zuccardi wine tour

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Over three generations the Zuccardi family has gone on to become one of the most prominent wine families in Argentina , now focused on fine wines in Uco. The striking winery has been designed to home no less than 200 concrete amphoras in which separate vinifications for single blocks of vines take place.

The Zuccardi winery in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, is a glowing symbol of how far this Argentine wine family has come since its foundation in 1963 by Alberto Zuccardi. Today it is focused on making precise, terroir-driven wines with a particular focus on Malbec but a diverse portfolio ranging from Bonarda to Semillon.

Check out our interview with Sebastian Zuccardi from the vineyards of Altamira

Full interview online here, about zuccardi winery.

Alberto Zuccardi planted the first vineyards in the east of Mendoza, and the family grew into one of the most important wine-producing companies in Argentina under father José Alberto Zuccardi who saw the creation of the popular Santa Julia brand among other labels in the portfolio.

The story now continues with grandson Sebastian Zuccardi who is one of the most forward-thinking winemakers in Argentina and this winery showcases all the developments of the Zuccardi brand which is now focused on premium-end wines from the Uco Valley.

Keeping a precise expression of terroir is all part of winemaker Seba Zuccardi’s philosophy and is reflected in their austere, focused and precise wines — whether from San Pablo, Gualtallary or the Paraje Altamira vineyard surrounding the winery.

Piedra Infinita is the name of the home estate, because of the infinite stones ( piedras ) that were found there, and it is also the name of their popular restaurant that overlooks the vines. 

More on Zuccardi’s Bodega Santa Julia in Eastern Mendoza

About the Zuccardi vineyards

Piedra infinita vineyard.

Located in the heart of the alluvial plain of the Tunuyán River, this vineyard expresses the characteristic diversity of the chalky soils of Paraje Altamira.

The vineyard was planted in 2009 and has 42 hectares. The grape varieties planted include Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Bonarda and Tempranillo.

CANAL UCO VINEYARD

This vineyard is located on lands that have been cultivated for more than eighty years and irrigated with waters from the Uco Channel, in the northern part of Paraje Altamira.

The vineyard was planted in 2007 and has 57 hectares. The grape varieties planted include Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ancellotta and Caladoc.

LOS MEMBRILLOS VINEYARD

This vineyard has 37 hectares and is located at the east end of Paraje Altamira. The grape varieties grown here are Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Semillon.

LAS CUCHILLAS VINEYARD

Las Cuchillas is a true mountain vineyard as it is located on the alluvial fan of the Las Tunas River and just 600 meters from the first ridges of the Andes. The vineyard has 40 hectares and grows Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Bonarda, Chardonnay, Verdejo, Albariño, Semillon and Riesling.

LAS CERRILLADAS VINEYARD

The alluvial soils of the Las Tunas River include various calcareous materials, such as gravel and caliche, which are clearly expressed in the Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay grapevines.

AGUA DE LAS JARILLADAS VINEYARD

This vineyard is named for the stream that flows from the Jaboncillo hills toward the Peral hills. The rows of vines are laid out between water courses with native vegetation. It grows Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.

About Zuccardi wines

ZUCCARDI SERIE A AND SERIE Q

Both Serie A and Serie Q are considered regional wines and are an accessible introduction to Zuccardi’s wines. Within the Serie A line, there is a Malbec, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Torrontés and Chardonnay-Viognier and the Serie Q includes a Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

The Polígonos line looks to reflect the regions where the wines come from: Paraje Altamira, San Pablo, Gualtallary and Tupungato. The focus is on single varietals, including Malbec and Cabernet Franc, from different terroirs.

ZUCCARDI CONCRETO

Zuccardi Concreto is a Malbec wine which has solely been vinified in concrete without any oak influence. It was a landmark wine in Argentina when it had a big commercial release, and reflects the growing tendency of Zuccardi to focus on pure fruit expression in the wines.

JOSE ZUCCARDI – EMMA ZUCCARDI – TITO ZUCCARDI

These family wines are made in ode to different members of the family. Emma is a Bonarda wine, Jose is a Malbec-dominant blend and Tito is a blend with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Ancellotta.

