Vina Alicia Morena Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
-
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Morena has the subtitle "seven clones" as it's produced with a blend of five Cabernet Sauvignon clones and two different clones of Cabernet Franc (12%) from their San Alberto estate vineyard in Lunlunta, Luján de Cuyo. They get natural low yields and the grapes were harvested and fermented separately. They blend the seven different wines before bottling. Malolactic was in new French oak barrels where the wine aged for six months separately and a further 12-14 months after the varieties were blended. There are notes of fresh herbs, hints of mint and a volatile touch. There are some floral notes, too, and a notable absence of green aromas with something distinct that I could not really define, somehow perfumed and balsamic, sometimes it seemed like nutmeg, other times like Cherry Coke... The palate has fine-grained tannins, with the classical Cabernet granularity. There is ripeness without excess, in fact, it's quite fresh for the year.
Other Vintages
2011-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
Alicia Arizu established Viña Alicia in 1996. With 25 years of research in both viticulture and wine making, she dedicated herself to creating Mendoza's most elegant wines from vineyards that have been in her family for 3 generations in Mendoza's Lujan de Cuyo.
Viña Alicia has two vineyards: "San Alberto" and "Viña Alicia" in Lujan de Cuyo. The geographical location, the type of soil and the regional climate place these lands among the most wanted lands of the world. Climate is template, Mediterranean, dry and the scarce rainfalls (180 mm, annual average) add up to the ideal conditions for vine growing. The soil origin is alluvial and has a loam-silty to sandy texture. Water for irrigation comes from the snow break in the high mountains of the Los Andes mountain range, through a unique irrigation system in the world. All these benefits plus water management according to the actual growing needs in terms of frequency and quantity make Lujan de Cuyo the first viticulture zone in Argentina.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.