Mendoza Wine Tour: Andeluna Cellars
First stop was the beautiful grounds of Andeluna Cellars. The grape vines were glowing with color, the leaves were like fall flowers.
The tasting room was lovely as well, reminding me more than the others of US wineries which offer comfortable couches and places to sit.
We arrived for the tail end of the tour, and quickly started on the tastings. There were four different tasting options which allowed you to sample different parts of their wine spectrum. We opted to split a reserve and a grand reserve tasting so we could sample all their better wines. It was pricey, I think the reserve was in the $20s and the grand reserve in the $40s, but it was worth it.
The couple next to us were also Americans. I was impressed that they had signed up for a wine club that would introduce them to wines from all over the world and then come to Mendoza to “learn about wines.†But a little surprised they opted for the cheapest tastings and seemed almost as anxious to share what they knew as to listen what our guides did..
This tasting confirmed what we’d begun to realize the day before. We tended to prefer the rich, bright fruitiness of entry level wines and the silky complexity of gran reserve wines and liked least the middle of the road reserve wines most like what we get in the US.
The one exception to this at Andeluna was the Cabernet Savaugnion Reserve, which had lovely spicy fruity flavors.
Their 2010 Gran Reserva tasting was definitely worth the price and we sampled almost full pours of a Cabernet Franc, a Malbec, and their Pasionado.
The Syrah was our least favorite. It was nice but not amazing and we could get better options at much lower price points. The Gran Reserve Malbec was a little rough at first sip, but once it had opened was silky and smooth. It wasn’t worth hauling back with us, but if I saw it in a restaurant or local wine store, I would definitely buy it again. The real star was the Cab Franc Gran Reserve.
It smelled wonderfully of green bell pepper and even tasted slightly of it too. That sounds gross, but one of the tastiest, most interesting wines I’ve ever had. It never occurred to me that green bell pepper might be a flavor found in wine, and that if it was, that it would be a good thing. Oh but it was!!
Other Uco Valley Tastings:
Lujan de Cuyo Valley Tastings:
Belasco de Boquedano
Alta Vista
Achaval Ferrer
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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
