Pedernal Valley
Terroir: Pedernal Valley
Valley features:
It is located in the southwest of the province, 90 km (56 miles) from the City of San Juan.
The altitude of cultivated grapes in this valley varies from 1,250 to 1,500 m.a.s.l
Since 2007 Valle de Pedernal is an official wine GI (Geographic Indication) from Argentina.
The valley is self-contained and isolated, free from natural diseases and far from civilization, which creates unique growing conditions.
Viticulture began in the mid ‘90s, and today there are approximately 850 hectares planted in the whole valley.
From the point of view of quality, this is the most important winemaking terroir of the province.
Historically, Pedernal Valley has been devoted to open field livestock farming, taking advantage of the natural vegetation.
Since 2000, the town of Pedernal and surrounding area are part of protected areas by law of the province of San Juan.
PYROS "Finca Piedra de Fuego" (FIRESTONE) ESTATE
Location: 1,400 masl (4,600 feet above sea level) in the highest region of Pedernal Valley.
Total surface: 350 ha (865 acres).
Vineyards: 80 ha (200 acres) planted with Malbec, divided in 14 plots.
Year of plantation: 2008.
Density of plantation: 5,000 vines per ha (2,000 per acre).
Trellis system of the vineyard: VSP system. Vines are trellis-trained with vertical shoot position, leaving 2 meters between rows and 1 meter between plants.
Thanks to the unique location, PYROS vineyards receive a constant breeze, which grants them great circulation and guarantees excellent healthy conditions.
CLIMATE
The climate is continental and cold. Generally, it is dry and sunny all year-round.
From January to April the average maximum temperatures vary between 24° and 28°C (75-82° F) and the average minimum ones between 4° and 10°C (39-50° F), which results in an average daily thermal range between 14° and 20° C.
This climate makes grapes develop a thicker skin, which allows developing greater concentration and balance among sugar, polyphenols, acids and flavours.
These conditions result in wines with more intense colour, greater expression of aromas and flavours, very good tannic structure and great natural acidity. Therefore the resulting wines are more expressive and exhibit good ageing potential.
Due to the vicinity of the mountains (Pedernal Hill and the Andes Mountains) there is an almost constant breeze, resulting in excellent circulation in "Piedra de Fuego" (Fire Stone) Estate.
SOIL
The soil is alluvial and is made up of:
• Stones of different sizes and angular shapes.
• Varied compositions with preponderance of limestone and flint.
Fine materials such as sand, silt and clay in layers. Textures vary from sandy loam to silt loam soil.
This results in:
• Poor soil with low percentage of organic matter but with optimal water retention and distribution.
• Good drainage and little compactness.
These features result in the ideal soil to have a natural balanced vineyard management and to produce grapes with the highest winemaking quality.
WATER
The 100% of the estate is drip irrigated with pure water from melting snowcaps in the Andes, taken from the aquifer below the vineyards.
This purity helps to obtain lower pH in the grape, higher acidity, more color in the wine and greater ageability.
Beneficial to healthy plant grow.