Bodega Noemía de Patagonia

Bodega Noemía de Patagonia was founded in 2001 by Italian Countess Noemí Marone Cinzano and Danish-born winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers. Vinding-Diers, who had previously worked across Bordeaux and Argentina, was drawn to Patagonia in the late 1990s after recognising the potential of old ungrafted vines surviving in the Mainqué sub-zone of Río Negro. The project centred on a remarkable 1.5-hectare pre-phylloxera Malbec vineyard planted in 1932 on its own rootstock and never treated with synthetic inputs, which had survived decades of agricultural decline thanks to Patagonia's sandy soils, dry desert climate, and persistent winds that kept phylloxera and most fungal diseases at bay. Countess Marone Cinzano, of the Italian Cinzano family, provided the partnership and capital that enabled the project's launch. The debut vintage of Noemía was presented at the London Wine Fair in 2003 and earned immediate international acclaim from British wine press including Decanter and Jancis Robinson. Hans Vinding-Diers became sole owner of the estate in 2017 and continues to oversee all winemaking, maintaining the founding philosophy of minimal-intervention, terroir-driven Patagonian Malbec.

• Founded 2001 by Italian Countess Noemí Marone Cinzano (of the Cinzano family) and Danish-born winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers
• Core vineyard discovered as abandoned 1.5 ha block of pre-phylloxera Malbec planted 1932 on own rootstock; never treated with synthetic inputs
• Debut vintage presented at London Wine Fair 2003 to immediate international acclaim from Decanter and Jancis Robinson
• Hans Vinding-Diers became sole owner 2017 and continues all winemaking oversight; maintains founding minimal-intervention terroir-driven philosophy

Bodega Noemía's vineyards sit in the Mainqué sub-zone of Río Negro on the north bank of the Río Negro river, at approximately 240 metres elevation and 38°30'S latitude. The estate covers 12 hectares total, with 4.5 hectares of distinct plots actively producing across Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Semillón, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. The core block is the 1.5-hectare pre-phylloxera Malbec vineyard planted in 1932, the foundation of the estate's identity and the source of flagship Noemía. Soils are sandy and gravelly with limestone deposits, an alluvial composition deposited over geological time by the Río Negro and its precursor watercourses. The sandy substrate is the historical reason the vineyard remained phylloxera-free across nine-plus decades, enabling continuous ungrafted vine cultivation that distinguishes the site from virtually all commercial New World vineyards. The desert climate delivers warm days (28-35°C summer highs), cool nights (8-12°C summer lows), and extreme diurnal temperature shifts of 18-20 degrees Celsius that preserve freshness and acidity in the grapes. Annual rainfall under 200mm requires irrigation from the Río Negro, channeled through canals built in the 19th century.

• Mainqué sub-zone of Río Negro, north bank of the Río Negro river; 240m elevation; 38°30'S latitude; 12 ha estate total with 4.5 ha distinct producing plots
• Core 1.5 ha pre-phylloxera Malbec block planted 1932 on own rootstock; the foundation of estate identity and source of flagship Noemía
• Sandy and gravelly alluvial soils with limestone deposits; sandy substrate historically prevents phylloxera enabling continuous ungrafted vine cultivation
• Desert climate: 18-20°C diurnal range between hot days (28-35°C) and cold nights (8-12°C); rainfall <200mm requires Río Negro canal irrigation

Bodega Noemía's winemaking is built on minimal intervention and terroir transparency, with the cellar deliberately constructed to let Patagonian conditions come through cleanly. Vineyards are certified organic by both Ecocert and Argencert, and certified biodynamic by Demeter. Fermentations use indigenous yeasts only, in a combination of open wooden fermenters, cement vessels, and stainless steel tanks selected per parcel and vintage. Whole-cluster percentages vary by parcel character. Maceration is gentle and short. Sulfur addition is kept minimal. Wines are unfined and unfiltered, preserving textural integrity and the distinctive saline mineral grip that comes from the alluvial limestone-and-gravel soils. The flagship Noemía single-vineyard Malbec sees the longest élevage and most careful selection from the 1932 ungrafted block. J. Alberto and A Lisa, the more widely distributed cuvées, follow the same low-intervention protocols with slightly broader fruit sourcing across the estate's adjacent old-vine plots. The result is a distinctively Patagonian style: lower alcohol (often under 13.5 percent), brighter acidity than Mendoza Malbec, finer-grained tannins, and the mineral elegance that has earned the estate cult status internationally.

