Pulenta Estate Gran Corte: the twentieth birthday of an Argentinian icon

“Making a great wine is an act of generosity because the enjoyment of others must be foremost on your mind. Our mission is to produce limited series of great wines made with pride in Argentina,” say Eduardo and Hugo Pulenta, who first created Pulenta Estate Gran Corte in 2002, a landmark moment among quality Argentinian blends.

Twenty vintages, more than a hundred years of history

To properly understand the spirit of Pulenta Estate Gran Corte one must go back to 1902 when Angelo Pulenta and Palma Spinsanti left Italy and arrived to Cuyo, Argentina’s leading wine producing region. With time and effort, they turned their family enterprise, Peñaflor, into an icon of Argentinian viticulture. Their son Antonio, the father of Eduardo and Hugo, in turn became one of the most prominent figures of the Argentinian wine scene.

Raised among the vineyards, Hugo and Eduardo inherited their father’s love for viticulture. In 2002, five years after the family company was sold, the two brothers felt the urge to start making wine again. “We’re going to make the kind of wine we like to drink,” they said to one another. Using the best grapes from Finca La Zulema, a vineyard in Agrelo (Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza) planted in 1992 by Don Antonio at 1000m altitude, they set out to make the best wines possible. “We had an exceptional vineyard in a terroir we knew perfectly,” says Hugo Pulenta.

Finca Zulema, Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo

Pulenta Estate was thus born. “A small winery where great wines are made,” keeping the family legacy alive. “We evolve with each harvest but our idea of what makes a great wine remains the same,” says Hugo.

Pulenta Estate Gran Corte, the perfect blend

For twenty years, the working philosophy behind Pulenta Estate Gran Corte has remained the same. Only the best barrels, selected by Eduardo and Javier Lo Forte, winemaker at Pulenta Estate, are used for the assemblage. “We always work with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Tannat, although the proportions vary year on year. We seek a wine that reflects the character of where it came from and maintains its consistency and elegance. Which is why it is sought after all across the world,” says Eduardo Pulenta, the family oenologist.

Once the different components have been selected, the third and fourth generations of the family work with the technical team at Pulenta Estate to make the blend: “Achieving top quality results requires teamwork.”

The product of this work includes celebrated vintages of Pulenta Estate Gran Corte such as 2009, which today offers a complex, balanced expression, 2013, well loved for its energy and freshness, and the unique 2015, produced after a cool, rainy harvest that yielded a fluid, vibrant blend.

The family believes that the 2018 bottling is one of the best yet: a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Tannat that, thanks to a memorable harvest season in Mendoza, delivers remarkable consistency, balance and harmony. It’s a stunning wine and the perfect expression of Pulenta’s generous philosophy.