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YOUR VINEYARD ESTATE

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ABOUT US

Our Story

Dragonback Estate is the brainchild of Young Woo & Margarette Lee, founder and principal at Young Woo Associates respectively. Young is a visionary entrepreneur, architect and real estate developer with his childhood roots from Argentina and Paraguay. With their keen interest in art, wine, and nature they believe that Mendoza is where Napa Valley was 30 years ago and saw the potential to create a vineyard estate. Dragonback Estate allows you to realize the dream of owning your own stewarded vineyard and build your own villa on the estate. Mendoza, Argentina is considered one of the top ten wine destination around the world along with Napa in the US and Bordeaux, France to name a few. Argentina’s most highly rated Malbec wines originate from Mendoza’s high altitude wine regions of Lujan de Cuyo where Dragonback Estate is located. The District is located in the foothills of the Andes mountains between 2,800 and 5,000 feet (850 and 1,520 m) elevation and with ample water supplies from melted glaciers in the Andes which are some of the key ingredients in making premium quality wines.

The Project

Dragonback Estate is the quintessential Gentlemen’s Farm where wine is produced purely for its pleasure. With 820 hectares exclusive community of privately owned vineyards, Dragonback Estate is the world largest vineyard estate. It offers an affordable opportunity for wine enthusiasts and investors to steward the manufacturing of their own wine. Owners select their level of involvement in the wine production and rely on a turnkey system that manufactures and produces your wine based on your selection of grapes or literally get your hands dirty working side by side in the soil with our expert winemakers. It is your choice because after all, it is your vineyard. At the foothills of the majestic Andes lives a climate so perfect that it nurtures a soil so rich that it produces some of the world’s most divine grapes. These grapes when fermented with the most rigorous of wine-making techniques provides the wine consumer a luxurious escape to the foothills of the Andes. Imagine then owning a piece of that escape. Dragonback Estate is pleased to offer you that opportunity – to relish a lifestyle of producing your own wine to share with family and friends.

OUR VINEYARDS

SOIL

There is a wide temperature range between day and night in lands near mountain chains. This condition allows the grapes to reach an excellent concentration of tannins, which adds to the structure of the wine. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are the best adapted red varieties. The concentration, boldness and structure of these wines match perfectly with their softness, finesse and elegance. The exceptional quality of the vineyards results from the combination of the terroir, great sun exposure and wide temperature range of lands located at 3280 ft over the sea level. The great slope of the land of the piedmont area allows soil drainage. The soils of Alto Agrelo are deep, sandy and rocky with hardly any clay.

WATER

The water needed for the irrigation of the vineyards is drawn from drillings which depth goes from 295 ft to more than 720 ft. The underground aquifers are supplied by water from melted glaciers of the Andes mountain range. The quality of this water is perfect both for irrigation and human consumption.

CLIMATE

The semi-arid climate of this micro-region is cold in winter and hot in summer. Its climate is shaped by its altitude and distance from the Atlantic Ocean, and the fact that the Andes mountain range stands in the way of the humid winds coming from the Pacific Ocean. The annual precipitations are around 200 mm. The climatic conditions favor good color and tannins, making the wines suitable for prolonged aging.

THE RICHNESS OF MENDOZA

The best of Mendoza’s wine is produced in one of the most famous micro-regions in Alto Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo. At Alto Agrelo the altitude of 3,500 feet (1,050 meters) allows the grapes to mature slowly to ultimate perfection, developing complex yet subtle flavors. As a high altitude desert oasis, our vineyard enjoys truly privileged weather conditions.  With warm sunny days (over 300 days of sunshine and blue skies per year) and cool mountain nights, the extreme temperature difference encourages gradual maturation of the grapes thus yielding grapes suitable for premium wine making. Our vineyard is in an ideal site within Alto Agrelo, where the westerly evening air from the Andes mountain passes its cooling influence through the vines, continuing over our vineyard before being trapped in the lower land beyond. On the vineyard’s aspect, the natural composition of the terroir  provides a natural drainage because of the aluvional origin of the soil.

WHAT DO THE TOP WINERIES & EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OUR GRAPES

I am writing to you in order to inform you that the objective of Norton Winery S.A. is to continue buying the grapes from your vineyards. The winery aims to buy grapes of this season harvest and those of the years to come. The fruits obtained in the area of Luján de Cuyo, and particularly in the district of Alto Agrelo where your project is located, are of the highest quality, not only due to the natural and climatic conditions of the area, but also due to the cultural management that is applied to your vineyards. This has resulted in grapes with excellent sanitary condition and appropriate maturity and fills the requirements under which Bodega Norton SA winery works. Such qualities allow us to produce top wines that are internationally recognized. I am looking forward to forging a long-term relationship with you. Yours sincerely,

Gonzalo Ortiz Maldonado
Outsourcing Vineyard Chief
Bodega Norton

WHAT DO THE TOP WINERIES & EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OUR GRAPES

I am writing to you in order to organize a visit to the vineyards of your project since we are close to harvest 2017. This visit can be scheduled for late December, 2016 or in January of the next year. This is motivated by the fact that we are interested in buying your vineyards production. This is because we have bought excellent quality grapes from your vineyards in previous years which allowed us to produce top wines that are widely accepted in the market. i am looking forward to hearing your comments. Your sincerely,

Clodomiro Graffigna
Agricultural Engineer
FABRE S.A. WINERY

WHAT DO THE TOP WINERIES & EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OUR GRAPES

If there is one place on earth where all the optimum conditions for the development of a new and formidable wine industry – climate, soil, costs, human resources and Little bureaucratic regulation – exist together, that place, my friend, is Mendoza, Argentina.

