CARO
The vintage
2020 vintage was historical in many ways. It has been the earliest vintage in the last 50 years!
Following a dry and prolonged mild winter at the foothills of the Andes, the sunny days of spring allowed for an early bud burst and flowering. The good weather prevailed over the rest of the season, with low rainfall.
The abnormally warm vintage, especially in March, led to our earliest vintage ever. All the berries reached phenolic ripeness in a very short time span. The absence of rain during the harvest allowed the grapes to reach the winery in excellent conditions. The harvest started on the 10th of March in Altamira and finished on the 26th of March in San Pablo.
Location
Nestled at the foothills of the snowcapped Andes mountains, Mendoza is known as the best wine producing region in Argentina. With vines planted on high plateaux between 800 and 1600m above sea level, Mendoza’s vineyards are amongst the highest in the world. Sheltered from the rain by the mountains to the West and the Pampa to the East, the region is very arid. Mendoza wines draw their character from an exceptional sun exposure and wide temperature variations between night and day.
Terroir
CARO vineyard comprises a plot of 8ha located in Altamira, in the Uco Valley, South of Mendoza. Vineyards are planted at 1000m above sea level, on the ancient alluvial bed of the Tunuyan River, and newer plots in Gualtallary at 1350m with alluvial soils, sandy with silt and calcareous on gravel and San Pablo at 1400m with alluvial sandy loam with silt shallow, stones in depth, presence of limestone.
Winemaking
CARO is made with the utmost care, just like our Bordeaux Grands Crus. CARO grapes come from selected sections of rows where the soil is layered with calcareous deposits as well as limestone, remnants of a river which used to flow through Altamira, and from selected sites in Gualtallary and San Pablo. Grapes are carefully selected and hand harvested.
After destemming, they are placed in temperature controlled stainless steel vats for alcoholic fermentation. Maceration lasts for a period of 20 days with gentle pump-over to ease tannin extraction and fix the color. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally in tanks, then about half the wine is transferred into French oak barrels made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac (18% new oak), 28% is placed in wooden vats and 25% in concrete vats for 14 months.
Grapes
Tasting
The nose reveals aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant and blueberry. On the palate, the wine exhibits excellent balance, soft tannins confer its elegant structure and persistent freshness contributes to the harmonious finish.
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