2016 Argentina (Mendoza) Vintage

The season began with a cold spring in 2015, a late budbreak and uneven fruit set, then El Nino effects turned more severe than expected, with rainfall four times the historical figures. The INV's Alejandro Marianetti linked a possibly smaller harvest on 2 February 2016 to delayed ripening after a cool, wet October and November, hail in specific zones and frequent rain in the first days of January. In Mendoza, a rainy, cold and cloudy summer demanded very intense vineyard work to keep vines and bunches healthy. Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure and Energy data show an average of 396 mm of rain between October and March against a historical average of 250 mm. The rain favored fungal disease on leaves and bunches, with rot appearing very early, before veraison in January, and downy mildew in some cases where disease was not controlled. Large hail on the night before 17 February 2016 affected about 800 hectares of crops in East Mendoza, and the hail mitigation system could not operate. Phenolic ripeness finished before sugar ripeness, and many producers, mainly those with the infrastructure, brought their harvest plans forward. The national harvest came to 1,744 million kilos of grapes, down 27% on 2015.

• Cold spring 2015, late budbreak and uneven fruit set
• Rain: an average of 396 mm between October and March against a historical 250 mm
• Hail: about 800 hectares of crops hit in East Mendoza the night before 17 February 2016; damage around 20% in the worst-hit areas of Rodriguez Pena and Los Barriales
• Yield: national harvest down 27% on 2015; the IDR estimated a 40% vine production loss in East and North Mendoza

Constant rain was intense in Mendoza departments including Santa Rosa, Lujan, Maipu and Tupungato, and together with hail affected all crops. The IDR's Cecilia Fernandez put the production loss for vines in the East and North zones at 40% against the previous season. The mid-February hail struck cultivated areas of Maipu (east of Barrancas), San Martin, Junin, Rivadavia and the far east of La Paz, while storms also hit parts of San Rafael in the South oasis; on the hardest-hit Junin farms of Rodriguez Pena and Los Barriales, the sum of hail episodes caused damage of between 50 and 80%. Outside Mendoza, the INV's early estimate expected San Juan at 5.9 to 6.6 million quintals against 5.6 million in 2015, helped by greater water supply, while La Rioja, Catamarca and Salta expected smaller harvests and Rio Negro and Neuquen were the exception. Patagonia stayed drier than the previous year.

• East and North Mendoza: an IDR estimate of a 40% vine production loss versus the previous season
• Mid-February hail: Maipu, San Martin, Junin, Rivadavia and La Paz in the East; storms also hit parts of San Rafael in the South oasis
• Early February: the INV estimated Mendoza at 15.1 to 16.6 million quintals, 1.7% to 10.6% below 2015, with hail mainly in the East zone, Santa Rosa and parts of northern San Martin
• Patagonia: drier than the previous year; Wines of Argentina singled out Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

Wines of Argentina's July 2016 report described fresher wines with lower alcohol, good acidity, notable varietal aromas and excellent color, from grapes as healthy as or healthier than the year before. Its manager Mario Giordano said (translated): "What looked like a lost year turned into a year with grapes of excellent quality." Whites in the northwest, Mendoza and San Juan showed good acidity, very good fruit expression and moderate alcohol, and reds showed pleasant acidity, freshness and elegance without bitterness or rustic notes. Winemaker Alejandro Canovas summed up Mendoza's season in the Wines of Argentina retrospective (translated): "We lived through a typical Bordeaux situation, but in Cuyo." Mendoza reds were generally fresher and less alcoholic than usual, and the retrospective said the whites gained an unforgettable tension.

• Wines of Argentina's view: fresher wines, lower alcohol, good acidity, notable varietal aromas and excellent color
• Reds: Wines of Argentina singled out Malbec, Petit Verdot, Bonarda, Syrah and Tempranillo; Cabernet Sauvignon came in at moderate alcohol
• Whites in the northwest, Mendoza and San Juan: good acidity, very good fruit expression, moderate alcohol
• Wines of Argentina's retrospective set 2016 beside 1998 as proof that El Nino harvests in Argentina are singular