ZUCCARDI FÓSIL

This is Zuccardi’s top level Chardonnay wine which shows a very fresh and focused style from San Pablo.

ZUCCARDI ALUVIONAL

This range of seductive red wines reflects each individual vineyard or soil type. They are very expressive and appealing wines, each with a different character depending on the vineyard. Well worth exploring to geek out on soil types!

ZUCCARDI FINCA PIEDRA INFINITA – FINCA CANAL UCO – FINCA LOS MEMBRILLOS

These Finca wines are very much focused on expressing the identity and personality of a specific vineyard or a parcel within a vineyard. These are the most iconic wines of Zuccardi and wines which will age well for a long time.

About the winemaker, Sebastián Zuccardi

Sebastián Zuccardi is one of Argentina’s leading winemakers of the new generation. He is the third generation of the family and leads the team of agricultural engineers and enologists at Zuccardi, while also overseeing Santa Julia.

On his initiative, the winery has had a research and development area since 2008, dedicated to studying the terroir and the diverse variables that affect wine quality. His goal is “not to strive for perfect wines, but wines that express the place, the region.”

Visiting Zuccardi

The beautiful winery of Zuccardi has been awarded as the Best Vineyard in the World by Top 50 Best Vineyards in the World . It is a striking winery to visit with impressive architecture and beautiful mountain views.

Zuccardi is open for tours and tastings six days a week at 09:30 am, 11:00 pm, 12:30 pm, 4:00 pm.

You can email the winery at [email protected] to book your visit

PIEDRA INFINITA RESTAURANT

One of the most popular restaurants in the Uco Valley, Piedra Infinita overlooks the vines and offers a four-course meal made with regional produce and delicate gourmet food paired with Zuccardi wines.

It is open from Tuesday through Sunday, from 12:30 – 3:00 pm, and some evenings in the summer. Advance reservations are highly recommended.

Tasting notes

Prizes and Awards

You may also like, finca don diego, coteaux de trumao (cruchon), familia vargas arizu (tierras altas), los toneles, costa y pampa, casa bauzá, lomas de llahuén.

What to Do in Zuccardi Valle de Uco, the World’s Best Winery and Vineyard

Opened its doors six years ago in mendoza, and it was awarded half of that time by the world's best vineyard as the best winery in the world. what to do there keep on reading..

For the third time in a row, the World's Best Vineyard recognised the famous Argentinian winery, Zuccardi Valle de Uco, as the best winery in the world. The Mendoza wine paradise was awarded by a jury of 600 experts, who selected the winners from more than 1,500 establishments.

What did they base their choice on? Obviously, on wine quality: Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal 2018 (one of its Malbec wines) achieved 100 Parker points, which is the highest possible score in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate magazine. Other factors are also taken into consideration though, such as gastronomy, route, accessibility, setting, service, reputation, and landscape. And what a majestic landscape are endless green vineyards beneath the Andes Mountains range, aren’t they?

On the top ten list, the Albiceleste flag appears once again with Catena Zapata in seventh place. But this is not all, Argentinian names are present all throughout the top 50: Trapiche winery is in 18th place; El Enemigo winery is in 24th place; Colomé winery, from Salta, is in 35th place; and SuperUco winery is in 42nd place. There are six wineries from the End of the World country among the world’s top fifty list.

As we already know, Argentina is a generous country. And if the best wine experience is at home, we are going to share it with no hesitation. Zuccard Valle de Uco winery is open and offers activities for all the senses: some options can be tasting the flavours of its cuisine paired with the world’s best wines; admiring the landscape view; and photographing the remarkable and modern architecture of its winery.

Guided Tours and Tastings at the Winery

There are plenty of choices for visiting the winery and tasting wines in the meantime. One option, for only around 10 dollars, is to tour the building that, whether while tasting a glass of wine or not, has an immense charm, and it is also the simplest way to do it.

