The document serves as a training guide for Piattelli Vineyards, detailing its history, winemaking process, and cultivation practices. It highlights the winery's roots in both American and Argentine cultures, emphasizing a commitment to organic farming and meticulous winemaking techniques. Additionally, it discusses the vineyards' unique growing regions, harvest practices, and international market strategies.

2. Meet
Piattelli:
A
Training
Guide
Your guide to get to know Piattelli
Vineyards—the people and the place
that make our wine delicious &
memorable.

3. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

4. Ground
Work:
Piattelli’s
Roots
The history of Piattelli and its
people.

5. Rooted
in
Two
Cultures
• Piattelli Vineyards got its start when retired American
businessman Jon Malinski invested in 120 acres of
prime Mendoza vineyard land and a winery in the
early 2000’s.
• Valeria Antolin, from a multi-generational winemaking
family of Argentina, joined to lead winemaking in
2004.
• Alejandro Nesman, another Argentine winemaker
from a family of winemakers, joined a few years later.
• Roberto de la Mota—one of the leading Argentine
winemakers who has led the way in developing
Malbec as a single varietal wine—consults for
Piattelli.

6. Piattelli
Winemakers
Valeria Antolin
Principal Winemaker
Alejandro Nesman
Lead Winemaker
Cafayate, Salta
Roberto de la Mota
Consulting Winemaker

7. Piattelli:
The
Name
• The Piattelli family arrived in Argentina from Italy in
the early 1900’s, bringing with them knowledge of
how to work the land. They settled in Mendoza,
known for its extraordinary characteristics for the
cultivation of grapes. This is how the fist vines of
what today is known as Piattelli Vineyards were first
planted.
• We continue to operate as a family winery, taking
pride in our craftsmanship and creating the best
wine we possibly can – no shortcuts.

8. Piattelli
Family
Tradition
Continues
“We realized early on that to succeed in our venture meant
taking the time to truly care about and understand the
people, lands, and customs in Argentina.”
–Jon
Malinski
“Today the Piattelli team continues keeping the spirit of a family
vineyard and family winery, where the most important thing is to
make the most of the maximum potential of the terroir. To do this
we are sure that it is necessary to pay attention to every single
detail in the vineyard as well as in the winery.”
–Valeria
Antolin

9. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

10. Budbreak
The vineyards, the wineries.

11. Agrelo, Mendoza
Two Wineries, One Experience
Cafayate, Salta

12. Bodega
Piattelli:
Mendoza
• Location: Lujàn de Cuyo, Agrelo—the best of the best
of Mendoza at 940 meters altitude.
• Land: 48.7 hectares: Finca Cobos, Finca
Cochabamba + partner vineyards in Uco Valley.
• Weather: 300 days of sun; 8 inches of rain per year.
Avg thermal amplitude 25°F.
• Soil: Sandy-silt loamy soils with excellent
drainage. Low organic matter. Deep, alluvial soil with
small gravel appearing below one meter.

13. Bodega
Piattelli:
Salta
• Location: Cafayate, Salta—gaining reputation as the
new “it spot” for wine in Argentina at 1,796 meters
altitude, in the world’s highest wine region.
• Land: 207 hectares: Finca el Chaski & Finca Tres
Cruces.
• Weather: 325 days of sun; 4 inches of rain per year.
Avg thermal amplitude 30°F.
• Soil: Sandy loamy soils & many stones with excellent
drainage. Heavy gravel and stones appear at one
meter. Low organic and slightly alkaline.

