CARO 2013

Professional Ratings

• 96 James Suckling
  Extremely beautiful aromas of dried flower, currant, fresh leather and some tar. Full body with silky tannins that give a beautiful texture that leads to ripe currant, orange peel and incense. Complex and complete. 50% malbec from Agrelo and 50% cabernet sauvignon from Valle de Uco. So beautiful now but will age gracefully.
• 95 Decanter
  It is a complex wine with a rich ruby-red colour and aromas of ripe red fruit, liquorice, blackcurrant and graphite alongside a hint of anise. The oak contributes a toasty layer. On the palate, it’s flavoursome with a good body and moderate freshness. The tannins are still firm and a touch astringent. The finish is lengthy with a lingering, spicy aftertaste. In 2013, Caro was a 50-50 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. Aged for 18 months in barrels from the DBR Lafite cooperage.
• 94 Wine & Spirits
  This is one of the best vintages of Caro, the joint venture between the Catena family of Mendoza and Lafite from Bordeaux. Half of the wine is cabernet sauvignon from Altamira, in the heights of Uco Valley, providing a firm structure, the other half is malbec from old vines in Las Campuertas, adding all the notes of violets and sour cherries that one can find in the best Luján de Cuyo malbec. The red fruit and floral notes outline the contours of a wine that seems athletic and tight rather than fat. Cellar this for five years or more; it will continue to gain in complexity.
• 91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  As I saw with Amancaya, the 2013 Caro, which is the flagship wine and a blend of 50/50 Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, had some faint animal aromas intermixed with red and black cherries and a spicy twist, some hints of roasted sesame seeds and smoke. They have been progressively lowering the amount of new oak used, which was about 65% in 2013. In 2016, the wine was sourced exclusively from Altamira, but in 2013 it was still Malbec from a very old vineyard in Las Compuertas and Cabernet Sauvignon from Altamira. 30,000 bottles were filled after 18 months in oak, in December two years after the harvest. Rating: 91+
• 90 Wine Spectator
  Offers a spicy nose, with flavors of dark plum, blackberry and currant, accented by plenty of Asian spice notes. Chocolate and dried mint details show on the lithe finish, accented by hints of curry. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2019.