François Lurton

Signature

The named wines — Chacayes, Piedra Negra Gran Malbec, and Piedra Negra Malbec Reserva — point to a style built on origin rather than decoration. François's work here is about keeping identity legible in the glass, with structure serving the site instead of masking it. Each bottling reads as part of the same discipline: translate terrain cleanly, and leave the rest alone.

In Their Words “I'm a winegrower, and my goal is to express the terroir.” That line states the method plainly. It puts emphasis on the ground, the vineyard, and the task of rendering their character without excess. “In Argentina, we’re like California 30 years ago.” The comparison frames Argentina as a place of active development, where technique, trial, and possibility are all still in play.

Recognition

The period with Nicolás Catena in Argentina and the years spent making his own wines at Bodegas Escorihuela until 1996 formed the early working base of François Lurton's career. Renting space at Bodegas Escorihuela in Argentina was a practical arrangement, and a useful one: it let the wines take shape while the production realities were still being negotiated. For an artisan, that kind of setup matters. It is where approach gets tested against volume, timing, and the constraints of making. Since 2007, François has served as manager of overseas projects for J.&F. Lurton. The role extends his work across borders, but the underlying aim has stayed fixed. Whether through J.&F. Lurton, Nicolás Catena, or Bodegas Escorihuela, the thread is the same: keep the focus on place, and let terroir carry the message.