There are certain words that are bandied around all too generously in the wine industry. Words such as: legendary, iconic, pioneering… they have all been so overused that they have become somewhat meaningless and tiresome. Yet sometimes it’s almost impossible not to use them, and this is one of those times.

I would be doing François Lurton a disservice if I wasn’t to call him a pioneer, specifically when it comes to Bodega Piedra Negr,a his Argentine outpost high in the Uco Valley. François and his brother Jacques are the fifth generation of the impressive Bordelais Lurton winemaking dynasty. Whilst still retaining interests in Bordeaux, the brothers have impressively expanded their empire throughout Spain, Chile and Argentina. Condor have been working with Hacienda Araucano, the Lurton project in Chile’s Colchagua Valley for a while, and now rather excitingly Piedra Negra has joined the Condor stable.

I lived in Mendoza for almost 2 years (2003-2005) and was fortunate enough to spend many weekends in The Uco Valley in a village called Vista Flores, where a friend had a beautiful ‘finca’ or estate. It seemed like such a perfect place to grow grapes, and there were excited whispers of how much potential there was in this area. Clearly François Lurton saw this too, as it was almost a decade previously, in 1996, that he became one of the true pioneers of the area, with the purchase of his 250 hectare Las Chacayes estate, just outside the village of Vista Flores.

Enticed by the prospect of making wines in this barren, rugged landscape at an altitude of 1,100m, the first vines were planted. There are now 136 hectares in total planted on the estate, with a perhaps unsurprising emphasis on Malbec. It is now common knowledge that altitude in Argentina has become an important element in the stylistic evolution of the wines, especially Malbec. The diurnal temperature swings allow for longer and slower ripening and flavour development. Yet of course it is just one factor in the complex myriad of elements making up a terroir.

Soils are of course one of these key elements. And the soils here in Vista Flores reminded François of Pessac-Leognan, the appellation to the South of his hometown Bordeaux. Alluvial gravel soils dominate the estate and are found on top of volcanic subsoil. The soils are diverse and are largely composed of granite and metamorphic rock, which limits the vines’ water availability resulting in deeper rooting. In turn this results in small, compact berries with great concentration.

Protected by the Andes mountains there is little rainfall in the area, yet water availability is not an issue for Piedra Negra thanks to glacial meltwater. The area also has low pest and disease pressure which facilitates organic practices in the vineyard, and the estate became certified fully organically in 2016. It also follows biodynamic principles throughout (but isn’t certified).

The winemaking is overseen by another Frenchman, Thibault Lepoutre, who has worked in recent years on producing wines with no added sulphites. Two of these wines are now imported by Condor (see the tasting notes below.) It is noteworthy that at Piedra Negra they have not only planted Malbec, but also Côt – the older, more rustic Malbec clone found in the black wines of Cahors in Southwest France.

Thibault explained that they manage to reduce the rusticity of Côt by careful vineyard management and low yields. This then adds tension, freshness and acidity to the blend, with the fruit, concentration and depth coming from the Malbec.

These wines really add another dimension to the Condor portfolio and I am sure they will be a great success with Condor’s customers.

Written by Alistair Cooper MW