The Bousquet family hail from the city of Carcassonne, in the South of France and have 4 generations of history in the winemaking tradition. Domaine Bousquet passion is to produce wines of superior quality and this is what leads us to Argentina to begin a new chapter in the tradition of their winemaking.

In 1990, the Bousquet family arrived in Mendoza to investigate the vineyards and wineries. They discovered that the region had unique characteristics including the soil, altitude and territory. Because of these characteristics and qualities, they knew they had found the ideal location for a winery. In 1997, a parcel of land was purchased and they relocated from France to the foothills of the Andes.

The 110 hectares parcel is located in the Gualtallary valley in Tupungato, Mendoza at an altitude of 1200 meters (4,000 feet), making it one of the higher altitude vineyards in Mendoza and the world. With cool nights and a near-constant breeze, the vineyard is located in a region with the idyllic conditions to produce ripe grapes and extraordinary wines. Another unique characteristic of the region is the low amount of rainfall (approximately 20cm a year). This allows them to control the watering of the grapes via a drip irrigation system. The same water that they use on their vines is bottled and sold locally and is one of Argentina’s most popular bottled waters.

The quality of the water and their ability to control the watering regime assists in producing grapes with a lower pH which in turn produces wonderfully balanced wines with great color. The objective of the Bousquet family is to unite their tradition of European winemaking with the ideal agricultural conditions in Mendoza. The result of this union is extraordinary wines that boast incredible color, delicious fruity character, good structure with ripe tannins and perfect acid balance.

Bousquet was neither the first nor the only wine producer to have his interest piqued by the Gualtallary Valley. But what sets him apart is that he succeeded where several other better financed, well-known names notably did not. What Bousquet seized upon, but others failed to grasp, was the singular importance of water. Water is hard to come by in Gualtallary. Technically, the area is desert. But Bousquet had done his homework, so his first task in 1998 was to dig a well – all 495 feet of it. Two years in the making, its completion was followed by the planting of vines. Other investors in the region, meantime, watched their hopes fade, chiefly due to an inability to extract water or secure water rights.

The following Domaine Bousquet wines are sold in the U.S.

Premium Varietals: $13 Reserve: $18 Sparkling (Charmat): $13 Sparkling (traditional): $18 Gaia blends: $18 (White) + $20 (Red) Gran Reserve: $20 (Chardonnay) + $25 (Malbec) Ameri Malbec blend: $36