Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/19027
SOUTH AMERICA Bordeaux Baptiste Cuvelier (left) with author Anthony Dias Blue and Bruno Laclotte, President of Regency Wines, which imports Cuvelier Los Andes to the U.S. Ascends the Andes S CUVELIER LOS ANDES BRINGS FRENCH TRADITION TO ARGENTINA by Anthony Dias Blue ince I first went to Argentina well over a decade ago, I have never lost an opportunity to spread the word about what may be the planet’s most ideal wine-producing country. As the name Argentina began to seep into the consciousness of wine-lovers worldwide like inky Malbec staining a Bounty paper towel, enologists from far and wide began to descend on this once-sleepy town and stake out their claim to the arid yet fertile terroir at the foot of the Andes. Peripatetic consulting enologist Michel Rolland was among the first Frenchmen to jet in from Bordeaux. He was so impressed with what he found in Argentina that he began to envision a hugely ambitious and complex project involving his French compatriots. Clos de los Siete, as the project would soon be known, would bring seven Bordeaux winemakers to Mendoza to establish estates, each of which would contribute a portion of its fruit to the Rolland- signed release, while also producing its own wines. 76 / the tasting panel / november 2010 PHOTO: MERIDITH MAY