THE ORIGIN STORY

Ray Kaufman worked as a winemaker atLaurel Glen for over 20 vintages. He dreamed of making a more delicate style of Argentine Malbecand in 2005 began the Adelante project with the purchase of the Don Eugenio Vineyard. At 3200 ft in the Andes, in the La Consulta appellation of the Uco Valley region, the vineyard was 59 years old at purchase from the family that first planted it. The vineyard s celebrated its 80th birthday in 2026.   

Adelante translates as moving forward, and in an era of increasing corporate ownership, our story of the individual with a dream resonates. 

HERITAGE VINEYARD

A heritage vineyard is a new cagory. It is a marriage of history, terroir, and vine,. Replanting using the vineyard clone or cutting is essential to the category, preserving the DNA of the past to assure future continuity.

When Ray acquired the vineyard it had been overcropped and unattended. He set about improving the vineyard. He changed the trellising to a mixture of Guyot and Cordon to raise up the fruit section, enabling the grapes to fully mature and improve the picking conditions. 

As environmental concerns emerged to the forefront, steps were taken to convert to organic farming and from the 2024 vintage the vineyard achieved full organic certification. 

WINE STYLE

Our goal is to make an old vine Argentine Malbec that is internationally accepted showing California sensibility.   A balanced expression of our terroir showcases the cool blue fruit, some spice with a lingering finish found in our La Consulta region.  As people often tell us, Adelante is not a typical Argentine Malbec.  The flavor and structure separate us from most commercial style wines.

WINE MAKING

Depending on the harvest, we strive to pick at 24 brix, with a medium alcohol of 13.5%.   Each vintage has its own character.  We pick based on the balance of the fruit rather than numbers.  We ferment with native yeasts only, utilize natural occurring ML, and only add SO2 after ML is complete. To accent freshness, 70% is stored in stainless steel while 30% sees new oak. The wines are made and bottled in Argentina and are then shipped to California.  We use the same approach as found in premium Napa and Sonoma wines while respecting the traditions and culture of Argentina.

DISTRIBUTION

Adelante is a quality everyday wine that people who drink fine wine appreciate.  Given our story, an 80 year old Heritage Vineyard, a distinctive wine of place, it is difficult to find a comparable story or wine in our price range.  Our range of quality, small to midsized U.S. and international distributors, demonstrates our appeal.

THE FUTURE

An 80 year old heritage vineyard, a distinctive wine of place— it is difficult to find a comparable wine story in our price range.  We believe our future is rooted in the past yet we are always “moving forward”, striving to make a wine that appeals to quality wine consumers around the world. Adelante!