• Certified organic by Ecocert and Argencert; certified biodynamic by Demeter; minimal-intervention winemaking philosophy
• Indigenous yeast fermentations in open wooden fermenters, cement vessels, and stainless steel selected per parcel and vintage
• Gentle maceration, minimal sulfur addition, unfined and unfiltered bottling preserve textural integrity and saline mineral grip
• Distinctively Patagonian style: lower alcohol (often <13.5%), brighter acidity than Mendoza Malbec, fine-grained tannins, mineral elegance

Bodega Noemía's portfolio is organised across three principal bottlings, all centred on Malbec from old-vine and ungrafted blocks in Mainqué. Noemía is the flagship single-vineyard Malbec, produced exclusively from the 1.5-hectare ungrafted 1932 vineyard that founded the estate. Production is intentionally limited; the wine carries cult status internationally and is distributed through top fine-wine merchants including Sotheby's Wine and Berry Bros & Rudd. Wine Spectator ranked the 2009 vintage of Noemía at #100 in its Top 100 list, cementing the estate's international reputation. J. Alberto is the second-tier wine, a blend of 95% Malbec / 5% Merlot named after Vinding-Diers's son; the wine sources from adjacent old-vine plots and offers a more widely available expression of the estate style. A Lisa is the third tier, a blend of 90% Malbec / 9% Merlot / 1% Petit Verdot named after Vinding-Diers's daughter; the entry-tier wine remains a serious expression of Patagonian Malbec with the estate's signature minimal-intervention character. Across all three tiers, the cool climate, ungrafted vine heritage, and biodynamic farming produce wines of unusual elegance, mineral grip, and aromatic precision.

• Noemía (flagship): single-vineyard Malbec from 1.5 ha ungrafted 1932 block; cult status; Wine Spectator Top 100 (2009 vintage at #100); distributed by Sotheby's and Berry Bros & Rudd
• J. Alberto: 95% Malbec / 5% Merlot blend named after Vinding-Diers's son; sources from adjacent old-vine plots; second-tier
• A Lisa: 90% Malbec / 9% Merlot / 1% Petit Verdot blend named after Vinding-Diers's daughter; entry-tier with full estate character
• All three tiers express cool climate, ungrafted vine heritage, biodynamic farming; elegant, mineral, aromatically precise Patagonian Malbec

Bodega Noemía occupies a distinctive position in international wine consciousness as one of the two estates (alongside Bodega Chacra) that catapulted Patagonia onto the global fine-wine stage in the early 2000s. The Wine Spectator Top 100 ranking for the 2009 Noemía vintage marked a landmark moment for Patagonian Malbec, and subsequent reviews from James Suckling, Wine Advocate, Decanter, and Vinous have confirmed the estate's status as the regional benchmark for ungrafted old-vine Malbec. International distribution through Sotheby's Wine, Berry Bros & Rudd, and other top fine-wine merchants positions the estate alongside top-tier global Malbec producers. The estate's combination of pre-phylloxera ungrafted vine heritage (1932 block), minimal-intervention biodynamic farming, and the geographic distinctiveness of Patagonian Mainqué terroir creates a brand identity that few Argentine producers can match. The estate sits geographically adjacent to Bodega Chacra in Mainqué, and the two producers are frequently cited together as the founding pillars of the modern Patagonian wine quality movement, with shared focus on ungrafted old-vine plots and biodynamic-leaning protocols, even though Chacra focuses on Pinot Noir and Noemía focuses on Malbec.

• One of two estates (alongside Bodega Chacra) that catapulted Patagonia onto global fine-wine stage in early 2000s
• Wine Spectator Top 100 ranking for 2009 Noemía vintage; consistent recognition from James Suckling, Wine Advocate, Decanter, Vinous
• International distribution through Sotheby's Wine, Berry Bros & Rudd, and top fine-wine merchants positions estate alongside global Malbec benchmarks
• Geographically adjacent to Bodega Chacra in Mainqué; the two estates are founding pillars of modern Patagonian quality movement (Chacra = Pinot Noir, Noemía = Malbec)