Winemaker Notes
#88 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of blueberry and black currant are focused yet intense on the nose. The saturated palate brings dark plum and light herbal flavors that only improve with airing before finishing on a lingering note of mint. Drink through 2030.
-
Wine Spectator
A strapping red, with hints of hot stone and plenty of Asian spice notes to the snappy red currant, dried cherry and red plum flavors. The minerally finish features an enveloping savoriness that lingers. Long and fresh. Drink now through 2022. 3,000 cases made, 1,700 cases imported.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
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.