2018 Pelleriti Signature Cabernet Franc

Marcelo Pelleriti is the only Latin American winemaker to have earned a 100-point Parker rating, given for his 2010 Pomerol from La Violette in Bordeaux. After more than 30 harvests in Argentina, France, and Spain, he has learned what it takes to work the vineyards and obtains excellent results in the production of his world-famous wines.

His experience with Cabernet Franc in both Bordeaux and Argentina has made him a master of Cab Franc, and this 2018 version from his eponymous winery in Mendoza’s Uco Valley is the culmination of that experience. It holds up to big reds in regions like Bordeaux and California. Born from the soils of the high elevation Vista Flores vineyard in Uco Valley which is rich with loamy-silty soils that are alluvial in origin with gravel in the subsoil and calcareous deposits, the wine is earthy, dense, concentrated, and mesmerizing.

This wine is a stellar example of the excellence that Argentinian Cab Franc can be. But unlike the big reds that it’s comparable to in regions like Bordeaux and California, its price is a stellar example of value. While Uco Valley is well respected, it simply does not command the price tag that Napa or Bordeaux wines do. Smart wine lovers know, though, that a 95-point Cab Franc from Uco Valley—particularly one crafted from a rockstar winemaker like Pelleriti—drinks way above its price and is one of the smartest wine buys around.

Aging: 80% ages in French oak barrels for 12 months. 6-month bottle storage.

Tasting Notes: 100% Cabernet Franc. Bright, deep ruby red. Blueberry and dark-berry aromas on the nose. Full-bodied, vivid, and balanced on the palate, with some blackberry undertones and an energetic finish.

Check out Greg Martellotto's Interview with Marcelo Pelleriti: The Only South American Winemaker to receive 100pt Score