Arnaldo B.
Launched in 1990, Arnaldo B. is Bodegas Etchart’s flagship wine. It was created as a tribute to the winery’s founder, Arnaldo Benito Etchart, using the estate’s very best grapes.
60% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tannat from Valle de Cafayate. The vineyards are situated 5750 feet above sea level. Aged for 15 months in French and American oak barrels, and 12 more months in bottle before release. Elegant and complex wine with aromas of ripe plum, cassis, raisins and sweet spices, and subtle notes of cacao and coffee. Full bodied and structured, with ripe tannins, silky texture and a persistent finish. 15% alcohol.
About the Producer
In 1938, Arnaldo Benito Etchart bought a winery in Cafayate that belonged to his wife, Carmen Rosa, and her family. He started to develop what became one of the most prestigious wineries in Argentina. Today the estate spreads over 400 hectares, situated at 5900 feet above sea level: the 380ha La Florida vineyard, within the limits of Cafayate; and 12 miles north, the 43ha Animaná vineyard, named after the town where it is located. 40% of the vineyards are planted with Torrontés, followed by Malbec (29%), Cabernet Sauvignon (16%), then Tannat, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot and Viognier, amongst others. La Florida vineyard includes a parcel known as “the museum”, with vines dating back to 1862 - one of the oldest vines in the world still producing.
The great thermal amplitude between day and night temperatures are excellent conditions for vine growing. Likewise, the combination of dry climate and loamy/sandy soils results in a low level of pest and disease. In Cafayate, the vineyards are naturally organic.
Farming practices: organic. Great care is given to the flora, fauna and natural resources of the region to ensure that future generations will be able to make wines of the same high quality. Water and energy consumption are limited, and the winery reuses or recycles all materials used. Ecology and sustainable farming are two pillars of the winemaking process for each wine produced by the winery.
Bodegas Etchart