Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Candied-currant and sweet-tobacco aromas follow through to a full body with juicy fruit, a velvety tannin structure and a medium finish. Open and attractive now. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2019 Grand Cabernet Sauvignon, from Paraje Altamira and Perdriel, Mendoza, was aged for up to 12 months in French barrels. Garnet red in hue. The nose offers complex but clear notes of blackcurrant, mint and sweetbrier with hints of cedar, black tea and spice. In the mouth it’s relaxed and silky with a little grip and lots of flavor before the red fruit and mint finish. A red that delivers structure, flavor and agility.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Grand Cabernet Sauvignon has more balance, elegance and varietal character and what they mention on the label, high altitude vineyards. It shows a contained 13.5% alcohol, herbal and spicy aromas, balance and freshness. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals the typical grainy tannins from the variety. This is an improvement. 10,000 bottles were filled in January 2021 after spending 18 months in barrique and oak vat.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with grapes from high-altitude vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley, this Cabernet shows varietal expression. The nose is austere, but the palate is more generous, offering bay leaf, thyme, strawberry, raspberry and tobacco. It has a soft texture and a fresh finish.
At the end of the 1950s, the famous French Champagne house, Moët & Chandon, realized there was an enormous potential for growth in South America. They sent their wine analyst, Renaud Poirier, to study the possibility of expansion. Monsieur Poirier finally proved that Luján de Cuyo, a region within the province of Mendoza, was the best place for the birth of fine wines. In 1960, Chandon Argentina was established, the first subsidiary of Moët & Chandon outside France.
To make the Terrazas de los Andes wines, Chandon Argentina took the initiative to restore this building, located in the heart of Perdriel and at the foot of the imposing Cordón del Plata (a section of the Andes Mountain Range).
In the past, Chandon Argentina made only sparkling and generic still wines, however at the beginning of the '90s fueled by a political system more orientated towards an international market, a varietal wines project was born, to which Terrazas has now become the reality. Situated in Perdriel there is an old Spanish style winery that was used by Pedro Domecq to create his brandy. Renaud Poirier asked Domecq if he could use his equipment to make the first experimental vintages, between 1957 and 1959. Thirty years later Terrazas de los Andes was born, a tributary of Chandon Argentina dedicated exclusively to the production of varietal wines.
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.