Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with purple hues, intense notes of fresh red fruit such as plums, cherries, blackberries, and currants, flavors consistent with the characteristics of this varietal seduce the mouth. With every sip it unleashes its full potential of wonderfully balanced acidity, fruit, and a hint of oak, combining silky tannins with an elegant structure and a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A shining ruby-purple color and aromas of rocky earth, spicy oak, blueberry, black plum and citrus peel make for a fine opening to this Uco Valley Cab Franc from a tough vintage. Powerfully built and fully extracted, this tastes of black plum, wild berry fruits, desert herbs and mixed spices. On the finish, it thins out, dries up and closes with clean lines and overall purity.
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.