Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with grilled or smoked meats such as beef, pork, and lamb, and dishes prepared with mild cheeses or wild mushrooms.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A little shy now but shows spice, dried meat, and earth character as well as flowers. Full body, firm tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Laborde Double Select Syrah is named after the massale selection used to plant the Syrah vines in a vineyard in La Consulta. The pergola-trained (parral) vines were planted some 70 years ago, so this is a single-vineyard wine from a plot still belonging to the Laborde family who are long-time grape suppliers of the Catenas. As winemaker Alejandro Vigil explained, the grapes were harvested at two different points of maturity, one bringing the spice and the other bringing the meat. The nose is ripe and quite heady, with aromas of plums and a lactic touch. The wine fermented in stainless steel with 20% full clusters and matured in barriques for 10 months during which time the wine was racked four times. The palate is medium-bodied, with some abundant, fine-grained, slightly dusty tannins.
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.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.