Patricio Gouguenheim, the founder of this estate, was born in Argentina to French parents. Something of a second career, during 2002 in the midst of an economic slump in Argentina, Patricio decided the time was right to leave his job as a banker in the city of Mendoza and start up a winery.
He found an old winery in the Uco Valley around 70 km from Mendoza in the heart of the wine producing region. It had nearly 100 acres of vineyards situated high up in the foot hills of the Andes at just over 1,000 metres above sea level. The region, now known as the Tupungato Valley, has a desert climate with over 320 days of sunshine a year, but they use melt water from the Andes to irrigate the vines. The soils are alluvial and there is a big diurnal contrast of up to 16⁰C between night and daytime temperatures, perfect for making interesting red wines from Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The Gouguenheim whites are typified by a crispness covering a rich core of flavour – great style for Torrontes and Chardonnay. Sadly he passed away in 2024 but not before he had handed the reins over to his sons Gonzalo and Santiago who are continuing this excellent project today.