2016 - Bodegas CARO

The cedary nose of the 2016 Caro transported me to the wines from Bordeaux, and the explanation might be because the blend is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Malbec—the highest percentage of Cabernet in the history of Caro. This has very good complexity; it feels young (Cabernet tends to develop at a slower pace than Malbec), even though it matured in 100% new oak the oak is very integrated. The barriques are only produced by the Lafite barrel makers, and there is great care in the selection of the wood and the toast; the barrels are designed to produce a more elegant style of wine, subtle and harmonious, with a notable absence of toasted and smoky aromas. This wine is polished and sleek, but there is nice balance to develop nicely in bottle for a good decade. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2017.

Bright, dark red-ruby. Captivating violet lift to the complex aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, cocoa powder and nutty, cedary, coconutty oak, with a pyrazine element adding complexity without overshadowing the wine's fruit. Then juicy, dry and tight in the mouth, showing less early sweetness than the 2017 Amancaya Reserve. With its inky and herbal notes and savory peppery tobacco leaf character, this very stylish but laid-back wine needs at least a few more years in bottle to unwind. Layered and complex but hard to taste today: I suspect this wine will ultimately merit a higher rating. This joint project of Lafite-Rothschild and Nicolas Catena is distinctly claret-like in 2016. (aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% second-use Château Lafite barrels)

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.Very exuberant and appealing nose of crushed blackcurrant, graphite and violets. A fig and dark-cherry palate with rounded soft tannins and some chalky notes. A lovely ‘old meets new’ style which has a lovely juicy sweetness to the palate. The oak still needs to integrate, so leave for a few years to settle. (AC)