Cara Sur 2021 'La Totora' Criolla Chica (Pais), Barreal

Item Number: 18048

UPC: None

Country: Argentina
Region: San Juan
Sub Region: Calingasta Valley
Appellation/AVA: Barreal
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2021
Grape(s): 100% Criolla Chica (Pais)
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13.5
Soil Type: Alluvial with quartz
Elevation: 4920 ft
Case Production: 100

Vineyard Notes: Grapes come from a 0.9 acre parcel, Parcela La Totora, of the Paraje Hilario vineyard, planted around 1930. Vines are trained to pergola (or parral as it's called locally). The vineyard is located at 4,920 feet above sea level and the soil is alluvial with quartz.

Winemaking Notes: Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with native yeasts with 30% whole clusters. The wine ages for 8 months on its lees in concrete egg followed by 1 year in bottle. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: The nose is lifted with notes of strawberry, caramel, rose petals, dark cherry, and fresh cracked white pepper. The palate is light and bright with strawberry and fig with and an underlying fresh wet earth component that leads to a long finish with moderate tannin.

Reviews

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94 (11/30/2022)
    The pale red (almost rosé!) 2021 Parcela La Totora is floral, aromatic and elegant, captivating with its strong personality, complex nose and harmonious palate, a wine that really surprises most people. It was produced with the grapes from a very small plot of extremely old Criolla Chica vines on colluvial soils picked at two times, the first half from the higher part fermented destemmed and the second one from the lower and cooler part with full clusters. It's elegant, aromatic and fine-boned, among the best examples of Criolla Chica/Listán Prieto/País out there; it has light and energy, with lots of inner strength. Bravo! They didn't produce this wine in 2020. They bottled 1,200 bottles in December 2021 after maturing in concrete for eight months.