After searching extensively across several regions of Argentina, François Lurton planted his vineyard at high altitude in the Uco Valley, in the foothills of the Andes Cordillera, in semi-desert conditions (the poor, gravelly soil is reminiscent of Pessac-Léognan!).
This unexplored region is known as Chacayes, the name that François later gave to the property's finest wine.
A pioneer of the Uco Valley, he built his winery, Bodega Piedra Negra, in the heart of 200 hectares of virgin land. Drawing on expertise acquired all over the world, he immediately introduced environmentally-friendly winegrowing methods.
This choice of location and vineyard management has proved to be excellent. Thanks to the microclimate of this high altitude desert, with very well-drained, relatively infertile, alluvial gravel soil, the wines of the Uco Valley, and especially those of Chacayes, have a unique personality, which combines freshness and concentration.
Today, the Uco Valley has a reputation as one of the world's top wine regions and is, according to Tim Atkin of Decanter Magazine, without doubt "the most talked about wine region in Argentina, if not in all South America".
Located in the foothills of the Andes Cordillera, we are developing wine tourism at the property in response to the growing number of fans of Uco Valley wines. Visitors can tour the vines on horseback and appreciate the natural biodiversity helped by our environmentally-friendly practices. The Uco Valley lies 80 km south of the city of Mendoza, alongside the legendary route 40 that follows the Cordillera the entire length of the country.
The Uco Valley is known for its rich, deep agricultural soil, its villages, farms and long rows of poplars, whose foliage forms a protective screen, and plots perched high in the foothills of the Cordillera mountains, at an altitude of more than 1,100 metres. Rivers flowing down the Andes Cordillera have formed alluvial soils of volcanic and granitic gravel, adding the rigours of poor, well-drained soil to the altitude and aridity. Francois Lurton was the first to venture onto the heights of Chacayes, somehow knowing that this inhospitable, desert-like landscape had the potential to be a great terroir.
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