History
The 17-acre vineyard inside this gate was planted in 1946 by Eugenio Gioachini, an Italian immigrant. He built a house and barn on the property, and he and his wife raised four daughters and a son. He tended the vineyard with little help until his death at 90.
We discovered this opportunity in 2007. We felt a bond with this particular piece of land and wanted to contribute to its development.
Regretfully the vineyard had been overcropped and unattended. We set about improving the vineyard while keeping the original vines. We changed our canopy management to a mixture of Guyot and Cordon, keeping the canopy open for greater options due to the spectacular but unpredictable weather swings. The Cordon trellising also raised up the fruit section, helping to prevent mold and keep the grapes at a cooler temperature. This was a three-year process affecting production for five years.
Eugenio Gioachini had sold his grapes to local wineries in La Consulta. Until 2011, we sold our grapes to other producers. In 2012 we produced the first ever commercial bottling from the vineyard and introduced our Adelante brand.
Intrigued by the quality revolution of Argentine Malbec, attracted by the austere beauty of the Mendoza region, and appreciating the generous welcome of the folks who live there, we were gringos with a wine project at the back of our minds.
TODAY
We have accomplished the goal of saving our old vine vineyard and making a wine that reflects our specific terroir within La Consulta.
Vines at time of purchase. Vines today
The vineyard is divided into three sections: north, center, and south The soil composition and water retention vary in each section. We prefer the traditional system of flood irrigation over drip. Depending on the section of the vineyard, we use a combination of Guyot and Cordon trellising. We green harvest to control the yields and to mature the grapes earlier to reach our goal of a wine with 13.5% alcohol content.
Adding clover and barley seeds Resulting cover crop
We invested in reinvigorating the vineyard during the first decade by rebuilding soil nutrition, adjusting the trellising, pruning regime, crop load, removing harmful native grass, while continuing to employ traditional flood irrigation from the Andes. We have nursed the vineyard back to health
Today we are focused on the health of each vine. This results in a balanced vine which leads to a fresh wine, concentrated but not heavy.
FUTURE
Our future is rooted to the past
All around us vineyards are being replanted using new clones. Our continuing goal is to replant our original clone in the self-rooting techniques of layering/arch grafting or growing from cuttings. Despite extra cost and challenges in replanting self-rooted vines, this preserves the unique character of Don Eugenio Vineyard and Adelante Malbec.
Cane from existing vine is arched into soil where it roots and is subsequently detached, forming a new vine
We are following the latest organic principles to maintain and preserve our Don Eugenio Vineyard. We are in the transitional stage, scheduled to receive full organic certification in 2025.
Inspection visit from organic certification team