YES, let's take Camino a Yacochuya (Road to Yacochuya) to Piattelli Vineyards, one of Cafayate's newest wineries. Nestled in the foothills of Andes this modern winery is located in one of the most stunning locations on Salta's Ruta Del Vino. These days aerial shots of the Piattelli Estate grace the covers of travel and wine magazines. We could not had have a more beautiful summer's day when Spaswinefood dropped by to taste Piattelli's wines.
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Piattelli Vineyards, Cafayate © Spaswinefood
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As you drive towards Yacochuya from Cafayate, about half way up the foothills the wine estate comes into full view. This state of the art winery at 5,577 feet is surrounded by 477 acres. Piattelli Vineyards Cafayate started planting their vineyards in 2009, produced their first wine in 2012, with the first vintage being bottled in 2013, the same year the winery opened. For American owner, Jon Malinski this is the second Piattelli Vineyards in Argentina. Malinski first purchased a Mendoza winery in 2002. The Mendoza winery was founded by an Italian family named Piattelli. Hence there are now two Piattelli Vineyards (Piattelli Vineyards Cafayate, and Piattelli Vineyards Mendoza).
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| Bodega Piattelli, Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
As you head up the hill you arrive at the gated entrance to Piattelli's. Then as you drive into the wine estate you are surrounded by stunning vineyard, valley and mountain views. Indeed, they have chosen the perfect spot for enotourism.
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| Piattelli Vineyard and Valley Views © Spaswinefood |
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| Vineyards, Piattelli Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| Piattelli Vineyard Views © Spaswinefood |
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| Piattelli Vineyard and Mountain Views © Spaswinefood |
Soon you arrive at a parking lot where the bodega is located. The overall setting creates an awesome backdrop for this modern architecturally designed winery.
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| Panorama of Piattelli Bodega © Spaswinefood |
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| Entrance, Bodega Piattelli © Spaswinefood |
As I walk through the entrance I can not resist taking a look back.
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| Doorway onto Cafayate, Piattelli © Spaswinefood |
I continue the walk towards the bodega, taking in the views along the way.
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| Bodega Piattelli © Spaswinefood |
Further along I stop and look back to take in the views. How could you not?
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| Panorama View, Piattelli Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
After our first visit to Bodega Piattelli for lunch (see article) we returned the next day to taste the wines. Yes, we returned to the bodega do a wine tasting.
Piattelli Vineyard Wines
The winery offers a number of tasting options. We selected to taste their Premium Reserve and Grand Reserve wines. The wines we tasted were from both their Cafayate and Mendoza wineries.Valeria Antolin is the Principal Winemaker at Mendoza and Cafayate, with Alejandro Nesman, Lead Winemaker in Cafayate. Roberto De la Mota is a Winemaking Consultant for both Piattelli Vineyards wineries.
Let's take a brief look at the wines we tasted. We began with Piattelli Vineyards, Rose of Malbec Premium Reserve and Torrontés Reserve.
Piattelli Vineyards, Rose of Malbec Premium Reserve and Torrontés Reserve
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Premium Reserve Rose & Torrontés Wines © Spaswinefood |
After the Rose and Torrontés wines we then tasted their reserve and premium reserve wines.
Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Reserve, Cafayate 2015
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Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Reserve, Cafayate 2015 © Spaswinefood
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Piattelli Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cafayate 2015
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Piattelli Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cafayate 2015 © Spaswinefood
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Piattelli Vineyards, Reserve Malbec Tannat, Cafayate 2015
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Piattelli Vineyards, Reserve Malbec Tannat, Cafayate 2015 © Spaswinefood
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Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Premium Reserve, Mendoza 2015
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Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Premium Reserve, Mendoza 2015 © Spaswinefood
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Piattelli Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Premium Reserve, Mendoza 2013
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Premium Reserve, Mendoza 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Next, from the their Grand Reserve wines we tasted.
Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Grand Reserve, Cafayate 2014
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec, Grand Reserve Cafayate 2014 © Spaswinefood |
Amongst the tasting were their Limited Production Grand Reserve Wines.
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Grand Reserve Limited Production Wines © Spaswinefood |
Piattelli Vineyards, Grand Reserve TrinitÁ Mendoza
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Grand Reserve TrinitÁ Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
Piattelli Vineyards, Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2010
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2010 © Spaswinefood |
Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Grand Reserve Mendoza 2014
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| Piattelli Vineyards, Malbec Grand Reserve Mendoza 2014 © Spaswinefood |
Tasting this diversity of Piattelli wines (reserve, premium reserve and grand reserve) from diverse terroirs was quite insightful. Perhaps, I would have liked the Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon done as vertical tasting. Overall I liked the wines. Their wines have been given top ratings by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, the Wine Advocate, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar and others. Piattelli Vineyards wines sell between the $10 to $30 US, which make them reasonably priced, especially for their premium reserve and grand reserve wines. Their wines are distributed nationally in the United States under the Zonin USA import umbrella.
When we left the winery that day I just had to savor the views (see video). Again I delighted in pausing to take it all in, as I walked down the pathway from the winery.
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| Leaving Bodega Piattelli #1 © Spaswinefood |
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| A Piattelli Moment© Spaswinefood |
We pause to read a sign.
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| Info, Piattelli Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
Onwards we go to bodega's entrance gate and the parking lot.
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| Leaving Bodega Piattelli #2 © Spaswinefood |
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| Leaving Bodega Piattelli #3 © Spaswinefood |
We leave behind Piattelli Vineyards, n
estled in the Andean foothills. One of the most stunning locations on Salta's Ruta del Vino. While in Cafayate we so enjoyed discovering the special offerings at each winery we visited on Camino a Yacochuya. Bodegas Domingo Molina and San Pedro de Yacochuyo are neighbors to Piattelli Vineyards winery. The Yacochuya region is an area where you will encounter top wineries with stunning vineyard and valley views. Yes, they chose an excellent location for Piattelli Cafayate.
Besides wine explorations along Cafayate’s Ruta Del Vino just north of Cafayate, on Ruta 68, is a beautiful canyon, Quebrada de Cafayate on the Rio Conchas. We enjoyed exploring the scenic Quebrada de Cafayate. Visitors to Cafayate can also journey north on Ruta 40 to Molinos where you can take a ripio (gravel) road detour to visit Colomé Winery, one of Argentina’s top wineries. Cafayate, home to indigenous people, the Kallchaki is also known as the Cradle of Folklore.
Getting to/from Cafayate
Cafayate does not have an airport and is only accessible by car or bus. The shortest route (Ruta 68) is 165 kilometers of winding road from Salta, capital city of Salta Province. Flights to Salta from Buenos Aires and other major cities in Argentina are available on Aerolinas Argentinas and other carriers. It is well worth the effort because Cafayate wineries are delightful to visit. Moreover Cafayate offers a good range of choices for restaurants and accommodations. While in Cafayate we stayed at Patios de Cafayate, Bodega El Esteco a great place to return to each day after our wine country explorations.
Cafayate is an absolute must for wine enthusiasts. Cafayate is a very special place. Cafayate is #1 on the list of 2017 Best Wine Destinations. Naturally this Spaswinefood enthusiast looks forward to writing about our most recent Argentine wine country explorations. You can check out my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
January 2017
Cafayate, Salta Province
Argentina
© Spaswinefood
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Bodega Piattelli © Spaswinefood
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