Terroir
Jose Ignacio – Maldonado
In 2001, we explored one of the areas with the greatest oceanic influence in Uruguay, José Ignacio, through the lens of viticulture. It is just 2 km from the sea and is framed by a beautiful green landscape. The effects of the water mass, such as regulation of temperatures with low thermal amplitude and low minimum temperatures, fundamentally during the ripening period of the grapes, guarantees the aromatic quality of the wines.
The soil is sandy in texture and is contemporary, corresponding to coastal dunes populated with plants. Cultivating the vineyard in these conditions was a great challenge as we had to overcome limitations such as the low availability of nutrients from the dunes, low water retention and high susceptibility to erosion, among other potentially damaging factors such as intense winds and the large population of fruit-eating birds in the area. To deal with the difficulties, we took measures such as planting directly without tilling the soil, as a way of not disturbing such a fragile structure, but instead, adding fertile soil where each plant would be located, so as to give it appropriate fertile conditions to develop through the formative stage. We also designed a low plant conduction system that could withstand the intense winds generated by its proximity to the ocean, and were also the first vineyard in Uruguay to cover the vineyard with a protective mesh to prevent damage from birds. The result was worth it, the wines are concentrated, fruity, balanced and have considerable cellaring capacity.