Winemaker
Roberto de la Mota
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Luján de Cuyo, Argentina
i. Biography
In the work associated with Roberto de la Mota, Malbec sits at the center of the portfolio, but not as a closed category. The range extends into named bottlings such as La Gran Revancha Blend de Blancas and Mendel Semillón 2022, with Cheval des Andes also part of the consulting work that bears his name. The result reads less like a label inventory than a sustained study of place, variety, and memory.
Coming Up
Training at Montpellier, France, gave Roberto de la Mota a formal base before his career moved into some of the region’s more established houses. At Bodega y Cavas de Weinert, he worked as winemaker and vineyard manager from 1985–1994, a stretch that helped set the steady, exacting approach his name later carried. In 1994, he moved to Bodegas Chandon as vineyard manager, extending that work into a broader field. By 1996, he had become the creator of Terrazas de los Andes at Terrazas de los Andes, adding a line of authorship that linked vineyard and cellar. From 1999, he served as consultant at Cheval des Andes, working at the level where judgment matters as much as technique. Since 2002, Roberto has been partner of Mendel Wines, placing that experience within the structure of the estate itself.
Where They Are Now
In Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, Roberto de la Mota’s current role is winemaker, creator, and co-owner. The title fits a career that has moved between making wines and shaping their character from the ground up. Malbec remains the variety most closely associated with his work, and the language he uses around it is specific rather than inflated. Speaking about Luján and Malbec, Roberto de la Mota has said, "I think that in the particular case of Malbec, Luján gives it an aromatic character, in addition to the color, with fruit that recalls plum, strawberry, black cherries, and sometimes the fresh floral note of violet." The point is not theory but recognition: what the site gives, what the grape carries, what the glass shows. Structure and texture come through in the same measured register. Roberto de la Mota has said, "They are wines with good structure and good tannin, good volume, but always sweet, round, silky tannins." That balance is the argument: volume without excess, tannin without hardness, presence without weight. The named signature works include La Gran Revancha Blend de Blancas and Mendel Semillón 2022 and each sits inside the vocabulary by which his work is known. On one of those wines, Roberto de la Mota has said, "This wine is very important to me, not only for the wine itself, but for what it represents for the vineyard, the terroir, and the quality it has; it is also a bit of my father’s legacy." The line ties bottle to vineyard, but also to inheritance, without separating the two.
Career - partner — Mendel Wines (2002–present) - winemaker and vineyard manager — Bodega y Cavas de Weinert (1985–1994) - vineyard manager — Bodegas Chandon (from 1994) - creator of Terrazas de los Andes — Terrazas de los Andes (from 1996) - consultant — Cheval des Andes (from 1999) Education: Montpellier, France
Signature
Roberto's signature wines include Mendel Unus and Mendel Semillón 2022. Together, they show a winemaker whose reputation rests on depth and control, on wines that carry their message plainly.
In Their Words “I think that in the particular case of Malbec, Luján gives it an aromatic character, in addition to the color, with fruit that recalls plum, strawberry, black cherries, and sometimes the fresh floral note of violet.” “This wine is very important to me, not only for the wine itself, but for what it represents for the vineyard, the terroir, and the quality it has; it is also a bit of my father’s legacy.”
FAQ What is Roberto de la Mota's current role? As of 2026, Roberto de la Mota is winemaker, creator, and co-owner. Where did Roberto de la Mota train or study? Roberto de la Mota trained at Montpellier, France. What is Roberto de la Mota known for? Malbec.
