LAGARDE AGES WELL
CHARLIE FOLEY CHECKS OUT ONE OF MENDOZA’S MOST HISTORIC WINERIES
1897 was a disastrous year; S. A. Andrée’s Arctic balloon expedition ends in the death of the entire team. The German composer Brahms pops his clogs and another famous German, Joseph Goebbels is born. On the other hand Queen Victoria celebrated 60 long years on the throne of England and the Lagarde winery in Argentina was opened.
Today it is owned by the Pescarmona family who are famous for big business, particularly the energy industry. Amazing to find then that Lagarde is not a massive exporting winery but actually a quaint artisan style bodega. The family came to the winery in the 1970’s, only to find casks full of white wine stacked up in the cellar. It turned out that the wine was Semillon and it had been there since 1942; it is now one of the keystone wines, scooping many awards mostly for its unusual dark brown colour and its sherry like taste from years in French oak. This and other note-worthy wines have led to Lagarde becoming one of the Charter members of the DOC (because the vineyards are on sacred ground).
“It turned out that the wine was Semillon and it had been there since 1942.”
There are numerous lines of wine from the Henry Gran Guarda (named after the owner), through the Lagarde Reserva to the Altas Cumbres; which displays an Andean condor on the label. The Henry range is the most interesting with an assortment of reds jostling for top spot; the Cabernet Sauvignon pulling a punch with its deep colour and tough tannins, the Malbec proving itself with red fruit flavours and the Cabernet Franc as the underdog despite its excellently peppery taste. This range has been honoured with awards from the Hyatt and Decanter, proving that even for a small winery the results can be enormous. The Lagarde Reserva which they describe as everyday wines contains a few surprises, namely the sparkling wines, a Brut produced in the traditional Methode Champenoise and a sweeter sparkling fermented by the tank method.
“An ancient vineyard lies behind the bodega looking like the twisted arms of an old witch”
The most interesting feature of the winery is the artisan style production, from the concrete tanks to the rows of racks used to riddle the sparkling wines. All this old school style winemaking makes it look just how a winery should, with large oak barrels and pot kilns in a dusty courtyard. This winery is the only one in Argentina to feature cast iron tanks which raised problems in terms of maintaining a temperature and so the majority of the wine is now produced in the conventional stainless steel. The rustic charm doesn’t stop there however as an ancient vineyard lies behind the bodega looking like the twisted arms of an old witch. The vines are so close that they require a mule to drag along the till; further adding to the bucolic feel of the place. A soaring chimney marks the spot where an old boiler used to power the entire enterprise..
The bodega is located 20 minutes from the city center and contains a restaurant which has its merits, specifically the pastry chef who makes an excellent chocolate torte accompanied by a flute of the bodega’s sweet champagne. By biggest regret was not being able to taste the Semillion 1942 as it promised to be such a stunning wine, but then 1942 was one hell of a good year.
Lagarde, Av. San Martin 1745. Open for visits Mon-Fri with reservations. Tel. 498-0011
1897 was a disastrous year; S. A. Andrée’s Arctic balloon expedition ends in the death of the entire team. The German composer Brahms pops his clogs and another famous German, Joseph Goebbels is born. On the other hand Queen Victoria celebrated 60 long years on the throne of England and the Lagarde winery in Argentina was opened.
Today it is owned by the Pescarmona family who are famous for big business, particularly the energy industry. Amazing to find then that Lagarde is not a massive exporting winery but actually a quaint artisan style bodega. The family came to the winery in the 1970’s, only to find casks full of white wine stacked up in the cellar. It turned out that the wine was Semillon and it had been there since 1942; it is now one of the keystone wines, scooping many awards mostly for its unusual dark brown colour and its sherry like taste from years in French oak. This and other note-worthy wines have led to Lagarde becoming one of the Charter members of the DOC (because the vineyards are on sacred ground).
“It turned out that the wine was Semillon and it had been there since 1942.”
There are numerous lines of wine from the Henry Gran Guarda (named after the owner), through the Lagarde Reserva to the Altas Cumbres; which displays an Andean condor on the label. The Henry range is the most interesting with an assortment of reds jostling for top spot; the Cabernet Sauvignon pulling a punch with its deep colour and tough tannins, the Malbec proving itself with red fruit flavours and the Cabernet Franc as the underdog despite its excellently peppery taste. This range has been honoured with awards from the Hyatt and Decanter, proving that even for a small winery the results can be enormous. The Lagarde Reserva which they describe as everyday wines contains a few surprises, namely the sparkling wines, a Brut produced in the traditional Methode Champenoise and a sweeter sparkling fermented by the tank method.
“An ancient vineyard lies behind the bodega looking like the twisted arms of an old witch”
The most interesting feature of the winery is the artisan style production, from the concrete tanks to the rows of racks used to riddle the sparkling wines. All this old school style winemaking makes it look just how a winery should, with large oak barrels and pot kilns in a dusty courtyard. This winery is the only one in Argentina to feature cast iron tanks which raised problems in terms of maintaining a temperature and so the majority of the wine is now produced in the conventional stainless steel. The rustic charm doesn’t stop there however as an ancient vineyard lies behind the bodega looking like the twisted arms of an old witch. The vines are so close that they require a mule to drag along the till; further adding to the bucolic feel of the place. A soaring chimney marks the spot where an old boiler used to power the entire enterprise.
The bodega is located 20 minutes from the city center and contains a restaurant which has its merits, specifically the pastry chef who makes an excellent chocolate torte accompanied by a flute of the bodega’s sweet champagne. By biggest regret was not being able to taste the Semillion 1942 as it promised to be such a stunning wine, but then 1942 was one hell of a good year.
Lagarde, Av. San Martin 1745. Open for visits Mon-Fri with reservations. Tel. 498-0011
