The Cellar: Caro

Friday, April 03, 2015

Steffen Rasch, GoLocalWorcester Wine Writer

Nicolas Catena (left) & Eric de Rothschild.

In this installment of our ongoing series ‘The Making of a World Class Wine’ I am highlighting an interesting and very delicious red wine from Mendoza, Argentina. The wine, the 2010 Caro, is a blend in more sense than one as it is both a coming together of two wine cultures, (French and Argentine) as well as a wine that highlights the two countries (perhaps) most noble red grape varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The people behind this wine makes for the final blend as it is produced by two of the world’s most renowned wine families; Domaines Barons de Rothschild of Bordeaux, France and highly regarded winemaker Nicolas Catena of Argentina.

Argentinean wines are getting better and better. Until about 5 years ago a lot of the Malbecs available were inexpensive, ‘everyday’ kind of wines which had a (well-deserved) reputation of sometimes being too overbearingly straightforward and pleasing. Kind of like the Californian Merlots of the 1990’s, which means lush and soft with ripe (boarding sweet) fruit and very little structure. Most of these wines were made from grapes grown in the vast arid plains and along the foothills. Recently, however, better quality wines made from grapes soured from higher elevation vineyards are starting to make their way to local markets (look for wines that say Uco Valley or Salta on them). And the difference is noticeable. Elevation equals cooler climate – especially at night. This means that the vines have to struggle more. This results in more acidity and tannins. There is still plenty of sun however, so ripeness, aka luscious fruits, is not compromised.

As previously mentioned Caro is a blend. The proportions of Cab and Malbec vary from vintage to vintage depending on how the weather was during the growing season. In 2010 the wine was made from 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60% Malbec – all hand harvested. The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from two different vineyards; a 20-year-old vineyard in Agrelo located at 3,100 feet and a 30-year old vineyard in El Cepillo la Consulta located at 3,700 feet. Similarly, the Malbec also came from two different vineyards; a 12 year old vineyard in Tupungato at 4,600 feet elevation and a 53-year-old vineyard in Vistalba, at 3,600 feet. The two varieties were vinified separately and only blended together after the first racking. The wine then spent 18 months aging in French oak barrels, of which 60% were newly produced by Rothschild’s own cooperage.

This is an absolutely amazing wine. The nose offers mouthwatering aromas of mostly dark fruit, mint and cedar, with hints of smoked meats. On the palate the wine is dense and complex. There is a lot of rich dark fruit, notes of vanilla and mocha, alongside chewy tannins and persistent acidity throughout the finish, in other words plenty of structure. This is a young wine that can be enjoyed today (with aeration) but also has the structure to age and increase in complexity for another 5 – 10 years. Less than 6,000 cases were made of this wine which retails for around $40.

Cheers,

Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Feel free to email him at [email protected] with any wine-related question or learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings through the Providence Wine Academy.

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