vines coped well with the colder weather and ripening continued without any problems, resulting in one of the best harvests of this decade.

The 2017 vintage was characterized by slightly above average rainfall (188 mm instead of 102 mm), especially during bud break, and temperatures close to seasonal averages, with the exception of the frost that caused some damage to the vines on October 21st. Towards the end of the summer, the nights during February were up to 4 degrees warmer than usual. This phenomenon and a generally dry quarter had an accelerating effect and the harvests were two to three weeks early. The grapes are characterized by a good balance between sugar and acidity and by the softness of the tannins characteristic of Malbec.

The bud break point coincided with the lowest temperatures recorded in Mendoza in the last fifty years.  At harvesting, an unusual equilibrium was reached of alcohol levels, high acidity and vibrant flavors.  An elegant and unique combination clearly characterized the 2016 harvest.

Uco Valley: A fresh and rainy weather was present from the bud break to January, which delayed the cycle by almost a month.  Fortunately, February and March came with pleasant temperatures and dry days, more typical of this area. 

First Zone: The season showed similar patters to those of Uco Valley with regards to temperature. Nevertheless, the soils are heavier and deeper in Agrelo and Las Compuertas than in Altamira (Uco Valley).  Consequently, the harvest not only took longer than normal but it also took place at the same time as in Uco Valley. 

The beginning of the season was characterized by higher than usual rainfall, lower than average temperatures and less sunshine. This combination, while rare for Mendoza, was perfect for the wine, giving it a higher natural acidity and remarkably fresh flavors. 

Grapes are picked in two production zones.

First Zone: the cycle began with a late budding due to low temperatures during the third week of September. In early November, when the Malbec was in full bloom, a very hot dry wind called the Zonda caused some dehydration of the flower organs and abortions of newly set fruit. January 2014 was characterized by high average temperatures for several days (1°C above average). This, combined with the lack of rain during January, caused a water deficit before veraison, reducing the final size of the berries in the bunches. During February 2014 the heaviest rains for the last 12 years were recorded (172 mm). At this point, we became concerned about the quality of the crop. Fortunately, the weather conditions were good during March. Despite these weather fluctuations, we obtained a very good harvest in terms of quality, but not quantity, with decreases in production of up to 18% in some cases.

Uco Valley: The month of January was extremely dry (only 9 mm of rain) and mostly warm (1°C above average). There was a lot of rain during February (123 mm) and temperatures were lower than usual (2°C below the historical average). Fortunately, the weather during March and April was very good, but still wetter than normal. During the last two weeks of April, there were 3 days with temperatures slightly below 0°C, but luckily no damage was reported to the grapes. Overall, yields were about 15% lower than the harvest in 2013.

ARUMA is a pure Malbec made from a blend of grapes from the best terroirs in the Mendoza region. Grapes grown in 2 valleys: First Zone and Uco Valley.

Uco Valley region: The region experienced a normal to dry season, with 38 mm less rain than the average (255 mm vs. 293 mm). Winter and spring were wetter than usual, and the end of season very dry, with no rains during February and March. Temperatures were within the normal range. The vintage was outstanding for Malbec, with excellent budbreaks and fruit sets.

First Zone: In Agrelo and Las Compuertas regions the vintage is excellent for Malbec. The season has been characterized by average rain: December and February were dry with almost no rain and January was very wet with 87 mm of rain. Temperature was warm in Spring, followed by a cool January and a warm February. The thermal amplitude was similar to 2012, which helped obtaining very concentrated grapes with intense colours.

Average temperatures at the beginning of the growth cycle in September and October 2011 were 20°C, and with a little rain provided optimal conditions for the bud break and setting of the fruit. Higher than usual rainfall in December slightly delayed the start of the ripening period.
By January 2012, temperatures had increased and there was a sharp contrast between the heat during the day and the historically cool nights. We recorded temperature differences of up to 15°C. These conditions enabled us to obtain fruit with an excellent aromatic range, and a high sugar content combined with the right degree of acidity. The end of the growth cycle saw the high temperatures persisting during the day and no rain. We were therefore able to obtain beautiful, fully ripened grapes, with superb concentration and intense colours.

The winter was very dry in 2010 and the spring started with clement, dry conditions until November 9th, when a hard frost struck the region. Fortunately, the damage was limited to some exposed spots. December and January were hot with not much rainfall. The rain arrived in March and cooled down the vineyards. In fact temperatures during March and April were lower than usual and very little rain was recorded. That was good for the ripeness of the Malbec which was harvested with a relatively high aromatic intensity and good balance between acidity, maturity of the tannins and sweetness.

Weather conditions were stable during the whole season (in terms of temperatures, wind and rain). No major incident was reported in our vineyard.
Spring was cool and dry, providing excellent conditions for ripening the Malbec. From the start of ripening (end of January) until mid-March, the weather was also very stable and warm. After mid-March, temperatures dropped a little and were lower than average, but fortunately without any frost. Generally, these conditions allowed us to wait until the grapes fully ripened. We obtained beautiful intense Malbec, characterized by notes of red fruit that were a more floral and elegant than usual.