Our origin
El Esteco is located in the Calchaquí Valleys, a beautiful natural landscape carved by the sun, the mountains and the vineyards. The Valleys comprise Cafayate and Chañar Punco.
Cafayate
Between the exclusive and the wild
Nestled at the heart of this region, seemingly unsuitable for grape growing, stands cafayate, an isolated stretch of desert with unique features that make it ideal to grow the highest vineyards in the world.
What makes calchaquí valleys region so special? At more than 1,700 meters (5,500 feet) above sea level, the surprisingly broad temperature range generates marked contrasts between the warm days and cold nights, allowing for the development of ripe berries that condense all the best that the region has to offer.
The desert climate and the soils, which are poor in organic matter define a unique terroir that is exclusive of this small region, allowing us to obtain the most distinctive and elegant high-end wines, with great concentration of color, deep aromas and well-defined flavors.
Chañar Punco
A hidden treasure at the top of the world
Chañar Punco is a unique sub-region surrounded by the Quilmes Mountains, located southwest within the Calchaquí Valley. At 2000 meters above sea level, this terroir displays unique characteristics. Poor, rocky and calcareous soil combined with the scarce heat load, radiation, in the months prior to harvest, allows the grape to slowly develop its maximum expression.
Vineyards orientation runs from North to South allowing moderate winds from the north to improve the microclimate of the canopy. Distilled water is pumped deep from the soil and drip irrigation is used.
The Winery
In the heart of The Calchaquí Valley, surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape carved by the sun, the mountains and the vineyards, lies El Esteco.
With its nearly 1,000 acres of vineyards, it condenses all the spirit of the region in their fruit and the fusion between the legacy of ancient civilizations, the Hispanic influence and the criollo spirit. Its iconic vallisto Spanish colonial-style building, surrounded by ancient vineyards and featuring galleries and inner patios, denotes the elegance of the typical colonial architecture from the north of the country. The hundred-year-old building contrasts with the latest wine production technologies found inside the winery such as the concrete containers, the stainless-steel tanks, and the poetic French and American oak barrels, which gift us with wines of diverse styles, flavors and aromas.
Standing at an ideal altitude of more than 1,700 meters (5,500 feet) above sea level, with its ever-present sunshine and perfect temperature range, the environment is perfect for the creation of high-end wines.
