XUMEK, ZONDA VALLEY, SAN JUAN
Drive north from Mendoza city along Argentina’s equivalent to the famous Route 66 and, after about two hours you will arrive in the desert town of San Juan. Keep driving and follow signs for the Zonda Valley and your journey will take you behind a crease of mountains and into a valley that looks more lunar than earthly. The place is vast and beautiful almost beyond description. Witness a silence that will stop you in your tracks, breathe in the cleanest air imaginable, scratch your head and ask: they make wines here? Indeed, not just any old wines but wonderful wines that represent an intriguing break in style from Mendoza.
Zonda valley is the birthplace of the aboriginal Huarpe Indians, and a reverent air of ancient culture still pervades the unspoilt landscape. In wine terms, the soil is stony and poor; flood irrigation using snow-melt from the Andes allows vines to survive amidst the endless supply of sunshine; and the dry air means the grapes are blissfully free of pests and require very little in the way of spraying.
San Juan is already gaining a tremendous reputation for Syrah and some would say the quality rivals that of Barossa valley – though chalk and cheese definitely applies – but in this cracking brace of wines we also see a fabulous Malbec up for grabs. If you are looking for a point of difference and wish to add a bit of Huarpe Sun to your Argentine range, look no further.
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Xumek Malbec 2005
Lovely deep ruby colour, bags of dark fruit on the nose with hints of almonds and spice, chunky and succulent palate rep...
Xumek Syrah 2007
Here’s why Syrah from San Juan province is becoming so popular. This is a muscular mouthful of wild red fruits, sc...