Our evening's Special Guest is Vino Del Sol's Kent Smith. Kent will take us on a journey of the wines of the Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza region of Argentina.
Since 2004 Vino Del Sol have built their reputation as a leading importer of terroir-driven wines that over-deliver in value and is known as “The Argentine Wine Specialist®,"
A Little About Our Evening's Wineries
LAMDRID founder Guillermo García Lamadrid opened the door from his home in Cuba when he was a child. With the turbulence in Cuba at the time of the Revolution, his mother Matilde put him on an airplane to embark on a new life. Many more doors opened during his lifetime, all leading to Argentina and the building of the Lamadrid winery in one of the oldest and most premier growing regions in Argentina: Agrelo, “the land of Malbec,” Mendoza. Lamadrid’s mission is to be the best representation of its Agrelo terroir.
Following their philosophy that “Wine Is Made In The Vineyard, Let The Terroir Speak For Itself,” Lamadrid owns three vineyards in Agrelo: Finca La Matilde (planted 1929), Finca Lamadrid (1973), and Finca La Suiza (2004). Their wines are all estate grown from one of these single vineyards, and follow organic and sustainable farming practices. The vineyards are irrigated with the pure water from the Andes and the wines are vinified using only indigenous yeasts with no fining or filtration. In the words of Gabriela García, Guillermo’s daughter, “Water is such a precious resource, especially when making wine in a desert. Sustainability and eco-friendliness need to be incorporated into the way of life in the vineyard and winery.” Gabriela, a Certified Sommelier, travels the world as brand ambassador. Héctor and Pablo Durigutti, two of Argentina’s most celebrated winemakers, are partners with Guillermo and have hand-crafted the wines since the first vintage in 2005. As Robert Parker said, Lamadrid is “A great value winery to look for.”
ZOLO was created in 2003 by of one of Argentina’s leading women in wine, Patricia Ortiz, when she established one of Argentina’s most forward-thinking wineries. Under Patricia’s leadership, Zolo stays true to her vision of creating wines with elegance and identity, reflective of their terroir and respectful to the environment. All Zolo wines are made from estate-grown fruit which have been sustainably farmed. The vineyards are located in the premier region of Luján de Cuyo: Finca Las Llamas in Agrelo and Finca El Jarillal in Alto Agrelo. The winemaking team is led by Fabian Valenzuela and famed winemaker from Petrus Jean Claude Berrouet.
The Zolo classic tier wines are fruit-forward and great values. The Zolo Reserves and Zolo Blacks, with their ultra-high concentration, long aging in new French oak, and aromatic complexity are made for those special occasions when one needs a wine to “blow your hat off.” The man on the Zolo label represents Patricia’s husband, who was left solo in Buenos Aires.
A former Doctor, Patricia is committed to giving back to the community. Patricia also serves as President of Bodegas Argentinas; the first woman to hold this prestigious position.
OSMOSIS - OSMOSIS wines were born to meet the concerns of today’s consumer and fit with their health-conscious lifestyle. Even though OSMOSIS decreased the alcohol and calories, they kept the full flavors from their family’s high-altitude, sustainably farmed, estate vineyard in Alto Agrelo, Mendoza. Located at the foothills of the Andes at 3,440 feet above sea level, the altitude gives their Sauvignon Blanc great acidity, and the warm days its full flavors.
