Christie Kiley on June 9, 2014 0 Comments Have you ever purchased a wine that you might have had previously on vacation or at a restaurant, opened it and thought that perhaps it was not quite what you remembered? Enjoying a great wine is always better a good meal, intimate conversation and laughs among close friends. The taste of the wine doesn’t have to change, just make another occasion of it! It was just a restaurant around the corner, the usual place, but they always have a unique menu and it is cozy and familiar. This night we ordered the Atamisque 2008 Assemblage, from the Tupungato sub-region of Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina. The wines of Atamisque come from a seventy hectare vineyard of quality grapes from vines that are eighty years old that sit at about 4,200 feet (1,300 meters) above sea level. Though most of Mendoza is considered high-desert, which can be quite hot during the growing season, the Uco Valley has its own cool weather microclimate. This cool climate is another one of the reasons why Atamisque can create wines that are unique to others in Mendoza. While warm weather and higher temperatures help mature and increase sugar levels in grapes, which in turn are your potential alcohol, a cooler climate will create a different type of mature grape. The growing season is drawn out just a bit longer and certain organoleptic compounds grow more mature; aromatic compounds, tannins from the grape skins will be more mature and well-rounded, and the fruit will make wines of more savory and enhance mineral characteristics from the land. The estate is owned by John Du Monceau, a French gentleman who purchased the estate in 2006 and that year, the construction of Atamisque began. The vines were already in place and John found out quickly that there was not much that needed to be done except let mother nature exist with the vines in their natural habitat. Some of the local flora you will find in Tupungato are cactus, piquillo, chañar and their namesake, the Atamisque bush. From their first harvest in 2007, the focus was to craft premium and special wines, representing the terroir and only the best products in their elaboration. Only the best French barrels are used which impart a softness and elegance to the wine, enhancing complexities and depth that could only be from mature vines which are truly rooted and harmonize with their environment. You are welcomed in to the winery just of Route 86—known locally as the Ruta del Vino—via a row of poplar trees, standing tall and slender as they waver to and fro with the valley breezes. The winery was built to produce at capacity around five-hundred thousand liters. That sounds like quite a lot, and it is. While some other wineries might lose their artisan touch with such a sizeable production, John Du Monceau wanted to ensure that would not occur. The vineyards are in harmony with Mother Nature and the winery just the same with natural physics. It was fashioned with gravity in mind so that the winemaking process would flow and fall from stage to stage from the initial crush of the grapes, to fermentation, fining and barrel aging. No pumps are used at any stage. Their gentle craft is beautifully shown in the Atamisque 2008 Assemblage as a blend of 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon an 25% Merlot from their vineyard of La Consulta sitting at 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level from their eighty year old vines. Low yields from these mature vines give the wine an deep inky color equal to deep flavors, ones that just need a little coaxing. At first pour, the wine is a little shy. If you are to enjoy this wine very soon, I recommend that you decant it. The color is dark and impenetrable ruby with still some lingering purple reflections, but it does show a touch of evolution. Once the nose opens up, it is a bit leathery with other notes of baked cherries, currant with sharper notes of freshly chopped wood and ground white pepper. The Atamisque Assemblage that evening went well with my dish of braised lamb shank, smoked quinoa and dried apricots, but it also went equally as well with the slow roasted short ribs and ribeye steak and browned potatoes of my friends’. Make it a hearty dish, but most importantly, have good company. *Note: If you have a bit of will-power, try this wine in another three to five years. There is definite potential for more memorable occasions. More Wine Reviews: Dolium Eco-Estate 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Las Perdices 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontés 2012 Animal Espumante Chardonnay-Pinot Noir
