About
Luca Old Vines: Origin Story
Laura Catena was determined to make a wine that would honor the exquisite flavor of Mendoza’s historic old vines.
Laura Catena’s son Luca was born in 1998. By 2000, the first wines of a still – unnamed project—a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah from old vines, plus a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from newly planted Dijon clones in Tupungato—were aging in French oak barrels. Naming the winery was the next step.
The name “Luca” echoes the Latin word lucus, meaning “sacred grove.” In ancient Rome, a lucus was a protected grove of old trees where none could be cut. “I already loved the name Luca—it was that of my new born son,” Laura says. “When I looked it up and saw no existing trademark, it was an easy decision. It carried an ancient Latin association with old trees and vines.” It was also a concept that perfectly mirrored the winery’s mission to save Mendoza’s historic old vines.
Old vines express terroir more deeply than young ones, thanks to ancient root systems and microbial civilizations living within the soil and mycelia.
- Laura Catena
Where LUCA began
During the 1990s, before the birth of her son and the creation of LUCA Wines, Laura Catena traveled the world, collecting vitis vinifera cuttings in California and Mendoza and visiting vineyards in France. It was in the French countryside where she learned that Bordeaux’s legendary First Growth wines only used fruit from vineyards older than 25 years.
The value of what others overlooked
This stood in stark contrast to the prevailing view in Mendoza, where agronomists often dismissed old vines as lower-yielding and the stuff of bulk wine. The words of Jacques Lurton, scion of the legendary French winemaker family, kept echoing in Laura’s ears: “Old vines in Bordeaux were at the core of First Growth’s quality and personality.”
Old Vines about to be lost
A review of Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (INV) archives revealed thousands of hectares of old vines in Mendoza. It was an unkempt landscape of small producers and low-yielding vineyards, many holding the original vines planted a century before and many in bad shape. Growers were considering selling, replanting, or simply abandoning these old-vine sites. Every family with an old vineyard told the same story.
The solution to save Old Vines
Laura Catena realized the urgency: These vineyards were at risk of extinction. But first, she had to make wines so phenomenal that they could justify a higher price. The question became: What if consumers were willing to pay just a little more for an old vine’s precious and limited juice? The solution: Pay growers by the hectare rather than by the ton. LUCA contracted small growers and took on vineyard maintenance costs in exchange for grape supply agreements. She set out to make great wines from these small family vineyards.
Artisanal wines from Old Vines
When they started vinifying in small batches, Laura and her team were stunned by the results. “Many of these old vineyards were semi-abandoned,” says Laura. “But when we started bottling wine from their grapes, we were astonished by the concentration, balance, and distinctive character of each site.” A true labor of love, LUCA Wines was founded with a mission to save Mendoza’s historic vineyards.