A David Among Goliaths: Bodega La Azul
In the Tupungato region of Uco Valley, along the popular Ruta 98 sits a boutique winery, so humbly nestled into the landscape that you´d miss it if you weren´t paying attention. In a neighborhood of giants – Andeluna Winery, Salentein, and Jean Bousquet – La Azul is the David to their Goliath.
With a cement-walled winery roughly the size of a spacious garage, it is one of the smallest in Mendoza, and one of the few Argentine family-owned operations in the prestigious Uco Valley.
“We´re the smallest winery in the area, but the only one without any foreign investment. 100% Argentine,” said Pablo, head of hospitality.
Though the winery is rooted in family, the name (which literally means `the blue`) comes from a bit of a family divide. Anticipating the havoc that dividing his estate would cause amongst his grandchildren, the grandfather did the job himself: parceling out his lot into 4 sections and asking his children to draw colored ribbons to determine their inheritance. From the blue ribbon that was drawn, La Azul received not only it´s prestigious street address, but also its name.
At the time of the ribbon roulette, the land was nothing more than 30 hectares of planted vineyards sitting at 3,940 ft. The vineyards were cultivated and the grapes sold off to local winemakers. Today, La Azul owns 120 hectares to its name, a family operated winery, a reputation for producing robust red wines and a top-tier restaurant. If the humble architecture of the winery is the first surprise, the quality of their humble restaurant is the second.
It is decorated in a vintage chic style of up-cycled furniture coated in vibrant paint colors, all set against an Andean skyline. Diners sit at turquoise tables beneath the speckled sunlight of the winery´s straw pergola, and sip on 2013 Sauvignon Blanc while the first coarse arrives.
The wine-paired lunch menu ebbs and flows with the dictates of the seasons, but always in the orbit of classical Argentine flavors. First to arrive was a steaming basket of homemade rolls and strawberry walnut cream cheese. Then, a chicken escabeche served with arugula aioli. A cheese quesadilla with roasted beet sauce accompanied the 2012 La Azul Malbec. And with the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, a traditional Mendocinian empanada.
Two wines and 3 small plates into the meal, it had only just begun. Still to come: Braised pork shoulder with orange soy marinade, sweet potato mash, beet puree and fresh salad greens served alongside the 2010 Reserva Blend (60% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon). The Reserva exhibited lush red fruit and black berry notes punctuated by chocolate and vanilla undertones, backed by firm tannins and a long finish. And it only became more delicious when we heard the price: 80 pesos the bottle (roughly U$D 8.50).
After lunch was finished, the tour began. Well, given that the winery is literally built in miniature, the tour was more about crossing the threshold than wandering through the winery.
Pablo sweetly pointed out the French and oak barrels, the stainless steel fermenters packed in behind him, and served us a sip of 2011 100% Malbec straight from the barrel. Before handing over the glass Pablo put the wine into context: it would be in oak for another 12 months, in the bottle for another 3 years and would hit the market in 2016. Though the sampling was more wood than wine, it wasn´t hard to sense the already startling potential.
Though Bodega La Azul is slightly less impressive in size and stature than its close neighbors, it certainly owns its keep along Ruta 89: Argentine family charm, unexpectedly refined cuisine served in the comfort of their country-funk veranda, and wines un-paralleled in value.
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