Cabernet Franc Appellation Series San Carlos
2019
At heart, Catena is a story about family. Family who poured their lives, passion, and spirit into transforming scrub-laden desert into some of the most beautiful and unique vineyards in the world. Family that passed their knowledge from generation to generation, blending collective memory with state-of-the-art science from the new world of viticulture. Family who, through risk-taking, faith, and a little luck, transformed their treasured Mendoza terroir into the fountainhead of the...
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Family vintners for over 100 years, the Catenas are recognized for their pioneering role in high-altitude viticulture in Argentina. This Cabernet Franc is sourced from the family´s historic vineyards in San Carlos. Here, the sandy-loam soils and mountainous climate yield a wine with concentrated ripe red berries, a touch of eucalyptus and black pepper, robust tannins and smooth lengthy finish.
Elegant aromas of spices and fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, red berries, cassis and raspberries, with layers of cedar on the nose. The mouthfeel is full and rich with cassis and raspberry flavors accompanied by notes of black pepper and oregano. The finish is bright and fresh with finely grained tannins.
The incredible 2019 Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc is super elegant, fresh, varietal, nuanced and complex. A wine like this often costs more money than the price point of the appellation range, but it feels like a bargain anyway. This is an updated version of the 2018, with precision and symmetry. It's vibrant and lively, velvety and focused.
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The 2022 Cabernet Franc Appellation San Carlos originates from a massal vineyard planted in the southern Uco Valley. Fermented with 30% whole clusters and aged for up to 13 months in French oak barrels (with approximately one-third of them being new), this garnet wine with a purplish sheen offers aromas of ash, roasted red pepper and cassis, with a subtle leafy undertone. Creamy and juicy, the taut and fine-grained palate lingers with intense flavor. This is a savory Cabernet Franc from San Carlos.
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The peppery, spicy ad elegant 2019 Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc is fresh, varietal, nuanced and complex while keeping the alcohol to a moderate 13.6%, which makes it attractive and easy to drink, with nice balance and very fine tannins. I usually like the precision and symmetry in this lively wine that has a velvety mouthfeel.
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This has a fruity nose of ripe blueberries, cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and currant leaves. Medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and finely knit tannins. Fleshy and flavorful. Zesty finish.
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The 2020 Cabernet Franc Catena Appellation San Carlos is made with grapes from three vineyards planted in alluvial soils rich in calcium carbonate and aged for eight months in French barrels. The attractive nose presents ripe redcurrant with hints of country herb, mint and a touch of jalapeño followed by subtle aromas from the aging process. The compact palate offers chalky tannins and a very finely grained texture. A precise freshness adds energy in the mouth and enhances the juiciness
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The 2020 Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc shows more freshness than the majority of other 2020. It has contained ripeness and moderate acidity, but the sensation of freshness goes beyond the acidity reading. It shows varietal character, peppery and spicy, with very fine tannins. 60,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October and November 2020 after eight months in French oak barrels.
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A very juicy cabernet franc with fresh red cherries, olives and spice box. Very expressive and chalky on the palate with a medium body and a linear finish. Some white pepper at the end.
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The 2021 Cabernet Franc Catena Appellation San Carlos spent eight months in a third new barrels. Garnet red in hue. The aromas feature ash, hints of bell pepper, jalapeño, jam and chutney. It’s well put together on the palate with a compact, slightly unctuous flow that lingers at its leisure. The finish is a repeat of the nose.
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The San Carlos Vineyard in the Uco Valley, near the foot of the Andes, is rich in sand and calcareous deposits and that’s evident in this cabernet franc, a variety that seems to be very comfortable at those heights (more than 1,000 meters up) and in those mountain desert conditions in Uco, in southern Mendoza. The tannins have the texture of chalk, while the flavors are ripe and tempered by the local sun. The herbal notes of cabernet franc appear toward the end of the finish, providing freshness and complexity
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Dark berries, such as blackberries, with hints of lemon grass and violets on the nose, following through to a medium body with fine tannins and a fresh, bright finish. Pretty balance to this. Supple.
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A Cabernet Franc from San Carlos in the Uco Valley, aged in 35% French oak. A wine born of the sun and the cold, offering aromas of raspberry and sour cherry contained within cigar box notes. Smooth on the palate, delivering well-calibrated freshness and firm, fine, grippy tannins that emphasize an open, diaphanous expression with just a little hint of chalk. A flavorful wine.
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A rich, dark-plum and purple-berry nose here with violets and spiced currants, as well as freshly baked biscuits. The palate has such clarity and openness with smoothly delivered, fresh, ripe plums at the gently spicy finish. Drink now.
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