Winemaker Notes
Aromas of cassis with mint notes and oak. Medium-bodied and classically structured with good density. The Cabernet fruit melds seamlessly with the Malbec, creating a well-structured and balanced blend with moderate tannins and a lengthy finish.
This blend will pair well with any Cab-friendly dishes such as steak, pork, lamb, and strong cheeses. It can handle any dish with cream or butter sauces.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Large-scale berry aromas are foresty and mossy, with a black pepper note providing spice. This Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon blend is dense and chewy, with bright acidity affording balance. Blackberry and cassis flavors are full and fresh, not baked and jammy. On the finish, this is at one moment savory and the next it's slightly raisiny. Drink through 2025.
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James Suckling
Fresh herbs, freshly-picked blackcurrants, spices, nutmeg and cedar. Firm and structured on the palate with pretty acidity, lots of blue and red fruit and a mineral-driven finish. Cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and malbec. Drink in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Beso de Dante is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from vineyards in Vista Flores and Altamira in the Valle de Uco. It's floral and expressive, open and very nicely integrated, with a notable absence of herbal notes, just a bit of spiciness (think paprika). This is a compact blend with power and finesse, with very good balance. When I mentioned how integrated the wine felt, they confessed the grapes had been co-fermented. Go figure! The Cabernet was more evident after the wine had been in the glass for a good 15 minutes.
Rating: 92+
Laura Catena is a fourth generation winemaker who grew up in a traditional Argentine-Italian winemaking family in Mendoza. Laura splits her time between Mendoza and San Francisco, California, where she is an emergency physician, university professor and occasional tango dancer. Laura had the vision of creating a new breed of Argentine wines: small quantities, artisan quality, and true to their individual terroirs. A pioneer of small-grower relations in Mendoza, Laura's incredible, limited production wines come from some of Argentina's best fruit from low-yield, high-elevation, family-owned vineyards. The wines are named after her children - Luca, Dante and Nicola - and symbolize her love for her family. The background of the label is the McDermott coat of arms of her American husband, Daniel McDermott.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.