Piedra Infinita was inaugurated in 2016 by architect Fernando Raganato and, as its name in Spanish suggests, pays homage to and symbolises the nature of the surrounding landscape. Its design also won a distinction the same year they opened; the winery received the Gold Award for the world’s best architecture and landscaping by Best of Wine Tourism. It respects Mendoza's environment, coexisting perfectly with its shapes, colours, and textures. We made it clear: carrying a camera is a must.

But if grape elixir is what it's all about, and of course it is, tasting options are the right ones. Prices range from about 20 to 62 dollars, depending on the type and series of wine selected for tasting: Polígonos, the cheapest, Valle de Uco, Experiencia Terroir, and Fincas are the possibilities. Each of their nuances reflect the features of the specific vineyards. In all cases, a guided tour is also included.

Don't forget to book in advance, at least a month ahead, because places tend to be quite crowded.

Lunch at its Restaurant at the Foot of the Mountain

Palate pleasure could not be complete without a good gastronomic menu. And as it is the world’s best winery, the quality of the recipes that star in the pairing are not far behind. The winery's restaurant invites you to sit at the foot of the mountain to complete the experience and enjoy a first-class banquet.

It is a four-course meal with regional products, local flavours and gourmet touches. As a first course you can try mashed toasted bread and organic spinach, goat cheese mousse and pickled carrots. Then, as an appetiser, braised chivito with vegetables in all shapes and sizes cooked in different ways. As the main course, grilled steak with mashed potatoes, pickled aubergines and pumpkin cooked in a clay oven. And, for dessert, quinces with Malbec (of course), olive ice cream, rosemary and sugared walnuts. Is your belly rumbling yet?

There are five alternatives to choose from. The cheapest one, without wine pairing, costs about 60 dollars, and the most luxurious option, in which you can taste the most awarded wines of the winery, costs 186 dollars.

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Zuccardi Valle de Uco

We offer 24 hr free cancellation on most of our tours, winery visits and hotels. For more detail please see the individual cancellation policies on the tour, winery or hotel page.

Winery Overview

Discover Zuccardi Valle di Uco, in Paraje Altamira, at the foot of the Andes, Mendoza, a cultivated oasis at the highest altitude.

Zuccardi wines express the essence of the soils and the extreme climate conditions and altitude in which the vineyards are planted. The growth and development of the Zuccardi range was leaded by Sebastián Zuccardi, who has as a premise to elaborate wines with identity trough the exploration of the terroir in the Uco Valley.

This new Zuccardi winery is a tribute to the austere and solemn mountain which defines the climate and the soils of the region. The construction "emerges" from the soil and it is part of it because it was made with natural elements, stones of the place, rounds, whites, calcareous. It is made of concrete from the outside to inside, from the stone walls, oblique and imposing, even bare to concrete vats where the wines are kept.

The vats have been the result of years of experimentation in search of the ideal vessel to reach the  "troncoconic"  as the form that allows more natural work in worts and wines. There are no steel tanks at this winery, as it seeks maximum respect for the wine, in an environment of cleanliness and silence.

The Piedra Infinita restaurant opened in March 2016. Fcing the majestic Andes mountains, it has a capacity of 50 seats. Here you can enjoy a regional menu and a delicate gourmet expression paired with Zuccardi wines. Visitors can tour the winery and live the experience of touring the vineyards discovering the characteristics and peculiarities of the different soils that give identity the Zuccardi wines.

Book your winery experience

Visitors can take a look around the winery, experience the vineyards, and discover the characteristics and particularities of the different soils that give our wines their identity.

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Zuccardi Valle de Uco

Mendoza, Argentina

• The Best Vineyard in the World 2021
• The Best Vineyard in South America 2021

Ethos: The goal is not to strive for perfect wines, but wines that express the place, the region.

Sebastián Zuccardi

White, red and sparkling wines expressive of the soils and extreme climatic conditions in which they were cultivated.

WINNERS THREE YEARS IN A ROW!

