Mauricio Lorca

Mauricio did well at school and college and was all set to go to medical school to train to be a doctor until one day a group of viticulture students came to give a talk to his year group. Mauricio went home to tell his Mum... I'm going to be a winemaker! What a shock that must have been for proud Mrs Lorca. This was more than 20 years ago when winemaking wasn't such a reputable career as it has become these days. Mauricio got straight down to it and worked his way up the ladder with winemaking roles at Catena, Luigi Bosca and Finca La Celia, sometimes taking risky decisions in the vineyards in order to prove a point to dissenting voices around him who were less open to change than he, and to fine tune a style that he has pioneered in Mendoza - top class wines without any oak ageing. Mauricio's high density, high altitude vineyards are in his beloved Vista Flores in the Uco Valley; and his ever expanding, though still relatively small, winery is situated in Luján de Cuyo. It's a no-frills operation with the energy and solid work ethic of every employee channelled into getting the job done.

What a pleasant surprise, then, to find a wine offering a delightful flurry of inviting aromatics – lots of juicy-ripe citrus fruit, yes, but also lifted herbaceous notes, dried flowers and summer straw. This lovely little wine is more like an Albariño than a run-of-the-mill Pinot Grigio, with lots to get stuck into, great balance and structure and an excellent finish.

Great with prawns stir fried with chilli, garlic & lemon.

High density planting. Vertical vine training. Hand harvested. Yield is two bottles per plant.