Cara Sur Moscatel Tinto 2019
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Moscatel Tinto from the Finca R. Maggio was harvested the first week of March and fermented with foot-trodden full clusters and indigenous yeasts in concrete eggs. The élevage was in egg and lasted some eight months. This is notably riper than the Criolla, but the alcohol and ripeness doesn't show. In fact, this is paler than the 2020 and looks more like a Criolla, as they worked with some pressed juice, not with 100% of the skins, and in a very reductive way. This is faintly riper than the 2020. The plants are scattered in different vineyards and it's hard to pick everything at the same ripeness, as the grapes have to ferment together because of the small volume. 2,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2019.
Other Vintages
2020-
Robert
Parker
Cara Sur was formed in 2011 as a partnership between two couples inspired to revive ancestral vines and produce wines from traditional Argentine varietals. Sebastián Zuccardi and Marcela Manini teamed up with Nuria Año Gargiulo and Pancho Burgallo, an avid mountaineering couple who live in Barreal, in the Calingasta Valley of San Juan, north of Mendoza. They produce wines from 80 year old vines of Moscatel, Moscatel Negro, Bonarda Piedmontese, and Criolla Chica (the Argentine iteration of Pais). The vines are Parral trained, a ceiling-trellised system that provides shade and maximizes airflow. The vineyard sits alongside the Los Patos River on stony soil at 1500 meters above sea level. The Cara Sur wines are made in a tiny winery next to Pancho and Nuria’s home where they produce small quantities with minimal intervention. Sebastian and Marcela regularly make the trip north to work alongside Pancho and Nuria. The quartet are producing some of the most unique wines from one of the most underrated microclimates of Argentina. Cara Sur translates to South Face and refers to the more challenging approach to Cerro Mercedario one of Argentina’s tallest peaks, which can be seen from Barreal.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
This very hot and arid region produces fine red wines from Bonarda, Syrah and Malbec and solid, fruity white wines from Pinot grigio, Viognier and Chardonnay.