Romancing the stone Just south of the Argentinian capital, Mendoza, the Zuccardi family’s stone winery stands majestically amid the desert of the Uco Valley, made from the very land it inhabits and a fitting symbol for the giant leaps in progress that these winemakers have been making since 1963. Particularly so since coming under the direction of third generation Sebastián, who has pushed the vineyards further up into the Andes, his wines becoming ever-purer expressions of the soils that created them. In 2009, he established a research and development centre in order to analyse each step of the production process – from vineyard to winery – with painstaking precision, making the most of the wealth of soil types, microclimates and altitudes at his disposal. These efforts are undoubtedly showing in the intense yet finessed ranges being made at the new winery, completed in 2016 and designed by architects Tom Hughes, Fernando Raganato and Eugenia Mora using only natural, local materials both inside and out.

Your visit Guests receive a full introduction to the diverse terroirs of the family’s Uco Valley sites, including the flagship ‘Piedra Infinita’ vineyard on the alluvial plains of the Tunuyán River in Altamira; named after the seemingly infinite amount of stones that had to be removed in order to plant vines there in the first place, it is the source of an multi-award-winning Malbec that will make you rethink this Argentinian grape through its restraint, delicacy and tension.

It also gives its name to the onsite restaurant, Piedra Infinita Cocina, where you can enjoy a four-course lunch of regional produce served with panache, floor-to-ceiling windows filling the zen-like room with the awe-inspiring Andean landscape.

Tastings take place either next to the barrels or in the circular room underneath the shining metal dome that signals this winemaking activity from afar whilst reflecting the brilliant sunshine.

Walking through the winery, you’ll spy the concrete eggs carefully crafted to resemble amphorae, used for fermentation and contributing substantially to the wines’ style. Some are matured in large old foudres for gentle oak influence and all display freshness and fragrance along with concentration. Various ranges encompass single site and single varietal expressions with Malbecs leading the pack (the ‘Finca Piedra Infinita’ cuvée especially) and Cabernet Sauvignons not far behind, plus Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Chardonnay and more.

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Mendoza is a naturally beautiful destination … Of course the landscape is incredible.

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Zuccardi, José Zuccardi Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza, 2016

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Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc - An Impressive Start

By: Jon Thorsen Published: January 14, 2022 Last Updated: January 21, 2023

More highly recommended Cabernet Franc from Argentina, the Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc. Available at Costco.

100% Cabernet Franc from vineyards at 3,600 - 4,500 feet of elevation in Paraje Altamira and San Pablo, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina . The wine ages in 2,500 liter foudres (large wooden vats) and has just 1.8 g/L of residual sugar.

The Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc has an average selling price of $20 and but is available for as low as $15, including at many Costco locations. Ready to buy? Check your  local retailers . It is imported by Winesellers LTD.

Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc is sourced from carefully selected plots of vineyards located in Mendoza's most prestigious wine regions. The family's third generation continues to elaborate this Cabernet Franc with grapes from Paraje Altamira (1100 masl/3600 fasl) and San Pablo (1400 masl/4590 fasl), in Uco Valley, a unique spot by the Andes. A wine of intense purplish red color with aromas evoking herbs and fresh red fruits. Firm and elegant tannins in perfect harmony with its acidity. Uncork now or cellar for 10 years or more. .hubbub-save-this-afterform p { font-size: small; } Would You Like To Save This? We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later! We won't send you spam, unsubscribe at any time. 13.9% Alcohol

We're continuing on with our exploration of Argentinean Cabernet Franc today with an entry from the Zuccardi Q line (like the previously recommended Q Tempranillo ). We reviewed the very first vintage of this wine (the 2017) a couple years ago, and it set the bar pretty high, so we were quite excited to try out the 2019 to see if that is still the case.

The 2019 Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc opens with pleasing aromas of red and black cherry, violets and other floral notes plus a little bit of spice.

The real specialness; however, happens in the mouth where you are greeted with a wonderful explosion of concentrated and juicy fruit flavors like blackberry and black cherry. Add to that a lush mouthfeel and this medium bodied wine is simply a delight to drink.

