Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Malbec - Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva is 50% Malbec, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot from Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley and was 50% aged for six months in used French and American 225/500-liter barrels and 50% in stainless steel and concrete vats. Garnet red with a purple sheen. The enticing nose delivers notes of plum, ash and green bell pepper. The 2021 is dry with finely-grained tannins. The taut, plush mouthfeel produces a bold, terse palate with a pyrazine-inflected finish.
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James Suckling
A firm and savory red with dried leaves, black olives, blackcurrants, spearmint and black beans on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, pleasantly austere and chewy.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2021 Sur de los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva shows good richness on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers sleek aromas and flavors of dried leaves, early summer blackberries, ripe cherries, and earthy notes. Try it with grilled lamb kebabs. (Tasted: June 14, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
In the shadow of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza’s wine regions and high-altitude vineyards are pushed to develop bold, unique flavors in extreme conditions found nowhere else on earth. High altitude means cool temperatures and clear air, and clear air means more sunlight for building flavor in the grapes, helping to make Mendoza the source of Argentina’s well-earned reputation for top quality, unique wines and viticulture. All of the grapes for Sur de los Andes are double sorted. They only use natural yeasts during the 30-day fermentation 30 days after 5 days of cold maceration.
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.