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The Don Rodolfo vineyards soar to an amazing 6,000 feet above sea level in Argentina's Cafayate Valley and is one of the world's highest altitude viticultural regions. It lies amid the snow-capped Andes of northwestern Argentina's Salta province, near the border of Bolivia and just below the Tropic of Capricorn. With its high altitude, arid climate, and rocky, sandy soil rich in Andean minerals, Cafayate is one of the world's premier grape-growing regions. Crisp, clean air is pollution free, and with an average annual rainfall of only about seven inches, irrigation is provided by the pure, melted Andean snow. The Cafayate Valley enjoys wider temperature ranges than any other part of Argentina, with warm summer days offset by cool nights plunging by as much as 45?F from day to nigh. This extraordinary variance is key to Don Rodolfo wines, preserving acidity, and enhancing richness of aroma, flavor and increasing superior varietal expression. The Valley enjoys brilliant sunshine an average of 350 days each year. Exposure to sunlight stimulates polyphenol synthesis in grapes, adding great complexity to the wines. Polyphenols produce anthrocyanins, which are responsible for the intense color. Anthrocyanins are thought to help prevent heart disease. The Cafayate Valley is home to but a handful of wineries, producing only about 4%, but often the very best, Argentina wines. The Valley's isolation and high altitude make it ideally suited for winemakers dedicated to the limited production of premium wines. Lovely dark purple color with deep violet undertones, very fruity on the nose with subtle hints of eucalyptus, along with great volume in the mouth, very structured with intense, ripe tannins and a long, well balanced finish are the marks of this selection. The Tannat grape gets name from the word "tannin" which is the term for highly astringent wine. It is exceptionally tannic, which is masked by and under core of fruit. Tannat is the principal grape in the local wines from the southern French region of Madiran. Although it may owe its French name to its high tannin content, the vine is Basque in origin and was taken to Uruguay by Basque settlers in the 19th century. From here, it spread to Uruguay and Argentina, where it is still grown with very good results. March 2010 Vintners Series Newsletter (.pdf)
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