Tozudo Gran Malbec - Discover the microterroir
ALTO CARDONES BLOCK #4 – CHARACTERISTICS
Alto Cardones is our most unique soil, primarily composed of sands with quartz and disaggregated granite. There are very few vine terroirs in the world with granite soils, including Côte du Rhône in France, Priorat in northeastern Spain, and Alto Cardones in the Pucará Valley, Salta. Block #4 is situated at the northernmost edge of Alto Cardones, at an elevation of 8,050 feet, with a north-south orientation and a slope toward the southeast.
The name Alto Cardones comes from the presence of gigantic cacti surrounding the vineyards. According to a legend, these cacti were sentinels placed by the Incas to warn of attacks from the Spaniards. When the Incas surrendered to the conquistadors, no one alerted the sentinels, who over time transformed into cacti, still standing guard today.
The desert climate, with only 150 millimeters of rainfall per year and controlled drip irrigation supplied by a 4.5-mile pipeline that captures pure mountain water at 11,500 feet, allows plant water stress. The high luminosity results in highly expressive and healthy grapes. The warm Zonda winds blows from north to south in the afternoons from August to November, leading to the complete ripening of our Malbec grapes approximately 20 days earlier than in Cafayate or Mendoza.
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