Francisco “Pancho” Lavaque: principal winemaker and head of Vallisto winery, fifth generation of winemakers, graduated in Viticulture and Enology from the prestigious University of California, Davis. After several years working at his family winery, he decided to set out in search of the origins and to approach wine not only through its different varieties and flavours, but through the terroir itself. He understood that Salta wine needed to be reinterpreted, that it was necessary to listen to the land and to those who worked it and knew it. From this return to the origins and to the nature of Salta, Vallisto was born, a project launched in 2010 through the partnership between Pancho and British winemaker Hugh Ryman. In Quebrada de San Luis (on the western side of the Cafayate Valley), five vineyards were recovered and dedicated to an equal number of Malbec selections, together with a Torrontés vineyard. After a few years, Pancho took full control of the project, giving his wines a unique character. Today Vallisto is a project focused on boutique and signature wines, and Lavaque has returned to lead the prestigious family winery Bodega Lavaque, founded in 1870.