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Tina and Brett
This highly polished wine results from a decades-long partnership between two of the wine world’s most respected families and represents the best of Old World meets New World wine.
The Caro wine is positioned as “A combination of two cultures, two families, and two grape varieties,” according to partner Baron Eric de Rothschild. As you dig deeper into the Caro brand, blending is a theme. There is the blending of the grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, a blending of the vineyard sites, and the blending of the unique identities of the Catena and Lafite-Rothschild wines. Even the name ‘Caro’ is a clever blend of ‘Catena,’ Nicolás’s last name, and ‘Rothschild,’ Eric’s last name.
The Caro blend is 74% Malbec and 26% Cabernet Sauvignon. That’s interesting because were this style of wine to be produced in Bordeaux, the grapes would be flipped, with the Cabernet providing the foundation. The choice to make a wine that leans into Malbec has to do with the way the grape reacts to the climate conditions in Mendoza – more on that below.
The first vintage of the Caro Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend, produced in 2000, marked the first collaboration between Nicolás Catena (Catena Wines), and Eric de Rothschild, owner of Lafite-Rothschild wines. The goal of the French-Argentine project was not necessarily to imitate Bordeaux but to evoke the style of Bordeaux with an Argentine shine.
Like the Lafite-Rothschilds, the Catena family has been growing grapes and making wine for generations, so working in partnership with another storied family seemed like a natural fit. Their intuition to work together has proved successful. Just a few years after the inaugural vintage of the Caro blend, a follow-up collaboration, Amancaya, was released.
Argentina has a long and colorful winemaking history that dates all the way back to the 16th Century. Today, the country’s Mendoza region has emerged as Argentina’s most prolific grape-growing region, producing over two-thirds of the country’s grapes! Of this massive bounty, there is one grape that reigns supreme: the Malbec grape.
Argentina loves Malbec, so much so that three out of every four grapes grown in Argentina are Malbec grapes. Interestingly, Argentina has had such success with Malbec that it inspired other countries to try their hand at cultivating this noble French grape. This multi-country enthusiasm led to a renaissance for the grape and elevated it from a humble French blending grape to a dominant blending grape.
At this point, you might be asking, what is it about Mendoza that Malbec responds so well to, and why is the grape so popular there?
The vineyards in Mendoza are planted at a high elevation at the edge of the Andes Mountains, and the grapes planted there mature fairly evenly, thanks to the moderate temperatures. Unlike other regions that experience extreme temperature spikes, which can send sugar levels through the roof, Mendoza has long days with full sun exposure but not hot sun exposure.
It’s also worth noting that Mendoza’s cool climate growing conditions give Malbec grapes a distinctly different flavor profile when compared to their French counterparts. Malbec from Argentina is typically fruit-forward and almost a little jammy. The wines also present softer notes of toasty milk chocolate and cocoa.
French Malbec, on the other hand, is known more for being tart and savory. Leather is frequently used as the primary descriptor for Malbec grown just outside of Bordeaux. These wines also have grippier tannins and more pronounced acidity.
Argentina
Mendoza
74% Malbec | 26% Cabernet Sauvignon.
14
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Large Bordeaux
2 Hours
Now to 2040
The 2017 Caro wine is a gorgeous, full-bodied ruby red wine. The nose is rich and earthy. Lots of black fruit popping from the glass, but also tempering notes of olive and earthy graphite. The intensity of the aromas are just a hair above average and offers a really nice first impression of what’s to follow.
The fact that Malbec takes such a starring role in this blend gives the wine a lush, dark fruit base. On the palate, you will find generous amounts of dark pitted fruits: black cherry, black currant, and plum – an intoxicating medley. Striking notes of black pepper, subtle licorice, and leather propel the palate forward. And, of course, that aging in 80% new oak contributes to soft rippling layers and a long, well-balanced finish.
This wine is great out of the bottle, but you can already see the aging potential here. We think this wine would benefit from a few more years in the bottle, but it is certainly providing a great preview of the characteristics it will exhibit when it’s at peak drinking age.
