Caro

CARO was born of the alliance between two wine cultures (French and Argentine), two noble grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec), and two renowned wine families, Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite and Nicolás Catena. Both vignerons since the 19th century, these two powerful organizations have combined their deep knowledge of Mendoza’s high-altitude terroir and the art of winemaking to create a unique portfolio of wines: CARO, Amancaya, and Aruma. Two noble grapes, two families, one dear and elegant portfolio of wines.

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 1200m A.S.L. Mendoza wines draw their character from an exceptional sun exposure and wide temperature variations between night and day. CARO vineyard is a plot of 8ha located Altamira, in the Uco Valley, South of Mendoza. Vineyards are planted at 1000m A.S.L., on the ancient alluvial bed of the Tunuyan River. During the season, Spring was mostly characterized by wet and cold conditions, which led to delayed growth. The ripeness period was marked by rainfalls: intermittent showers alternating with sunny days characterized this final period before harvesting. These conditions during maturity required the winegrowers to monitor the development of mildew or botrytis, in order to correctly anticipate the decision to harvest.

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. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally in tanks, then the wine is transferred into French oak barrels made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac (80% new oak) for a period of 18 months.

The nose is complex with aromas of red fruits, figs, and delicate notes of blueberries. On the palate the wine is well balanced and round, with soft tannins and refreshing acidity, displaying good density and persistence.