After months of passion and effort, Lagarde wrapped the 2021 harvest season and the results obtained thus far fill us with pride. This vital time for us is the result of a process that began a year ago, when we defined the management that we would give to each vine and its crops. To do so, Sofía Pescarmona (CEO and co-owner of the winery), Juan Roby (winemaker) and Fernando Bussetti (head of vineyards) walk our estates regularly, defining how to aproach the field: depending on the varietal, its age, soil and management.

This past winter, for example, we performed a deep pruning in all of Lagarde's vines, which resulted in very well balanced plants. There was a good relationship between canopy and production level, which has been the dominant characteristic of this vintage.

At the same time, we iniciated a reconversion of our planted varietals, adding 29 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in our Perdriel estate, while strengthening our commitment to sustainability at the same time by building a dam, which will give us a better water management.

In the following months, the vineyard team received training and worked on irrigation planning, cultivations, fertilizations and cures. Despite being a time marked by the pandemic caused by Covid-19, the protocols implemented by the company allowed the tasks to be carried out normally.

In midsummer is when our head of vineyards and the winemaker determine the perfect time to harvest each variety of grape. Lagarde, a winery founded in 1897, performs its harvest manually, along six family estates, located in Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. This year, the harvest began in early February, in the high altitude vines, and ended at the beginning of May.

“The Semillón grape is very sensitive to bunch rot, so the decision of when to harvest in this rainy year was not an easy one.  Alongsige Fernando, we closely followed the evolution of maturity and finally, in mid-February, we decided to begin, thus obtaining the aromatic and fresh profile we were looking for ”, explained Roby.

“Evaluating our wines thus far, we can say the 2021 vintage is an excellent one. It was a wetter and markedly cooler season than others, especially during the months of January and February, but we were able to harvest with almost impeccable health", added the winemaker.

Regarding the white wines, Roby indicated: "The are very promising and have elegant aromas, a moderate alcohol level and a very fresh mouth". Some examples are Viognier, from Perdriel (Luján de Cuyo), Sauvignon Blanc, from Vista Flores (Tunuyán), and Chardonnay from the upper area of ​​Gualtallary (Tupungato).

As for the red wines, they stand out for their excellent color and aromatic intensity. "They are balanced, have a very good structure, good concentration, freshness and acidity", said Roby, who has led Lagarde's winemaking team since the year 2000.

Refering to Malbec, Roby added: “It stands out in all regions: in Luján de Cuyo, specifically in Drummond, Perdriel and Agrelo, it has good colors it is ripe and has unctuous tannins. In Valle de Uco, it has high concentration of color and aromas, as well as firmer and more marked tannins ”.

Finally, Roby also said that some Cabernet Francs will also attract attention in this vintage, as they are proving to be "fresh and vibrant" wines.

A walk through our estates

Drummond (Luján de Cuyo). The estate where the winery is located is the oldest one, it is certified organic and is part of the historical heritage of Argentine viticulture, since it has vineyards that date back to 1906. Precisely because of its age, it is a complex vine to handle: it has stale plants, changing slopes and uneven soils. However, it gives us an exceptional quality of grapes. After much analysis, this year we implemented drip irrigation, which will allow us to make better use of the water resource. To do this, we built a dam to accumulate the water from the irrigation shifts, and then distribute it plot by plot.

“During the excavation to build the dam, which ran about 4 meters deep, we came across the roots of the oldest vines on the estate. I found it moving to think of the patience and care that these plants have had in order to continue giving us such great fruits so many years later”, explained Sofía Pescarmona.

This estate benefited from the cool summer we had, giving us moderate to low yields, which have produced elegant wines with good concentration, excellent color and structure.

Agrelo (Luján de Cuyo). This estate was planted between 2006 and 2007, at which time we planned a very high quality Malbec, with high planting densities and plant material obtained from the best Malbec populations in Mendoza. With great joy, we can say that this work is starting to pay off.

This vineyard has soils with a higher content of clay and silt and more water retention. This means that, in cool and rainy years, like the one we are going through, the control of the vigor of the plants is critical. Thanks to a fine tuning in the irrigation and cultivation process, we achieved high quality grapes. Here, the harvest occured in April, because we waited for good tannin maturity. The wines that come from this estate are well structured, have good unctuousness and intense aromas.

Gualtallary (Tupungato, Uco Valley). We are getting better acquainted with these unique vineyards, located at more than 1,350 meters above sea level.  After a 2020 harvest, in which the hail hurt us badly, the decision to place anti-hail fabric on the entire surface was the right one. This summer's storms did not affect us.

The wines of this area have achieved a new level of freshness. We had to be patient and wait to collect the grapes with the correct polyphenolic maturity, but the result is more than good: elegant, intense and concentrated wines, of which we can anticipate a great storage potential.