Flashback: Sipping wines at Bodega Caelum, Luján de Cuyo

It was a hot summer's day when we arrived at Bodega Caelum in the eastern foothills of the Andes. This family-owned boutique winery in Mendoza’s Luján de Cuyo was established in 2009. By taking the next step to establish a winery they built upon their success as grape growers in this highest altitude wine region. Their Luján de Cuyo vineyard sits at about 1000 meters (3, 280 ft) above sea level. I was about to discover why Caelum is a perfect place to sip some high altitude Mendoza wines. 

A Vineyard View, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

While Malbec is king here Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Torrontés are also quite successful in this wine region. Fortunately Spaswinefood had the pleasure of tasting these wines at Bodega Caelum.

Bodega Caelum, Torrontés, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon © Spaswinefood

The drive from Mendoza city south to Luján de Cuyo takes about 40 minutes. We enjoyed making this trip a number of times during our Mendoza stay. To gain an overview of this wine region we selected a number of smaller and larger wineries to visit. Caelum is not only a young winery but also one of the smaller wineries in Luján de Cuyo. It is located in one of Mendoza's best-known wine regions, which is home to famous names like Catena Zapata, Bodega Septima and others. In fact Argentina's first recognized appellation in 1993 was Luján de Cuyo. Today the area is one of Mendoza's important sub-regions. 

Now let's flashback to our Bodega Caelum visit.

Flashback to Bodega Caelum
When we exited the highway we drove through the estate vineyard to reach the winery. If you look back across the estate vineyard Bodega Septima is visible in the distance. Here on the rain shadow side of the Andes we could also see scattered clouds in the nearby foothills.

Estate Vineyard, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum Vineyard © Spaswinefood

I stopped to take a closer look at the estate vineyard as we approached the parking lot near the winery. The vines are not only carefully trellised but also they are covered in hail protective mesh.

Arriving at Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum Entrance © Spaswinefood

Arriving at Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum Wines 

I loved the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere we experienced at Bodega Caelum.

Wines Tasting, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

During our visit we tasted white and red wines.

Tasting Bodega Caelum Wines © Spaswinefood

Torrontés in the Glass, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

One of the white wines was a Torrontés.

Bodega Caelum, Torrontés 2010

Bodega Caelum, Torrontés 2010 © Spaswinefood

This delightful Torrontés was a great example of Torrontés wine from this area.

Bodega Caelum, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Bodega Caelum, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (Back Label) © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum, Malbec Reserva 2012

Bodega Caelum, Malbec Reserva 2012 © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum, Malbec Reserva 2012 (Back Label) © Spaswinefood

Both of the red wines were equally great wine ambassadors for this wine region. I particularly liked the Malbec Reserve.

Malbec in the Glass, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

We loved the tasting at Bodega Caelum. Our host not only shared information on the wines but also before the tasting we did a brief tour of this boutique winery. Special thanks to our winery host for such a wonderful winery visit.

Tank Area, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum Wine Barrels © Spaswinefood

Barrel Room, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

We discovered that great care is taken in the vineyard, and the making of Bodega Caelum wines. 

Exiting the winery's tasting room the first thing that comes into view is the vineyard. That summer's day the lighting was just perfect for capturing a few images. 

Leaving Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Once outside the door the setting opens up to mountain and vineyard views. 

Into the Vineyard, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

As I was leaving, I could not resist taking a closer look at the outdoor oven near the winery entrance. One could image sipping some wine with food here on a not so hot summer's day.

Summer, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Outdoor Oven, Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood

Before we left we asked for lunch recommendations. It was suggested that for a casual lunch we might checkout Primula Catina Ferroviaria, nearby. After lunch we continued our explorations of Luján de Cuyo.

Primula Catina Ferroviaria © Spaswinefood

The Luján de Cuyo wine region has many wineries, spread over a large area. However where Caelum is located on the route to Chile there are a number of wineries nearby. Across the highway (Rute Nationale 7) is Septima. Nearby is Ruca Malen, which we visited in the past for lunch and loved it. During our most recent visit we enjoyed a wine tasting at Bodega Norton, and an amazing lunch at Lagarde. On a prior visit we also did wine tastings at Alta Vista, and Belasco De Baquedano. Overall we were quite pleased with the Luján de Cuyo wineries that we have visited.

Bodega Caelum, a modern boutique winery, was indeed a very special part of our wine explorations in Mendoza's wine regions. Mendoza’s over 1,500 wineries has vineyards that are amongst the highest altitude vineyards in the world, averaging between 600-1,100 meters (2,00-3,600 feet) above sea level. The three wine regions nearest the city of Mendoza include Valle de Uco, Luján de Cuyo, and Maipu, all of which are situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes. You can check out my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2017

Mendoza, Argentina

© Spaswinefood

Bodega Caelum © Spaswinefood


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