Michel Rolland

BECOME AN OWNER

The dream of owning a part of the world largest vineyard estate can now be yours!


  • 1) Owning your own hectare has only become recently available to wine lovers.
  • 2) Carefully select your plot (minimum 1 hectare)
  • 3) Consult with our enologist on the grape varietals
  • 4) Consult with our agronomist on the best season to plant your grape
  • 5) Watch your plant mature and harvest within 3 years
  • 6) Make your wine

(Price upon request)

OUR TEAM

Developers

Youngwoo & Associates

Founded in 1979, the Manhattan based YOUNGWOO & ASSOSIATES (YWA) has identified and developed a variety of specialized real estate projects in the NY metro Area and throughout the United States. Rooted in innovative thinking and the ability to anticipate changes in the real estate market, the success of YWA has been the result of pioneering emergin markets, implementing bold initiatives with new technology and developmental strategies, and most importantly, the ability to recognize shifting real estate trends.

Enrique Gross – President of the Board, Chimpay S.A.

Mr. Gross serves as Youngwoo & Associate's President of LATAM, leading current projects and expanding new business development throughout Latin America. Prior to joining YWA, Enrique has held past positions as Permanent Secretary Holder for Argentina (MERCOSUR), Governor's State Counselor- in-Chief (Misiones, Argentina), and Chairman of Marandu Comunicaciones Sociedad del Estado's Board (Misiones, Argentina), among others. Enrique obtained a law degree from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Also, he has received a distinction from Law School - Universidad Nacional de Cordoba - (Ut Portet NomenMeum Coram Gentibus) and a First International Award from Academia Aragonesa de Legislacion y Jurisprudencia (Gascon y Marin) Spain

Michael Merola - Global General Counsel

Michael Merola is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Youngwoo & Associates. He joined the company in early 2017 bringing with him in excess of 20 years of legal experience structuring and negotiating real estate development and finance transactions for office, hospitality, residential and mixed use projects. As the General Counsel, Mike oversees all legal matters of the company and leads the company’s negotiation of acquisition and dispositions and financings. As Chief Operating Officer, Mike is involved in each aspect of the development process and is responsible for the coordination of senior development, construction, design and marketing officers throughout each facet of the development process. Mike graduated from Harvard Law School with distinction and received his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College. Mike is a frequent speaker on real estate development issues.

Eduardo Pose – Project Manager of Dragonback Development

Mr. Pose is an Agronomic Engineer with a degree from University of Cuyo. After working in Spain and Italy for two years, he worked for Tupungato Winelands as Project Manager.

Pablo Rubiani - Associate

Mr. Rubiani holds a B.S. in Finance & Economics from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. He comes from a diverse working background, having worked at the Central Bank of Paraguay, PwC, and at the Departments of Statistics and Sales for Retail S.A. – company that owns the largest supermarket chain in Paraguay. Mr. Rubiani also interned for Young Woo & Associates in 2016.

Agronomist Team

As part of the overarching goal of ensuring our vineyard receives the best attention, we are working with the leading agronomist & oenologist team in Latin America, Eno.Rolland. The team of Eno.Rolland is a leader in the field of oenology and linked to the most important vinicultural developments in the country and other wine regions. They include expert oenologists, agricultural engineers and laboratory viticulture scientists. Their entire team can be found at the following link: Enorolland.com.ar/equipo

Wine Makers

The following winemakers are the recommended winemakers for our current & future property owners.

Gabriela Celeste – Winemaker

Ms. Celeste is an Agronomic Engineer specialized in vitiviniculture. She worked in wineries situated in France, Italy and Argentina involved in oenological work as well as viticulture in each of those countries. She heads the consultancy Eno.Rolland which she was part of the founding partner along with the renown French oenologist Michel Rolland and Pascal Chatonnet. Eno.Rolland is the leading consultants in Latin America and considered one of the most important oenology consultants in the new world and having its own laboratory. She also has her own personal production of high-end wine called “Escarlata”.

Pablo Profili – Winemaker

Mr. Profili is the principle winemaker for Cavas de Chacras winery located in Chacras de Coria, Mendoza. He is a wine consultant for various wineries and wine label such as Aymuray, Bodega Chavee Bourras, and Chimpay. Previously he was a wine consultant for Casa Balduga, Renacer, and Bodega Andeluna Cellars. Pablo has his own brand named “El Profeta de su Tierra”.

GALLERY

CONTACT

Contact details

Mendoza Office: Capitán de Fragato Moyano 257, Barrio Bombal, Mendoza Argentina (M5500FQE)
NY: Office 545 W 25th St. 8th Floor NY, NY 10001 U.S.A.
+1-212-477-8008
info@dragonbackestate.com

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