It ends dry, slightly chewy and very long with lots of lingering tart, dark fruit and well-integrated spice on the finish.

Ready to buy? Check your  local retailers .

2019 Zuccardi Q Cabernet Franc

Highly recommended.

About Jon Thorsen

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Our winery is a tribute to the mountain, which gives the identity to our wines.

“We cultivate wines. Our work begins in the vineyard. In the winery we need to be very respectful so that our wines express, with transparency, the place where they come from.” – Sebastián Zuccardi

Rooted in the vineyard.

When we began our journey in the Uco Valley, we sought those places that had captivated us with the unique expression of their wines. In the early years, we learned a lot about the genesis and diversity of the soils. We started dividing our vineyards by soil type, and only then, after forming our philosophy, did we begin to build the winery.

THE BUILDING

Is a tribute to the mountain.

In 2016, we inaugurated our Zuccardi Valle de Uco winery.

It is our tribute to the mountain range. From the first moment, we wanted it to be part of the environment, integrating completely into the landscape.

To construct it, we used only natural materials from the area: stones, sand and water. Surrounded by native vegetation, it is entirely made of concrete, both inside and out, from the stone walls to the vessels for the elaboration and aging of our wines.

Research and Development

In 2009, Sebastián Zuccardi gave new impetus to the research and development department (I+D – Investigación y Desarrollo -– in Spanish) with the aim to study the Uco Valley in great depth. Here, we study the terroir and the various variables that impact wine quality, analyzing and controlling everything from the vineyard to the winery. From the beginning, we worked on classifying different microregions within the Uco Valley with varying soil types, where we refined all our vineyard practices, such as irrigation periods, the use of different training systems, the most suitable grape varieties and the optimal harvest time.

AN ALLY IN EXPRESSING IDENTITY

As we began deepening our style as viticulturists, where the mountain marks the identity of our wines, we felt the need to give great respect for the grapes that arrived at the winery.

For this reason, after years of studies, we defined that the ideal material for the vessels for our wines would be concrete, without any type of coating. Especially, conical-shaped vessels, which allow the wines to be made with the minimum intervention possible.

From the first moment, we were excited by the idea that our wines would be in contact with natural materials. Concrete does not impart flavors or aromas to the wine, and preserves the pure expression of its place of origin.

The small micro-oxygenation that concrete allows and the great thermal stability also contribute to better care at each stage of the winemaking process.

From the beginning we sought to be able to work in a more sustainable way with the environment, and this material allows a significant reduction in energy consumption.

Sebastián zuccardi

Winemaking director.

Trained as an Agronomist, Sebastián is part of our family's third generation and leads our Winemaking and Viticulture teams. Alongside his father José Alberto, he spearheaded the construction of the Zuccardi Uco Valley winery, inaugurated in Paraje Altamira in 2016. He is also one of the members of Alma 4, a project of sparkling wines crafted using the traditional method, which he initiated with three friends in 1999. He has participated in numerous harvests in different countries of the new and old world.

Laura Principiano

Head winemaker.

Laura graduated as an Agricultural Engineer from the National University of Cuyo, and she leads our Winemaking department and the Research and Development department (I + D, Investigación y Desarrollo, in Spanish), which brings together young winemakers and agronomists dedicated to studying the terroir and factors that influence wine quality and each micro-region. Since joining the winery in 2009, she has worked on the foundational concepts for the winery's design and construction. Among her experiences, she has participated in harvests abroad in Italy and Spain, as well as in various wineries in Mendoza.

Martín di Stefano

Viticulturist.

Martín is responsible for the development of our vineyards in the Uco Valley. He started working at Zuccardi Valle de Uco in 2010, in the Research and Development department (I + D, Investigación y Desarrollo, in Spanish), the same year he graduated with honors as an Agricultural Engineer. In June 2010, he joined our vineyard management team full time, while also travelling to different wine regions around the world for harvest programs, including France, Italy, South Africa and Chile. His work philosophy revolves around a contemplative viticulture approach, based on closely observing the natural development of the plants, respecting the landscape and the unique conditions of each place, without imposing preconceived notions.