14. Piattelli’s
Premier
Growing
Regions
Agrelo,
Lujan
de
Cuyo
Land of the sun and good wine
Uco
Valley
Stony soil, very permeable
Cafayate
Valley,
Salta
High elevation, special micro-climate

15. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

16. The
Growing
Season
Unique wine from one of the world’s
most perfect regions for wine.

17. Near-­‐Perfect
Conditions
for
Sustainably
Grown
Grapes
• High altitude and low
humidity for nearly zero
pests
• Pure Andes snowmelt
irrigates the vines
• Huge thermal amplitude
swings create highly-concentrated
flavor in
the grapes

18. Natural
&
Organic
Growing
Methods
• Piattelli’s Mendoza grapes are USDA certified organic
• Avoid chemical fertilization by using composted
grape byproduct to improve soil
• Use natural alternatives to chemical pesticides
• Conserve water through drip system and surface
irrigation; treat water onsite

19. Cared
for
By
Hand
• Spring pruning is done
by hand-dropping buds
• Natural grass is left to
grow between rows
• Irrigation channels
from reservoir are
maintained by hand,
using nearly zero
electricity

20. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

21. Harvest
&
Winemaking
No corners cut during the labor-intensive
process of harvesting the
grapes and making the wine.

22. Choosing
the
Best
Grapes
• Grapes picked in the cool
of the morning by hand &
quickly transported to the
winery
• Grapes are hand-sorted
then put into cold
maceration for optimal
flavor & quality

23. Both
Cutting-­‐Edge
&
Ultra
Traditional
• Many different
techniques are used for
maceration and aging:
– Concrete Eggs
– Small Stainless Tanks
– Oak Barrels for
Fermentation
– Oak Barrels for Aging
• New & old methods all
seek better integration of
juice & lees for
concentrated flavor &
tannins

24. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

25. Bottling
From the barrel and into the bottle,
it’s a monumental annual effort
where everyone pitches in.

26. Bottling
• Bottling the previous year’s vintage to make way
for new wine is one of the most intense
processes at the winery each year.
• Sanitized bottles are pre-filled with nitrogen or
carbon dioxide to displace all oxygen.
• The wine team samples wine every 30 min.
• The work must be done quickly to protect the
wine from heat, light and air – with 20 people
working non-stop, it can take up to 15 hours to
empty a 25,000 L tank.

27. Malbec
and
Torrontés
Bottling,
2014

28. What’s
Going
into
the
Bottles
• As a newer pair of wineries, Piattelli is still
ramping up to full production capacity, which
ultimately will be 450,000 L in Mendoza &
960,000 L in Salta, by 2016.
• Mendoza produces Malbec, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay
• Salta produces Malbec, Cabernet, Tannat,
Torrontés and Chardonnay

29. Testing
Winemakers Valeria Antolin and Alejandro Nesman
meticulously test, taste and document each varietal of
each vintage.

30. Piattelli
from
Budbreak
to
Bottle:
What
You
Need
to
Know
1. Ground Work: Piattelli’s Roots
2. Budbreak
3. Growing Season
4. Harvest & Winemaking
5. Bottling
6. Import and International Sales

31. Import
&
International
Sales
Taking its place among the great
wines gaining enthusiastic fans
around the world.

32. Reasons
to
Buy
• Piattelli offers
incredible quality-to-price
relationship
• Bottles are very
attractive and elegant
on the shelf
• Wines fit into a variety
of lifestyles and
generations

33. World
Market
Growth
• In the US, Piattelli’s
national distribution is
growing rapidly
• Piattelli is available in
Argentina, Brazil,
Mexico and other
South American
regions
• On track to expand to
additional markets
within 2-3 years

34. Piattelli
Premium
Malbec
• Elevation: Grown at 3,200 feet in Lujàn de
Cuyo, Agrelo, Mendoza.
• Water: Irrigated from the Andes
• Harvest: Hand-picked and sorted grapes
• Aging: 8 months in small, second-use French
and American oak barrels
• Production: 15,500 Cases; 100% Malbec
• Tasting Note: A striking, slightly smoky wine
with deep burgundy hue, the fruity bouquet
delights the senses and warms the palate
with notes of blackberries, blueberries and
lavender, lingers with a gentle tannin pull and
finishes with subtle flavors of toasted
hazelnuts.

35. Follow Piattelli
Thank
You!