2013 Argentina (Mendoza) Vintage

In 2012, Mendoza had 19% more rain than average, which helped vegetative growth before flowering. Flowering then passed with no frosts and very little Zonda wind. Strong Zonda at flowering had cut some 2012 crops by more than 50%, and in 2013 that risk passed, along with the risk of early frosts. Vine health was excellent despite a rainy spring, and spraying was aimed above all at downy mildew. Hail was the main setback: by 30 January 2013 it had hit more than 2,000 hectares, especially San Martin in the East and parts of Lujan de Cuyo, and a strong hailstorm the Saturday before 26 February hit about 1,000 hectares in Junin. Losses since 14 October reached about 6,312 hectares; against Mendoza's roughly 220,000 hectares of vines, El Cronista reckoned total losses at close to 3% of the productive area. Cooler days than the previous year delayed ripening in some varieties and regions. The end of the harvest was dry and warm, letting Caro's team pick each plot at the right moment, and the Mendoza harvest ended on 5 May. Nationally, the crop came to 640 million kilos, 23% more than in 2012, and Zuccardi described normal yields, 20% to 25% above 2012.

• No frosts and very little Zonda wind during flowering, as of December 2012
• Hail hit more than 2,000 hectares by 30 January 2013, mainly San Martin and parts of Lujan de Cuyo, and about 1,000 hectares in Junin in a later storm
• The Mendoza harvest ended on 5 May
• National crop: 640 million kilos, 23% more than 2012

Altamira in the Uco Valley looked likely to be one of the best places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon in 2013, and Gualtallary had a very good harvest for Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, "probably an unforgettable one," in the words of Caro winemaker Fernando Buscema, who works with Malbec from Altamira, Gualtallary, Agrelo and Vistalba/Las Compuertas. Agrelo and Las Compuertas in Lujan de Cuyo had an excellent harvest. In eastern Mendoza, where Zuccardi owns Finca Santa Rosa, Sebastian Zuccardi said "the almost absence of climatic events, like frosts and hail, led to a complete crop of great quality," and lower temperatures at the end of summer and start of autumn brought slow ripening and excellent phenolic ripeness in Tempranillo and Bonarda. About 40% of Mendoza's climate losses that season were concentrated in the East.

Sebastian Zuccardi called 2013 "A fresh climate, excellent health conditions and the scarcity of hazard climatic events, guaranteed an outstanding crop," with wines showing great freshness and elegance. The cooler days gave wines with lower alcohol levels, very good natural acidity and fresher aromatic profiles, and Malbec and Bonarda were, in his words, the "Queens in this harvest." Nieto Senetiner winemaker Santiago Mayorga said high yields left some wines with less concentration but great fruit expression and freshness, and described medium to low concentration with very good natural acidity and a lot of elegance, against medium to high concentration and riper fruit in 2012. Grape health was excellent: few rains fell in the critical period, and when it rained, temperatures dropped sharply, limiting fungal disease. Buscema called the quality of 2013 Malbec outstanding, adding that it might show a "low profile" early but "will be a talking point for its elegance and balance."

• Lower alcohol, very good natural acidity and fresher aromatic profiles
• Medium to low concentration, fresh fruit and a lot of elegance, in Nieto Senetiner winemaker Santiago Mayorga's description
• Buscema (Caro): "I was particularly surprised by the balance of sugar, acidity and pH"

The harvest ended on 12 May in Rio Negro, Neuquen and La Pampa, and on 28 April in San Juan, La Rioja and the remaining wine provinces. In San Juan, Callia winemaker Jose Morales rated quality very good to excellent, with yields similar to 2012. In Cafayate, a harsh winter gave the vines enough cold hours for an excellent budbreak, and the absence of late frosts and strong winds in spring favored very good fruit set. In Catamarca, volume was meager in Fiambala, Medanitos and Tinogasta, and winery owner Carlos Arizu's harvest ended on 14 April.