Finca Decero, a diamond in Agrelo

Tidy vineyards in Finca Decero.

Just like in personal life, in the wine world, one tends to make annual balances too and searches for the special and the distinct stuff. Surely Finca Decero finds frequently itself between “the findings” and “the surprises” when it comes to the conclusions regarding spots in Mendoza.

Every detail, its portfolio, the varietals for vinification, everything seems surgically defined.

Finca Decero was created in the year 2000, and from the early beginning, the goal has been to seek the best possible quality. With that purpose in mind, it was essential to start from scratch in order to avoid the correction of any future error, they say.

Inside the winery.

Its owner is Thomas Schmidheiny. His ancestors are closely linked to wine since his grandparents had vineyards in Switzerland and his mother founded a small family winery in Napa Valley.

The chosen place, with the precision of the Swiss, was Agrelo where the Vineyard ‘Remolinos’ is located. Of 165 hectares, it was baptized after the “tiny vortexes that happen above the vines”.

What represents an almost unique differential for the winery is that all its wines are the product of this one and only vineyard.

This differentiating attribute makes it possible to appreciate, through the various varietals, the characteristics of the terroir. It enables to taste the same origin in each variety.

“When it comes to wine style we look for a conservative enology more oriented to the classic and stable; we aim to continuity in time that ensures quality wines.”, says Tomás Hugues.

Tomás Hugues, winemaker of Decero.

From the moment one enters the winery until it is time to leave you can check in every detail what Thomas mentions: they take care of the vineyards as if they were the garden of a house. The cleanliness, the order and the organization of the tank room. Every little thing talks about predictability, precision, and planning.

Nowadays 98% of the production is exported, and that trend is not going to change soon since its volume is naturally limited to a unique vineyard.

The tasting was superb. An extraordinary and extremely logic portfolio, by the book if we consider their focus of one vineyard, several expressions.

Tasting at Finca Decero

• DECERO CLASSIC. Fruit and elegance, within three red wines. Special mention to their entry-level Syrah that is a poem.
  

  ‘Agrelo is recognized for red varieties and whilst it has been acknowledged for its high-quality Malbec it has also become known as the source of some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon emanating from Argentina. Our three Clásicos wines are single varietal wines: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. These wines are testify to their unique site of origin, our Remolinos Vineyard.’  – (Source: http://www.decero.com).

• DECERO MINI-EDICIONES. A Cabernet Franc and a Petit Verdot, from special parcels. Both are superb, and the latter was highlighted not long ago by Jancis Robinson with these words: ‘This would make a superb varietal lesson. The merest hint of Petit Verdot greenness. Lovely stuff!’
  

  ‘As the name suggests, ‘Mini Ediciones’ are highly limited parcels of wine which we regard as small gems. From lesser known varieties, these wines are wholly expressive of our Remolinos Vineyard and represent an opportunity to taste a variety rarely seen in a pure form.’ – (Source: http://www.decero.com).

• DECERO A MANO. Their icon, a blend that seems to be an orchestra, in which every member is contributing to a bigger piece.
  

  ‘Decero Amano takes its name from our “Amano” or “by hand” approach. As the pinnacle of our achievements each vintage, Decero Amano is a blend of our most distinctive parcels from our Remolinos Vineyard. The wine is a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Tannat’ – (Source: http://www.decero.com).

Tomás Hugues, Todd Bone and Nicolás Orsini.

We hope to get more news (and wines!) from Decero, since it is now placed definitely among those ‘in radar’ wineries.