Cara Sur Parcela La Totora 2018
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Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The thing with the very pale and subtle 2018 Parcela La Totora was love at first sight. It comes from a very small plot of extremely old Criolla Chica vines that produced an unusually pale red (some would call it a rosé), super aromatic, floral, perfumed, expressive and captivating. It was superbly textured, with unusual finesse and chalky tannins that make you salivate. It's long, tasty, clean and delicious and among the best Criolla Chica/País/Listán Prieto I have ever tasted. It has enough fruit and austerity and lots of purity. Bravo! It fermented and matured exclusively in concrete egg, which seems to respect the character of the delicate wine.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Cara Sur Parcela La Totora is a usual red wine produced from Criolla Chica—aka known as Mission in California. TASTING NOTES: Starting with a light red/orange color, this wine brings a savory spice, tart red fruit aroma, and flavor to the fore. Enjoy its crisp finish with delicately spiced fried chicken. (Tasted: April 11, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
Cara Sur was formed in 2011 as a partnership between two couples inspired to revive ancestral vines and produce wines from traditional Argentine varietals. Sebastián Zuccardi and Marcela Manini teamed up with Nuria Año Gargiulo and Pancho Burgallo, an avid mountaineering couple who live in Barreal, in the Calingasta Valley of San Juan, north of Mendoza. They produce wines from 80 year old vines of Moscatel, Moscatel Negro, Bonarda Piedmontese, and Criolla Chica (the Argentine iteration of Pais). The vines are Parral trained, a ceiling-trellised system that provides shade and maximizes airflow. The vineyard sits alongside the Los Patos River on stony soil at 1500 meters above sea level. The Cara Sur wines are made in a tiny winery next to Pancho and Nuria’s home where they produce small quantities with minimal intervention. Sebastian and Marcela regularly make the trip north to work alongside Pancho and Nuria. The quartet are producing some of the most unique wines from one of the most underrated microclimates of Argentina. Cara Sur translates to South Face and refers to the more challenging approach to Cerro Mercedario one of Argentina’s tallest peaks, which can be seen from Barreal.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
This very hot and arid region produces fine red wines from Bonarda, Syrah and Malbec and solid, fruity white wines from Pinot grigio, Viognier and Chardonnay.