December 28, 2021 - Picked up a couple of these a few years back as the price was low and the critic’s scores high (thankfully my buying approach has evolved since then)
Lots of fruit here but seems out of balance and a sort of sucrosity dominates the palate. Would need more complexity/structure to be something I’d rate highly, will update on day 2 as thoughts evolve.
March 20, 2021 - Sour cherry finish. Smooth start. Not my fave
January 21, 2021 - Very well made wine. Great palate of black fruit and well structured. Not very cab franc in its flavor profile and not overly distinct in terms of sense of place but at this price point, it's a fantastic value that will please many.
October 20, 2020 - A tremendous value -- great fruit, structure
October 8, 2020 - a little disappointing. Tannic and very little fruit. perhaps not ready. Will wait a year and try again.
August 28, 2020 - This exceeded expectations a bit. Definitely has the sense of terroir, quite sweet and open fruit, quite drinkable now. Crowd-pleaser.
June 4, 2020 - Aside from the extra bitter oak notes on this, I couldn't tell the difference between this and the malbec bottling. No sense of place and no varietal character at all. Definitely a downgrade from the malbec bottling.
May 28, 2020 - Cabernet Franc might well be my favourite red varietal, and this is a fine expression of the varietal from Mendoza. It has the sort of electric verve that is so common to the higher Argentinean altitudes, expressed in part through lively acidity, and in contrast it doesn't really have the rooted earthiness of, say, traditional Loire versions, but there's also a good deal of authenticity expressed through notes of blackberry and other ripe dark fruit, tobacco, herbs, and pepper, along with menthol and a hint of smoke, while time brings out a meatiness on the palate reminiscent of Syrah. There isn't great depth, but the structure is solid, the length is good, and overall it's pleasantly restrained for an Argentinean wine (generally speaking).
April 8, 2020 - Unexpectedly bitter, lacked depth, body. Hard to find any classic cab franc notes in this one
April 6, 2020 - 88 pts - cherry, plum, cedar