Terroir

Sierra de Mahoma – San José

The oldest rock formations in Uruguay are 2 billion years old and were generated by the cooling of magma. Following this, there were sporadic lava eruptions that created intrusive granites, as in the case of the Sierra de Mahoma. Stretching 10 km long and 4 km wide, it dates back approximately 1.9 billion years by some studies, placing it in the Precambrian era.

Through years of continuous climate variations, including glacial periods, the granite eroded and segmented to form a landscape we know today as the “Sea of stones”. The pressure and temperature that the formation of the Sierra exerted on the pre-existing rocks generated therein a metamorphosis, changing the texture and mineral composition, forming greenschists or prasinites.

These flattened, almost vertical schists gave rise to the superficial, rocky soils we have today. When we investigated the viticultural aptitude of the terroir, we observed the potential for low fertility, poor water retention capacity and a markedly hilly topography– all positive attributes for restricting plant vigor and maximizing the concentration in some varieties. Although we knew the plants could take root penetrating between the schists, first hand experience revealed that the high iron content from the original rocks begot unique mineral and blood-like descriptions in the wines beyond our expectations, marking a special typicity of their origin. The temperate climate, cool nights and marine influence within 40 km enhance the profile of the wines with substantial fruit.