Terrazas

In the late 1950s, the LVMH subsidiary Moët & Chandon sent its Chief Winemaker, Renaud Poirier, to Latin America to investigate the potential of the region for producing world-class wines. After traveling throughout the region, Poirier visited Luján de Cuyo, in the province of Mendoza. Highly impressed with the local conditions for winemaking, and the presence of unique high elevation vineyards, Poirier and Moët & Chandon decided to launch its first subsidiary vineyards ever outside of France (Bodegas Chandon Argentina).

Following decades of successful sparkling wine production, in 1999 Moët Hennessy Wine Estates and Bodegas Chandon Argentina inaugurated the Terrazas de los Andes winery, a still wines initiative based on the pairing of fine wine varietals to unique altitudes within Mendoza´s emblematic, snow-fed, high elevation vineyards.

The Terrazas de los Andes winery was launched following the restoration of an old Spanish style winery, established in 1898 by Sotero Arizu, one of the forefathers of Argentine winemaking. Arizu founded the winery in the heart of Perdriel, facing the impressive Cordon del Plata (a section of the Andes Mountain Range), where the cultivation of the best red grapes in the Province of Mendoza is concentrated.

The Terrazas de los Andes winery was originally built with bricks made from local, Mendoza soil, using mortar improvised from lime and sand, as cement was not yet produced in Argentina.
The contemporary edifice displays the original materials decisions as it stands just below ground level, where the soil was long ago removed for brick construction.

Another characteristic detail of the winery is the archways, inspired from the south of Spain. The winery has six naves, each 70 metres ( 230 feet) long by 8 metres ( 26 feet) wide.

Building upon 45 years of research and development on Mendoza´s terraced microclimates, Terrazas de los Andes has established a core wine philosophy based on Argentina´s primary advantage in the world of winemaking: high elevation grape cultivation. By leveraging the unique Mendoza topography at the foothills of the Andes Mountains , Terrazas de los Andes has emerged as a 21st Century pioneer in capturing the essence of Argentine fruit expression and forging a distinct national style.

Most recently, the Terrazas de los Andes mountain terroir has attracted the prestigious Château Cheval Blanc, the Argentine winery´s partner in a New World Grand Cru: Cheval des Andes. An intriguing fusion of talents and winemaking cultures, Cheval des Andes is a balanced and elegant blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot with important ageing potential as a collector´s wine.