DWWA 2014 Regional Trophy: Argentinian Chardonnay under £15

This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Argentinian Chardonnay under £15 went to Trivento, Golden Reserve Chardonnay 2012, Uco Valley, Mendoza 2012 (14%)

Tasted against:

• Andeluna, 1300 Chardonnay, Uco Valley, Mendoza 2013

Profile:

Part of the Concha y Toro stable and established in 1996, Trivento means ‘three winds’, in honour of a trio of breezes – Polar, Sudestada and Zonda – that blow through Mendoza.

The man at the helm of the Golden Reserve wines is Germán ‘Geri’ di Cesare (pictured). Born and raised in Mendoza, his first job in Argentina’s wine industry was a rude awakening to the work involved but also an epiphany: ‘In 1999 I was finishing high school – a 17-year-old dreamer – and a well-known local winery hired me to work the harvest. It was hard, with long, hot days controlling fermentation temperatures, sugar concentration, pumping over the musts and other manual tasks. I didn’t realise at that moment how important my job was in the resulting wine.’

He joined Trivento in 2002 and in 2009 took charge of its top wine ranges: ‘The aim is to express our identity, Mendoza culture, the effect of its winds and the different terroir you may find in our vineyards.’

The Chardonnay grapes for this Trophy are grown on alluvial soils at 1,100m and the harvest is staggered to obtain a wide fruit and acidity profile. The parcels are fermented separately, some in tank, others in oak barrel. Then they spend another six months in French oak barrels.

Written by Decanter