Val de Flores
The small vineyard producing this wine is planted with Malbec vines more than fifty years old. It is situated at the foot of the Andean mountain range, at Vista Flores, South Mendoza. The view is breathtaking: row after row of vines bordered with rose bushes and olive trees, with snow-topped peaks in the background, all basking in wonderful sunshine under a vast, incredibly blue sky.
This vineyard is part of the Rolland Collection:
Michel Rolland is possibly the best-known winemaker on the planet, achieving fame through his work with dozens of top estates around the world. He has run the family estate, Chateau Le Bon Pasteur, since 1978, and in the meantime, together with his oenologist wife, Dany, has progressively added other vineyards that have met their strict quality criteria. Some of these are joint ventures, where knowledge and resources are pooled.
Today, these nine estates comprise The Rolland Collection. There are five in Bordeaux: in addition to Chateau Le Bon Pasteur, there is Chateau Bertineau Saint-Vincent (Lalande-de-Pomerol), Chateau Rolland-Maillet (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru), Chateau Fontenil (Fronsac) and Chateau La Grande Clotte (Lussac-Saint-Emilion). The remaining four are further afield: Campo Eliseo (Toro) from Spain, Remhoogte (Stellenbosch) from South Africa, Yacochuya (Cafayate) and Val de Flores (Mendoza) from Argentina. Most of these wines are made in tiny quantities.