Our
Story

An Inspirational Landsape

Chani Wiggins and Paul Steinhauer visited Mendoza, Argentina in 2012, fell for the magnificent Andes, the people and of course, the wine.  They soon became vineyard owners as part of the Vines of Mendoza project and have been creating deeply colored, concentrated but fresh Malbec and Malbec blends from grapes grown above 3300 feet elevation in the Los Chacayes region in Uco Valley.

  • Steiniggins Vineyard

    The Steiniggins vineyard lies at 3450 feet (1050 meters) elevation at the foot of the Andes mountains. The high elevation results in intense sun and UV light and cool nights making for intensely colored wines with concentrated fruit and lifted acidity. Our soils are alluvial with a mix of sand,stones and clay producing a juicy,medium-bodied style of Malbec.

    As of 2024, the vineyard is fully organic. We aim for minimal intervention with the vineyard, striving for the purest expression of the terroir.

  • Winemaking

    Our Malbec and Malbec blends are medium to full bodied and reflect the authentic personality of our vineyard.

    The grapes are hand-picked, then destemmed and carefully sorted at the winery. They then go through cold pre-fermentation maceration for 5 days to tease out the color, aromas and flavors. Warm fermentation in stainless steel for two weeks, followed by maturation in traditional 225 liter French oak barrels, a proportion of new, second use and neutral for 9 months (TBD) to 15 months (Estrella Nocturna).

Meet the Team


  • FOUNDER

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  • CHIEF WINEMAKER

    Pablo Martorell has earned accolades from the Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast for the Vines Recuerdo label. Born and raised in Tunuyan, his resume includes prestigious Mendoza wineries Catnea Zapata and Nieto Senetir. Pablo worked with divisions of the Rothschild Group including Ch. de Lauret in Pomerol, Bordeaux, Ch. Peyre Lebade and Ch. Clarke in the Medoc. He also worked for the Napa Wine Company.


  • WINE DIRECTOR

    Mariana oversees all plans for winemaking and wine blending for TBD Wines and Estrella Nocturna. She is also winemaker (Onofri Wines), producing distinct, award-winning low-intervention wines from Mendoza. She previously worked at Chateau la Violette in Pomerol,Bordeaux, France and as sommelier in La Bourgogne in Punta del Este in Uruguay. She also completed winemaking internships in Napa Valley and France. Mariana and her husband live in her hometown of Mendoza.


  • AGRONOMIST

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