Piattelli Vineyard Eco-Friendly Wines
In honor of Earth Day, I was invited to participate in a #BevChat on Twitter hosted by Crave Local and Piatelli USA. As part of the discussion, Piattelli’s Argentinan winemaker Valeria Antolin shared the Eco-friendly practices used by the winery in the growth and production of their wines. Piattelli Vineyard practices sustainable farming and their Mendoza vineyard is USDA certified organic. The water used for irrigation of the vines at Piattelli come from a retaining pond. The pond captures snow melt from the Andes and the water is then sent to the vines using surface and drip irrigation. The winery also tries to limit waste by composting the pumice of grapes and stems and then using them as fertilizer on the vineyards. During the harvest, grapes are cut with scissors by hand to prevent bruising and are then manually sorted to ensure their freshness. This use of human energy not only controls the quality of the grapes but minimizes the use of machinery and electricity. The winery in Cafayfate where their Torrontes and Premium reserve are made uses gravity flow
After hearing that the winemaker at Piattelli is a woman (I love women winemakers) and after learning some of the eco-friendly practices of the winery, I was quite excited to have the opportunity to try some of their wines.
Pittaelli is a family owned boutique winery in Mendoza, Argentina. The Piattellis immigrated from Tuscany Italy in the 194o’s to Mendoza, Argentina in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo. Agrelo holds one of the few Controlled Denomination of Origin (D.O.C.) in the world for the Malbec varietal but the Piattellis make more than just Malbec
Piattelli 20012 Torrontes is from the Cafayate Valley in Salta which is at high altitude. This white wine is crisp yet juicy with nice fruit and acidity. It has the lovely floral aromas and classic characteristic of Torrontes with a hint of oak which the winemaker says she used to limit the natural florality of the varietal and enhance its fruit flavors . This wine would be great paired with spicy or Asian cuisine and retails for $17 a bottle.
Piattelli 2010 Premium Cabernet is from Uco Valley Vineyards in Tupungato Mendoza The grapes for this wine come from high altitude rocky soils and are irrigated with water from the Andes. The wine is aged for 12 months in small, second-use French-oak barrels and then bottle-aged an additional 6 months. It is a nice crimson color and has flavors of blackberry and dried plum with some chocolate notes on the finish. This wine retails for $20 a bottle
Piattelli Grand Reserve Malbec 2009 is made from grapes grown on 70-year-old vines located in the prestigious Luján de Cuyo (DOC). This wine has a nice richness of fruit flavors and spice and wonderfully demonstrates what a great Malbec can and should taste like, which is why it probably repeatedly wins all kinds of award. The wine retails for $22 a bottle
Trinita Grand Reserve 2009 is a blend of 49% Malbec, 40% Cabernet and 11% Merlot. The grapes are grown in loamy soil and irrigated with water from the Andes. The varietals are aged separately for 12 months in small, first- or second-use French-oak barrels to preserve the fruit flavors of each varietal and they are then blended together. This wine has great bold fruit of black cherry and currant and spice notes. It is well balanced with nice structure and tannins. This wine retails for $32 a bottle and would be delicious with a nice juicy steak.
Thank you to Piattelli USA and Crave Local for the chance to taste these amazing wines! When I finally get to Mendoza for a visit Piattelli will definitely be on my list of wineries to visit!
