Can't Drink Just One

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H. Ward Lay is at it again. Except this time, this scion of the Lay's Potato Chip family who made his own fortune in the frozen corn dog business, of all things, is combining his marketing knowhow with his love for wine. The result is the Andeluna line of wines from Argentina that Lay is hoping to make the first truly successful mass-marketed wine from the South American country.



Lay, whose State Fair Corn Dogs business is now owned by Sara Lee (SLE), became partners in 1999 with the Reina Rutini winemaking family, which already had 900 acres of vineyards. The new partnership bought an additional 200 acres and built a winery.



Why Argentina? Lay owned a Pepsi distributorship in Mexico for 35 years, a dividend of PepsiCo (PEP) buying Frito-Lay in 1965, and spent all that time focused on developing markets and retail relationships throughout Latin America. And, he says, he couldn't beat the cost of land. Cultivated land in the Mendoza region, when he bought it, was $4,000 to $6,000 per acre, vs. more than $100,000 an acre in California's Napa and Sonoma counties.



Lay, who's also a cattle baron in the Patagonia region of Argentina, has been a wine enthusiast all his life, but not a collector. If he liked wines at restaurants, he would buy them by the case. "Enthusiast is the right way to describe my interest before I decided to go into the business of making wine," says Lay, who splits his time between homes in Texas and Argentina.



GRAPE EVENTS. Besides the lush, beautiful land and vistas in Argentina, which has led Hollywood types such as Sylvester Stallone and Ted Turner to buy sprawling ranches there, Lay was attracted to the fact that there was no "breakout" export brand in a country whose reputation for winemaking has been on the upswing in key markets like the U.S. and Britain. Of the Andeluna output, in fact, 70% is earmarked for U.S. markets. Vintages from Lay's first bottling in 2003 are now just arriving. "There were only a couple of labels down here that seemed to be trying for the export market, so I see a real opportunity for people with real marketing experience."



Although winemaking in Argentina goes back to the 1500s, when Spanish settlers planted European vinifera vines there and in Chile, its success among wine enthusiasts and judges is fairly recent. It was in the foothills of the Andes that Jesuit missionaries found the best growing conditions for grapes. The grapes that dominated Argentina for the next 300 years were Criolla Chica, the Argentine name for the Pais, which is identical to the Mission grape found in California and Mexico.



But after Argentina shook off Spanish rule in the early 1800s, waves of European immigrants from Italy, France, and Portugal came to the region and brought other varieties of vines with them. But through all this time and into the 1980s, the country was not much of an exporter. With a robust population of wine drinkers, most of the Argentine product was an inexpensive, rustic variety made for domestic consumption.



AIMING AT EXPORT. In the 1960s there was widespread planting of Malbec grapes, Argentina's most distinctive red varietal. But cultivation of Malbec dropped when the price of the grapes declined significantly in the 1970s and '80s. Looking to develop a more robust export business in the late '80s, a lot of older vines that had been producing grapes for the domestic product were replaced by wineries with the more conventional and commercially desirable export varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Syrah.



Andeluna is in the Mendoza region of Argentina, the far western part of the country and the most important winemaking and grape-growing area. To maximize the export potential in the U.S., Lay and his partners are sticking with the major varietals as well. They produce a Malbec, but the 2003 is already sold out. Four of the wines, marketed under the Winemaker's Selection sub-brand, are certainly priced right for the lower-end premium side of the market at $12.99, competing against, for example, Robert Mondavi, though Lay is staying clear of the value tier of around $6.99, where Mondavi's Private Select sub-brand is priced. The four "Reserve" wines, a Malbec, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, are priced at $22.99. And two premiums, a Cabernet Franc and blended red called Passionado, are $49.99.



So how's the wine from a man whose name and reputation is connected to potato chips and corn dogs? Here are my thoughts on the wines I was able to taste.



Andeluna Merlot Reserve 2003 [$22.99]



Solid effort, though hardly exceptional. Full-bodied. The wine was aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months, and then aged six more months in the bottle. The tastes tends more toward vanilla and tobacco than berries. I've had better for less money.



Andeluna Chardonnay Reserve, 2004 [$22.99]



Fierce competition in a crowded field. It's solid, but doesn't stand out from its California and Australian competitors, let alone the French. One half of the wine was fermented and aged with French oak for five months, then blended with the remaining 50%, which was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged three more months in the bottle.



Andeluna Pasionado, Grand Reserve [$49.99]



A "Bordeaux-style" blend made from premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc grapes grown at altitudes ranging from approximately 3,600 to 4,265 feet on the Andeluna estate. The wines were aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months, blended and aged an additional six months in the barrels, and then aged eight more months in the bottle. Full-bodied and complex, it's the most interesting of the wines from the initial bottling. A very strong effort, and worthy of the price.



Andeluna 2003 Limited Reserve Cabernet Franc [$49.99]



Aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months, and then eight more months in the bottle, a very full-bodied wine. Nice, long finish and complex notes of tobacco and anise. More like this and the winery's name will register with more enthusiasts.



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Andeluna is a newcomer. But Argentina has been exporting some excellent value and premium wines. Here are some recommendations from recent tastings:



Vina Alicia [Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza] Malbec "Brote Negro" 2003 [$70]



A bold, deeply flavored, fruity wine with hints of licorice. Big flavors. Delicious match with grilled meats and smoked cheeses.



Achaval Ferrer Mirador 2003 [$67.99]



A Malbec, this wine is exploding with raspberries and blackberries, but with acidity that keeps the whole fruit punch grounded in your mouth. Very complex and floral. Terrific finish. Worth every penny.



Catena Cabernet Sauvignon Alta 2001 [$36.99]



Toastier and loamier than some other Argentine cabs I have had. I like the fruit that shined through. Nice structure and long, tasty finish.



Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard 2003 [$119.99]



At this price, it had better be good, and it is. A big, bold, fabuloso Malbec that makes me want to rip out the Merlot vines in Argentina and force the vintners to plant more Malbec, which is what the Argentines do so well. Merlots I can get anywhere, but Malbecs like this only come from one place. A finish good enough to make a Frenchman weep.