Wine Spectator: What was your first vintage in the wine business?
Roberto de la Mota: My first vintage was in 1979, at 19 years old--my last year in high school.

WS: What got you interested in being a winemaker?
RM: All my childhood was [spent] in a winery. My father was a winemaker for a big winery called Arizu , and every day after school I was in the winery, sharing time with workers and [performing] cellar activities. It's difficult to say why, but I loved the vineyards and wines.

WS: What other wineries have you worked at, prior to starting your own?
RM: My first job was at Bodega y Cavas de Weinert as a winemaker and vineyard manager. I worked there with my father Raul from 1985 until 1994. In 1994 I was contacted for Bodegas Chandon as a vineyard manager, and in 1996 I started with the still-wines project, creating Terrazas de los Andes . In 1999 we developed Cheval des Andes , the Château Cheval-Blanc and Terrazas de los Andes joint venture. In 2003 I started my own project, Bodega Mendel.

WS: Who have been your biggest influences as a winemaker?
RM: Undoubtedly my father, but after him [Bordeaux wine consultant] Emile Peynaud, who was my father's friend. [Peynaud] visited Mendoza several times. Also my teacher in viticulture, Denis Boubals, in Montpellier, who passed on to me his love for the vineyard.

WS: What years was your father the winemaker at Bodegas Weinert?
RM: My father started with Weinert winery in 1976 and he worked there until 1997. In 1989 he passed on to me a lot of responsibilities in winemaking and operations.

WS: How has it been following in his footsteps? Have the two of you ever compared your wines to his?
RM: With my father I learned about quality, strict in all the details from the vineyards until the bottle, and obviously to love Malbec. Undoubtedly [the Weinert wines made by my father] are very different from mine. My father loves big barrels (25 to 60 hectoliters) and certain evolutions (mature flavors) in wines, but he [taught] me about finesse and elegance. My wines are younger, with more fresh fruit and less evolution, but I continue to try making wines with structure and concentration--but elegant at the same time.

WS: What is your favorite food pairing with Argentinean Malbec?
RM: Like many Argentineans I love good steak--it's simple, but one of the best combinations.

WS: What is your favorite wine (other than one of your own)?
RM: Château Cheval-Blanc St.-Emilion 1982 . I had one bottle two months ago and it was spectacular!

WS: If you could be one other person in the wine business for one day, who would it be, and why?
RM: Very difficult question, but probably, Emile Peynaud during his days at Lafite Rothschild or Chateau Léoville Las Cases . Why? Because I love to blend wines