At the end of the 19th century, Sir Edmund James Palmer Norton recognised the potential of the Mendoza Valley, more precisely the Lujan de Cuyo appellation. Without further ado, he founded the Bodega Norton, which today is one of the oldest wineries in Argentina. Norton was right in his assessment: Lujan de Cuyo became the first classified appellation in Argentina. The first-class soils and the special climate offer excellent conditions for the production of premium wines. In 1989 an Austrian component was added: Gernot Langes-Swarovski visited the winery, convinced himself of the extraordinary conditions there and was the first foreign entrepreneur to invest in Argentine winegrowing. Today, Michael Halstrick runs the winery, whose vineyards are situated between 850 and 2,100 metres above sea level. "We recognize ourselves as instruments of nature. All our wines together show our climate, our soils and our versatile passion," explains Halstrick. Originally pressed as a family wine, the extraordinary Cuvée Privada from Malbec, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon is now the flagship of the winery, which was chosen by Wine Spectator 2006 among the best 20 wineries worldwide!
