Manos Negras, Red Soil Select, Pinot Noir, Mendoza, Argentina, 2022

Producer Profile

Alejandro Sejanovich is arguably Argentina's most knowledgeable viticulturist, having worked as vineyard director for Bodega Catena Zapata for 16 years, he pioneered high-altitude vineyard planting and conducted groundbreaking research on Mendoza Malbec clones.

With Manos Negras he combines his love of minerality, and altitude with a magical touch in the winery to produce some of the region’s most terroir-driven wines. Not only altitude, but also latitude play a part in the wines from Manos Negras. With plantings of Torrontes in the northern stretches of Cafayate in Salta, Pinot Noir in the southernmost region of Neuquen in Patagonia, and old vine Malbec in the prized Altamira appellation in the Uco Valley, capturing the spirit of Manos Negras through a myriad of soils and ultimate wine expressions.

Viticulture

The 2018 Red soil select was picked from vineyards in Rio Negro, a region that has Patagonia’s most unique soil profile, with bright red, iron rich clay soils prevalent throughout the vineyard. The vineyard is located on a river bank that slopes down to the river, with different soil textures up and down the embankment. There are patches of brighter red soils in the vineyard which are very low in organic material and very high in iron mineral content. Their poor profile naturally brings down yields for exceptional concentration of aromas and flavours. These red patches impart exceptional complexity to the Pinot Noir fruit. After several years of exhaustive research into the soils of Pinot Noir in Mendoza by Alejandro Sejanovich, and after various experiments with micro vinification techniques the 2020 vintage was sourced from the Uco Valley.

Winemaking

Gentle de stemming, cold maceration for 2 days and whole berry fermentation with natural yeasts at a maximum temperature of 22° C. There is extensive punching down for the first 7 days of the 12 day fermentation.

Oak Ageing

Time: 12 Months
Type: French 225 Litres
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: None

Tasting Note

The autumn berry aromas are earthy, with flavours of bramble, chocolate and plum with some earthy spice.

Food Matching

Beef, veal and game.