CARO 2015 (750ML)

94 WA / 94 JS / 93 VM

Caro is the collaboration between the Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Catena. It is 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the Mendoza region of Argentina.

The eponymous flagship 2015 Caro is a blend of Malbec with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. As 2015 was a very challenging year for Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage has more Malbec than in the past, which seems to have given it extra freshness. The percentage of Malbec has been creeping up since 2012, which has moved the profile toward more red fruit and freshness, and at the same time, they have been reducing the amount of new oak used. It comes from the oldest plots in their vineyards in Paraje Altamira and Las Compuertas. It fermented in stainless steel with neutral yeasts, including malolactic. The élevage lasted 18 months and was in French barriques produced by the Domaine Lafite, of which 60% were new and the rest second use. This is my favorite vintage of Caro so far, always an elegant and classical blend but now with an extra dimension of freshness. It has harmony and balance for a positive development in bottle. It's still young, but it's certainly approachable. 38,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2016.LG – The Wine Advocate

The smoke and currant character of this wine is impressive. Some blackberries and fresh herbs, too. Oak showing now. Full-bodied, tight and linear with juicy tannins. Needs three or four year to polish the finish. More malbec (85%) in the blend than usual, and the rest cabernet sauvignon. Drink in 2020. James Suckling

(14% alcohol; aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new): Bright, dark red-ruby. Deeper on the nose than the 2015 Amancaya by a wide margin, offering aromas of cassis, licorice, graphite, mocha and tobacco leaf. Richer and deeper on the palate too, boasting excellent flesh and concentration as well as subtle sweetness to its blackcurrant and mineral flavors. Boasts lovely clarity and inner-mouth lift and spreads out horizontally on the back end, vibrating and building. The tannins are refined and not all austere; this distinctly Old World style of Malbec should evolve slowly and gracefully. Stephen Tanzer – Vinous Media