Uruguay's wine industry is present in 15 out of the 19 departments in the country and is home to over 9,000 hectares of mainly family-owned vineyards. It seems to have adopted Tannat as its iconic grape, but also produces a wide variety of reds and whites that benefit from the granite, sandy loam soils (called 'balasto') and the crucial influence of the balmy breezes and maritime climate of the Atlantic Ocean (in the Punta del Este region).
At the helm as one of the ambassadors of premium Uruguayan wine is the stunning Bodega Garzon – the first LEEDS-certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) winery outside of the United States. Founded in 1999 by Alejandro and Bettina Bulgheroni - a renowned agro-industrial entrepreneur - the winery team also includes enologist Alberto Antonini (of Frescobaldi and Antinori fame), winemaker German Bruzzone and agronomist Eduardo Felix.
Garzon's complex grid of vineyards includes over 1,000 different plots which provide the peculiar terroirs that give the individual wines such a singular elegance and character. Grapes are hand- harvested into small bins and then hand-sorted and sent through an optical laser sorting machine to ensure that only the very best fruit reaches your bottle. Fermentation occurs in concrete vats and "tulips" and are aged in untoasted French oak. Yes, untoasted! These "live" containers maintain the natural and individual integrity of the wines. The sustainably farmed grapes undergo minimal handling and enjoy the benefits of fermenting with their native yeasts – all the better to extract the unique qualities of each plot's varietal. You recall those afore-mentioned concrete "tulips"? They are constructed in such a way that the curvature at the bottom allows the grapes to be suspended in a sort of "perpetual motion" element, thus eliminating the need for punch-downs or pump-overs. These are the same concrete tanks that are used by Petrus in Bordeaux. Yet another gesture towards their "hands-off" approach to winemaking and an incredible investment destined to keep their quality constantly trending upward.
Cabernet Franc is a wonderful grape, albeit a bit difficult to handle at times. What Garzon has wrought could be considered a oenological miracle – a Cab Franc that doesn't lean towards the greenness that is usually a main component. This is not only an incredible wine, but it is an incredible value! Garnet- rimmed purple in the glass with a defined bouquet of violets, forest berries and spice. The palate is awash with red plum, crushed blackberries and enticing undercurrents of dark chocolate and tobacco. Delightfully complex and smooth, it glides down your throat with velvety impudence and begs you to down another glass. What a find and value! A production of less than 1,000 cases.
At the helm as one of the ambassadors of premium Uruguayan wine is the stunning Bodega Garzon – the first LEEDS-certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) winery outside of the United States. Founded in 1999 by Alejandro and Bettina Bulgheroni - a renowned agro-industrial entrepreneur - the winery team also includes enologist Alberto Antonini (of Frescobaldi and Antinori fame), winemaker German Bruzzone and agronomist Eduardo Felix.
Garzon's complex grid of vineyards includes over 1,000 different plots which provide the peculiar terroirs that give the individual wines such a singular elegance and character. Grapes are hand- harvested into small bins and then hand-sorted and sent through an optical laser sorting machine to ensure that only the very best fruit reaches your bottle. Fermentation occurs in concrete vats and "tulips" and are aged in untoasted French oak. Yes, untoasted! These "live" containers maintain the natural and individual integrity of the wines. The sustainably farmed grapes undergo minimal handling and enjoy the benefits of fermenting with their native yeasts – all the better to extract the unique qualities of each plot's varietal. You recall those afore-mentioned concrete "tulips"? They are constructed in such a way that the curvature at the bottom allows the grapes to be suspended in a sort of "perpetual motion" element, thus eliminating the need for punch-downs or pump-overs. These are the same concrete tanks that are used by Petrus in Bordeaux. Yet another gesture towards their "hands-off" approach to winemaking and an incredible investment destined to keep their quality constantly trending upward.
Cabernet Franc is a wonderful grape, albeit a bit difficult to handle at times. What Garzon has wrought could be considered a oenological miracle – a Cab Franc that doesn't lean towards the greenness that is usually a main component. This is not only an incredible wine, but it is an incredible value! Garnet- rimmed purple in the glass with a defined bouquet of violets, forest berries and spice. The palate is awash with red plum, crushed blackberries and enticing undercurrents of dark chocolate and tobacco. Delightfully complex and smooth, it glides down your throat with velvety impudence and begs you to down another glass. What a find and value! A production of less than 1,000 cases.