Costa Canal Uco s/n - Paraje Altamira, San Carlos, Mendoza

+54 261 4410090 - bodega [email protected], © zuccardi valle de uco. 2024. design by kurve, beber con moderación. prohibida su venta a menores de edad. / enjoy responsibly..

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La Place’s hors Bordeaux campaign: the scores are in!

With the runners and riders of La Place’s hors Bordeaux campaign standing in the slips rearing to go, db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay gives his evaluation of the red wines that make up this autumn’s international campaign.  

Italian Reds

Italy brings a stunning and very consistent set of releases to La Place this year. The stars, for me, are the monocépage Merlot wines – Masseto, of course, but also Petrolo’s Galatrona, La Massa’s Giorgio Primo, Tenuta Sette Ponti’s Sette and Bibi Graetz’s Balocchi No. 9.

Solaia, Siepi (appropriately in its 30 th anniversary release), Colore and the rest of the Balocchi series from Bibi Graetz are other standouts and there is great value to be found in Giovanni Rosso’s wines from both Sicily and Barolo, and in Petrolo’s Torrione and Bòggina A and C.

For full tasting notes, see here .

Spanish Reds

Spain brings another very consistent set of releases to la place . Indeed, a case can be made for any of these wines. But the standouts for me are Yjar and Matallana (from Telmo Rodríguez), VivaltuS (the fruit of Jean-Claude Berrouet and Montxo Martínez’s partnership) and Marqués de Riscal’s Tapias.

Given the iconic status of many of these wines – established icons like Opus One, Vérité and Inglenook and icons in the process of becoming established, like Favia, Morlet, Peter Michael and Pym Rae – it is perhaps unsurprising that many of the superstars of the autumn collection come from the US.

And given the sheer number and diversity of the wines on offer here – from Ernst Loosen’s sublime Oregon Pinot Noir (Appassionata Fortissimo) to L’Aventure’s Pasa Robles ‘Rhone’ blend (Côte à Côte) – it is difficult and probably unfair to pick out highlights. But if I force myself to do so it is difficult to look past the two wines that, by their scores alone, place them above all of the September releases – Morlet’s exceptional Coeur de Vallée and Paul Hobbs’ beguiling Cristina’s Signature.

Peter Michael’s Les Pavots and Vérité’s Le Désir (which I really need to re-taste from better stemware) both come very close to perfection too. I was also deeply impressed by all that I tasted from Inglenook and Favia and I have never tasted better from Pym Rae or Beaulieu.

This is a staggering set of releases – wines of great personality and individuality which speak so eloquently of their terroirs. It seems almost invidious to single out individual wines, but if I force myself to do so, I was perhaps most impressed by Clos Apalta and Viñedo Chadwick, very closely followed by Vigna Maquis (above all the new Franco release), Almaviva, Seña and VIK. But I’d happily make space in my cellar for any of these.

The number of Argentinian releases on la place may be limited, but the quality is exceptional. Cheval des Andes and Adrianna Vineyard’s Mundus Bacillus Terrae are both staggeringly impressive, but it is Viña Cobos’s Cobos Malbec that wowed me the most. I hope to taste La Violeta in the days to come and will update my tasting notes when I do.

For full tasting notes see here .

French reds

It is good to see the enticing diversity of French wines now offered through la place . The stars are, of course, Domaine de la Chapelle’s Hermitage La Chapelle and Beaucastel’s legendary Hommage à Jacques Perrin, joined for the first time by Georges Vigouroux’s Château de Haute-Serre’s Grand Malbec from Cahors. But there is fabulous value to be had in the releases from Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s Domaine de Baronarques, Bouche du Roi, Odysée and Domaine Chapuis (whether at village, 1er cru or grand cru level).

Australian reds

A brilliant and very consistent set of releases from some of Australia’s most iconic producers.

For full tasting notes, see here.

New Zealand

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The market conditions shaping the September hors Bordeaux campaign

Domaine de Baronarques kicks off hors Bordeaux campaign

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