Viñas de Vila    

The Vila family has been growing grapes in Argentina since colonial times. In an industry dominated by Italians and Basques this old Castilian family is a minority. Their vineyards cover several thousand acres. They have always been growers, not winemakers. Much of their acreage is under contract to large Bodegas, including some multinationals. Some grapes are sold on the spot market, crushed and sold as unfermented juice or (a small percentage) made into wine for bulk sale.

Pepe, Miriam, Susana & Sebastien

Six years ago the children decided that they wanted to make and bottle wine. An impressive 400 acres of the best family vineyards were withdrawn from contract and turned over to them. Fernando’s son Pepe is the general manager. One daughter, Miriam, is in charge of sales. Last year’s winemaking team is gone, with Mónica Calderón replaced by a talented young graduate of the University of Mendoza, Sebastien Onofrio. Sebastien is ably assisted by yet another Vila sister, the energetic and dedicated Susana, while Miriam goes to another winery to work (at least for a while) as a winemaker outside the family.

The Vineyards

With several thousand acres and the capital to lease or buy more, the vineyard lineup available to Viñas de Vila is fluid and subject to change, with new parcels brought under winery control and others that have not met expecatations relinquished back to the bulk market. Most of the vineyards used are in the better sections of the Cruz de Piedra section of Maipu in the Central Mendoza district. Cruz de Piedra is considered a good, not fine vineyard area but Vila’s parcels are in the best sections, some in Barrancas near the winery, most in Medrano.

Last year all of the vineyards were red. This year lesser parcels of Malbec in the lower, warmer, more productive district of Eastern Mendoza were turned back to the bulk market and today Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely farmed varietal, followed by Malbec, Bonarda, Merlot, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. The top Malbec parcel is 50 years of age with the best Cabernet and Bonarda not much younger.

This year modest acreage of Chardonnay and Torrontes was leased in the lower, warmer eastern region that curiously does well with white wines. The first vintage was promising, but the small quantity was all consigned to a large customer who had requested white. The 2005 vintage should see the first release of white for export – maybe Chardonnay, maybe Torrontes, maybe a blend.

The Wines

The emphasis here is squarely on value. The Vilas are interested in good and fine, not great wine. What sets them apart from many other mid-size Argentine Bodegas is their absolute passion for quality and the investment capital to make it happen.

Before the new project, winemaking for bulk sale took place in a large shed with barely adequate equipment. To make wine worthy of bottling, a vast old brick building was renovated and filled with modern equipment and oak, including both barrels and innerstaves.

Oak Digression

For those who don’t know, only a tiny percentage of oaked wines ever see the inside of a barrel. Almost all mass-produced wines today get oak chips thrown in during fermentation and ageing. This is a very cheap way to add very crude oak flavors. In a worse twist, oak sawdust is used, taken out when the wine is sterile-filtered to remove any character that might have survived industrial farming.

Oak barrels are the best way to impart oak flavors to wine but they are always expensive, new French barrels much more so.

There is a middle course between chips/sawdust and barrels, and that is innerstaves. The wine is fermented in stainless steel or concrete. After fermentation is over, a lattice of oak staves (usually the same quality as a good American oak barrel) is inserted into the vat. This technique does not give you the controlled oxidation that is a big part of barrel-ageing but it can mimic the flavors of a real oak barrel. Some innerstaves are made from French oak and have costs that approach those of the best American barrels. A good winemaker can impart very precise amounts of specific oak flavors (different countries, forests, toasts) with innerstaves at a fraction of the cost of barrels.

Back to The Wines

The basic wine is Tinto Fundación, one of the world’s great wine values. It is composed of 50% Bonarda, 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It is aged in a combination of 3 - 4 year old American oak barrels and innerstaves. The varietal lineup is headed by Malbec which has been a great success. Since HPS started selling these wines, a number of our people (our sales force, distributors, retailers, consumers) have taken the time to visit Viñas de Vila and everybody has come away impressed.

The wine that seems to make the greatest impression is Bonarda and this year HPS will start to sell it in earnest. The best and oldest Bonarda parcels are capable of producing wine of character and individuality. Quantities are fairly limited but quality very high.

The Premium lineup is new and shows great promise for fine wine at still credible prices. The only current release (2001 Malbec Premium) is a very impressive, elegant wine, lavishly oaked but with the concentration to absorb 18 months in new French barrels.