{"id":32711,"date":"2021-12-03T18:04:22","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T21:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/?p=32711"},"modified":"2021-12-03T18:04:22","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T21:04:22","slug":"domaine-bousquet-discovering-the-uco-valley-and-standing-on-ones-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/domaine-bousquet-discovering-the-uco-valley-and-standing-on-ones-head\/","title":{"rendered":"Domaine Bousquet, Discovering the Uco Valley and Standing on One\u2019s Head"},"content":{"rendered":"

The origin of the\u00a0Domaine Bousquet family<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0travels back to the city of\u00a0Carcassonne<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(karkas\u0254n), located in the southwest of France. With an elevation of 266\u2013820 feet, roots of civilization run deeply here. With extensive remains of medieval fortifications, see the image below. Four generations of Bousquets, the family have been able to traces themselves back to this archaic stronghold\u2026<\/p>\n

Carcassonne is the town\u2019s, capital of Aude d\u00e9partement, Occitanie region, southwestern France, southeast of Toulouse, near the eastward bend of the Aude River. It divides the city into two towns, the Ville Basse and the Cit\u00e9. The Cit\u00e9 has the finest remains of medieval fortifications in Europe.<\/p>\n

On the summit of an isolated hill rearing abruptly on the Aude\u2019s right bank, the site of the Cit\u00e9 was occupied as early as the 5th century bce by the Iberians, then by Gallo-Romans. The inner rampart was built in 485 ce, when Euric I was king of the Visigoths. Clovis failed to take it in 508, though Muslim invaders succeeded in 728, as did Pippin III the Short in 752.<\/p>\n

The history of Carcassonne continues with copious details, which you can continue to read, by clicking on the Britannica link above. Let\u2019s just say\u2026 the Bousquet family has a great love connected to this ancient city, still, as part of their DNA; all understandable.<\/p>\n

After four generations in the south of France, this Bousquet family relocated into Argentina\u2019s\u00a0Uco Valley<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

From the\u00a0<\/strong>South of France\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>Mediterranean\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

to the Mountainous Uco Valley<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Four generations of the Bousquet family crafting wine has always been, and still is, the production of wines having a superior quality.<\/h3>\n

Their history led the Bousquets to the Uco Valley, beginning a new family chapter in\u00a0viticulture<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0oenology<\/a><\/strong>. One can only imagine the learning curve, of their \u201cwagons ho\u201d adventure; although, the process easily went more swiftly. The serious challenge for this kind of move is personally more cultural, not so much viticultural. It didn\u2019t take the family much time \u2013 in the grand scheme of things \u2013 to get it going on, for their next generation.<\/p>\n

Where to Start & the Pioneer\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Northern hemisphere wine migrations, it\u2019s a bit easier; but, now it was about the Southern Hemisphere\u2019s compass point. A reset had to happen. With four generations ingrained DNA details, it meant this was going to become an adventure for the crossing the equator. From their website:<\/p>\n

\u201cA 1990 vacation in Argentina was all it took. For third-generation [patriarch and pioneer] winemaker\u00a0Jean Bousquet<\/strong><\/a>, it was love at first sight. The object of the Frenchman\u2019s desire: the\u00a0Gualtallary Valley<\/strong><\/a>, a scenic, remote, arid terrain high in the\u00a0Tupungato<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0[one of the highest peaks in the Andes], of the\u00a0Uco Valley<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Argentina\u2019s Mendoza region, close to the border with Chile. Here, where the condors fly and not a vine in sight, Bousquet discovered his dream terroir, an ideal location in which to nurture organically-grown wines.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the terroir\u2019s atmosphere, to soils and the seasonal ranges, to temperatures and grape vines that would have any success\u2026 all had to be reconsidered, if there was to be any success at all. This was not established history, as it had been in France since ancient times. There were no prototypes. It all had to be intuition, experimentation, and a boatload of luck, because this was pioneering, baby.<\/p>\n

One Step at a Time ~ Terroir<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Climate, soil compositions, topography, and microbes all had to be considered.<\/p>\n