Bodegas Bianchi: Honouring its legacy, continuously improving

A wide expanse of vineyards — Bodegas Bianchi's Valle de Uco vineyards

(Image credit: Bodegas Bianchi's Valle de Uco vineyards)

Published 19 September 2024 In Features

As it celebrates its 96th vintage, Bodegas Bianchi can look back on almost a century of excellence in Argentinian viticulture. Seeking to reflect the diverse terroirs of the Uco Valley and San Rafael in Mendoza, the winery relies on the experience of the Bianchi family, the skill of its winemaking team, and the vision of the new generation.

Paying tribute to a precious heritage

Since 2017, Bodegas Bianchi’s finest wines have been made at the Enzo Bianchi winery in Los Chacayes, Uco Valley. These include two iconic wines named, like the winery itself, in honour of the company’s winemaker and figurehead of over 50 years.

A brick building among vineyards — The Enzo Bianchi winery in Los Chacayes

The Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte, which saw its first vintage in 1994, is a complex, structured Bordeaux blend from the Finca Asti vineyard in San Raphael, while the more recent Enzo Bianchi Gran Malbec is a single-vineyard expression from Los Chacayes. Completing the portfolio of tribute wines, the María Carmen Chardonnay is dedicated to Don Enzo’s lifelong companion.

Looking to the future

In 2021, the winery launched the Bianchi IV Generación range, developed by the latest generation of the Bianchi-Stradella family, who have winemaking innovation in their DNA. The terroir of Los Chacayes was minutely studied so as to understand the individual characteristics of each block. The result of this work, Bianchi IV Generación Selected Blocks, is an exceptional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Two Bodegas Bianchi wine bottles — The Bianchi IV Generación range

Also featured in the new range is the Bianchi IV Generación Single Block Malbec. In the words of head winemaker Silvio Alberto, this wine is ‘the result of intense work over the past three years. For our third vintage we sought to further bring out the magical terroir of our Los Chacayes vineyard.’

It’s a feat that Bodegas Bianchi has certainly accomplished: the 2021 IV Generación Single Block Malbec was awarded 95 Points and a Gold medal at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards. The judges noted its ‘impeccable blueberry fruit and sultry black pepper aromas,’ describing it as ‘compact and firm with a deep mineral expression.’

On this evidence, the latest generation of the family are worthy stewards of Bodegas Bianchi’s legacy of excellence.