Piedra Negra Lurton was our first winery stop in our wine adventures through the Mendoza area of Argentina. The winery is named after the black stone soils of the Andean foothills. The winery is owned by French winemakers, Jacques, and Francois Lurton. This is the Lurton's fourth winery, but the first in Argentina. They planted the vineyards in the 90's with varietals of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Gris. They also have planted interesting French and Argentinian Malbec clones. The soil in their vineyard is a combination of sand, granite schist, alluvial deposits, and large rounded pudding stones. As they are located in the Uco Valley, they have minimal rain, and varying degrees of day to nighttime temperatures, as this is the arid climate zone of Argentina. When touring the wineries of Mendoza it is necessary to book a reservation in advance. You can email visitas@bodegapiedranegra.com to request a reservation. They don't take walk-ins like in the states. In Argentina from my experience, the wine culture is about providing an inclusive experience. Most tours start with a walk through the vineyards, a tour through the production facility, and then ends in a tasting room or if they have a restaurant, with a wine-paired lunch. Winery visits can at a minimum last 1 1/2 hours. It's time to slow down life here and enjoy. Take it all in. We found it ideal to visit only 2 wineries in a day as a result. As was typical of all our winery visits, you first need to check in with the gate guard. My limited Spanish came in very handy here. They confirm your reservation with the tasting room manager and then they allow you to pass through the gate. The guard will then direct you where to park and meet for the start of your tour. As we drove up to the winery we were welcomed by the beautiful large colonial villa style winery. Our tour guide met us outside and welcomed us warmly. She did not have it easy. Half the group was Spanish speaking and the other English. She was a pro though. She poured us a glass of Rose to enjoy outside on the upper balcony prior to the tour starting. The view was stunning. We walked through the spacious production area. We even got to walk on the grating above the tall stainless steel tanks! They use an organic philosophy in their winemaking process. We then went into the tasting room and selected from several different tasting experiences. We chose the option that gave us a chance to taste a variety of their wines. They provided us with a personal spittoon so you could remember your experience later. The wines were incredible. Well structured with a great flavor profile. I bought a lot of wine to take home from this winery. I really was impressed by the wines they made here. There wasn't anything that I didn't like here. They don't have a restaurant on site. So they just have the wine tasting and tour experiences here. We really enjoyed our time here and had a great conversation with our guide. She was very knowledgeable and informative. read more

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