Winemaker Notes
Deep, brooding and intense garnet color with deep aromas of black currants framed by light French oak. Big, lush and concentrated with a core of red and black currant fruit. It has a range of layered flavors including dark chocolate, tobacco and cedar leading into a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of blueberry, hot stone and berry follow through to a medium body, lightly chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. A little lean in the center palate. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As with other wines, I tasted both the 2015 and 2016 vintages of the Brioso blend, and the 2015 Brioso showed the slightly riper and more generous character of the year. This wine is always produced with the grapes planted around the vineyard, but the blend varies slightly with the year. In 2015, it is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. The palate is round and polished, with moderate acidity.
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Wine Spectator
A fresh-tasting red, with concentrated flavors of cherry, raspberry and damson plum that feature some tobacco leaf notes. The vibrant finish offers engaging minerality, green olive accents and firm tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2022.
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.