Domaine Bousquet, Organic Winery

A visit to Domaine Bousquet has the same taste and friendliness as the fruit grown with love and without haste at its plantations. Lying one and a half hour away from the City of Mendoza by car, it rests at the foot of the Tupungato, which boasts a European atmosphere managed by the immigrants who settled down in this Andean land years ago.

Guided by Paula Escobar, we learned about the features of this unique vineyard in Valle de Uco due to its healthy resources and hand work without any added chemicals. The hardest effort is devoted to managing the essential qualifications in the entire production line.

Tradition and experience came from France, more precisely from the City of Carcassonne, where the Bousquet family grew their own wine. As they arrived in Argentina, they discovered the proper terroir to settle down and carry out their projects.

The crops lie at 1,200 meters of height. The prevailing climate is sunny, dry and hot during the day, with excellent meltdown water. At night, the temperature drops and this causes the grapes to grow a thicker skin to protect the fruit. Thus, the conditions of the tannins and the later aroma and color of the wine are generated. The fruit that is not used, as well as the skins, cover the soil as fertilizer.

Upon entering the modern manufacturing venue, we were astonished to see the huge entrance door. It was brought from France along with some enormous French oak barrels that are used to make Grande Reserve wines, instead of the traditional stainless steel tanks.

Paula gave us all the details about the process, from the grape harvest stage, through the fermentation in the barrels as well as in the underground pools, to the storage in casks and/or the bottling stage, according to the line implied.

The storage room welcomed us in silence and with a gloomy atmosphere. Wines are still working at this stage and they reach the necessary ripeness before they are commercialized.

The tasting room at the cellar is a highly appreciated site by lovers of fine drink and by those who know about production excellence. It is also usual to sit under a beautiful gazebo with a roof made of cane, out in the open air to behold the scene and breathe in the fresh air, while the glass bouquet goes through the nose, the mouth and the throat.

The winery is characterized by three lines made with high-quality grapes: a young one that is not aged in casks; another one –known as Reserve-, stored for 10 months; and a third one -Grande Reserve- aged for one year. In addition to this, there is a sparkling wine that follows a traditional method. All these products are exported.

We returned to the park to approach the restaurant and the apartments located in front of the mountain. These spaces have been opened to visitors, who can spend some pleasant days enjoying the local entertainment options. In the kitchen, chefs use products from the organic orchard to prepare gourmet and grilled dishes that make up meals with several courses.

As we left the winery and took the soft undulations of the road once again, we recalled some of the details featured by nature in Mendoza. All of them are concentrated at Domaine Bousquet. The taste for nature, the care of the soil, contemplation and rest are accompanied by the aromas of good beverages.

This is not just a criteria to make organic wines. It is also a life choice.