Uco’s Playground Wines
High altitude wines of character and playfulness from Los Chacayes in Mendoza’s Uco Valley
A vacation in 2004 and my passion for wine unexpectedly became the Vines of Mendoza and Uco’s Playground.
Uco has been my constant companion in this wine adventure at the foot of the Andes, reminding me that playfulness, not taking life too seriously, and long walks with friends are the keys to enjoying the journey and making great wines.
I never expected this to happen.
In 2004 I came to Argentina from the US for what I thought would be a three-week vacation—and I never moved back. Mendoza became home.
I immediately fell deeply in love with the country, the people and the wines. I had never encountered a more magical place.
I have loved and been fascinated by wine for as long as I’ve been drinking it, and I always dreamed of owning a small vineyard and making wines. When I met Pablo Gimenez, I knew that together we could make that happen.
Depending on the weather and what is tasting phenomenal, each year I make 6-10 different wines in extremely small batches of 300 to 600 bottles. My wines are generally complex and often intense, reflecting the rocky, alluvial soil for which the Uco Valley has become famous.
Mostly I make the wines for friends and family, but even living on a vineyard, we can’t drink more than 2,000 bottles a year.
Uco’s Winemaker
Pablo Martorell is a great friend and a tremendous winemaker. He is young but already heavily awarded from The Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast for The Vines’ Recuerdo wines.
Born and raised in Tunuyán, he has worked at some of the most important wineries in Mendoza, including Bodega Nieto Senetiner, Catena Zapata, Trivento and Bodega Flecha de los Andes, under the esteemed Michel Rolland’s tutelage. He has also worked in wineries internationally: in 2006, he worked for Château de Lauret in Pomerol, Bordeaux, and in 2007, for Château Peyre Lebade and Château Clarke (both part of the Rothschild Group) in Medoc, Bordeaux. In 2009, he worked for Napa Wine Company in California.
“It all began with a vacation to Argentina, followed by long walks with Uco to discover and understand the terroir. It ends around a table with friend enjoying wines that reflect and enhance our beautiful part of the world, Uco’s Playground”
