THE BEGINNINGS
OUR STORY
In 1995 Alberto Antonini, a well-known Tuscan winemaker, and Antonio Morescalchi, a young entrepreneur, took a trip to visit the burgeoning wine areas of South America. It only took one stop to find what they were looking for. They were immediately impressed by the vineyards thriving in Mendoza’s high altitude and dry climate and were captivated by the whispered traditions and blend of cultures.
They returned to Tuscany powerfully impressed not only by the region but also by the unexplored potential of Malbec, a grape with a strong local tradition that was largely ignored and misunderstood. While the rest of the wine world saw Mendoza struggling to shed its bulk wine image, the two young Italians saw Mendoza as a place where traditional viticultural values and unblemished land could be reinvigorated with a modern winemaking approach and international experience. Instead of planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as many others were doing during the 1990s, the team decided to invest their confidence in Malbec. Today, Malbec is the varietal for which Argentina is best known.
Against all odds they cemented their vision to become Terroir Specialists Shortly after, two friends and business partners, also enthused by the idea, joined the venture: Attilio Pagli, a renowned Tuscan winemaker with two 100 point-scoring wines in his personal record and Carlos Vazquez, an Argentine Agronomist, who work for 20 years with the early Catena group, planting new varieties, developing previously unknown vineyard sites and contributing greatly to the qualitative change of Argentine viticulture early on.
THE BEGINNINGS
OUR NAME
We purchased 206 hectares (530 acres) in the rural township of Lujan de Cuyo for the future Estate of Altos Las Hormigas. When the vineyards were planted in 1996 workers faced a stiff altercation with the local ant colonies. The ants loved to feed on the tender sprouts of our newly planted young vines, often reducing months of man labor to nothing, all in a single night. The workers refused to poison the ants and started looking for natural ways to deflect their attention. During this time they commented that the ants were the “real” owners of the place and seemed to cover enormous ground and accomplish great tasks despite their minuscule size. In Argentina, we have a saying: “un trabajo de hormigas” or “a job for ants” which describes a humble, patient, and dedicated work. We decided to name our venture after the hard-working, team-playing hormiga, which is emblematic of our history and has become a symbol of good luck.
TERROIR
THE VINEYARDS
High in the Andes Mountains range, Mount Aconcagua, which stands at over 6900 meters (22,000 ft), overlooks a vast, green oasis of vineyards called Mendoza. The region’s semi-desert climate, which produces large temperature differentials – a very hot daytime and very cool nights – and abundant runoff water from the snow-capped Andes, makes it particularly suited for the cultivation of high-quality grapes.
Finca El Hormiguero is situated in Luján de Cuyo, at about 800 meters (2600 ft.) above sea level, facing the Andes to the east, protected westward by a minor geological fold. The Estate is 206 hectares (530 acres), of which 40 hectares (100 acres) are planted with Malbec, 5.6 hectares (15 acres) with Bonarda, and 3.5 hectares (8.65 acres) are planted with Cabernet Franc. At the heart of the property stands the 2,000 square meter cellar, which is designed to have minimal impact on the land, but to achieve the best technical conditions in winemaking.
Jardin de Hormigas is our new vineyard in the Uco Valley. We acquired 55 Ha (136 acres) in 2011 and planted 32 Ha in 2017. The vineyard was conceived with a groundbreaking concept of biodiversity in mind, developed to highlight Terroir in its purest form. Organized in small plots by Terroir units: 22 plots for 32 Ha, it was farmed organic from the start. All the plots are interspersed with native flora, to break the monoculture and invite all wild species to populate the area. Jardin de Hormigas is a truly one-of-a-kind vineyard, the next revolution introduced by Altos Las Hormigas to Argentine winemaking and viticulture.
See below to view and learn more about the vineyards from which our grapes are sourced:
a new revolution
Primera zona
The areas of Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu are generally regarded as the original sites where Mendoza viticulture first developed in past centuries. For this reason, the area is called “Primera Zona” (First Land). Our original vineyards and winery are here. We can say that Primera Zona represents the legacy of Malbec tradition.
Uco Valley
This valley, located at about 80 miles from the city, has grown during the last decade into the main drive of attention in the Mendoza wine industry. While we cannot discard that global warming has played a role in pushing people to plant higher and higher, Valle de Uco’s mountain influenced climate seems to give Malbec more balance, through higher natural acidity, among other factors, allowing a more direct expression of Terroir character.
Paraje Altamira
Among the limestone areas so far identified by our team, Paraje Altamira is the one giving the most elegant and textured wines. Paraje Altamira Malbec, if properly respected in winemaking, proves that Mendoza wines do not need to rely on muscles in order to express themselves with persistence and longevity.
Jardin de Hormigas
The vineyard was planted on virgin soil, in a selected area within Paraje Altamira appellation, where super calcareous, stony plots with 7% to 10% active limestone were found by our Terroir specialists. The plot design mirrors the different soil units (Pedro Parra’s classification method was applied in order to divide and better understand these micro-terroirs) and only 60% of the land carries vines.
Gualtallary
Power, elegance, and finesse seem to unexpectedly find harmony in this extreme appellation, while a kaleidoscope of flavours emerge from its super deeply coloured wines. Its diverse type of limestone, and an altitude that pushes Malbec to the limit give what is arguably the most intriguing version of Mendoza most loved red grape.
