TASTING NOTES
This inaugural vintage Cabernet Franc is the third of their three ‘rare varieties & limited edition’ wines. Of this vintage only 1626 bottles were made. The wine is true to the variety with bell pepper, graphite and plum notes held together in a velvety medium body. A well structured Cabernet Franc with great potential for ageing.
Decero Mini Ediciones are three single varietal wines of Petit Verdot, Tannat and Cabernet Franc. These varieties have long been respected around the world for their contribution to red wine blends. We planted these varieties, recognizing their potential to layer nuances in our icon blend ‘Decero Amano’. However from our first vintage of 2006, the calibre of the Petit Verdot was evident and justified its individual expression, inspiring us to release our first Decero Mini Ediciones wine. The three Decero Mini Ediciones wines have garnered acclaim and recognition amongst the top sommeliers, wine writers, the Institute of Masters of Wine and the Court of Master Sommeliers as authentic and benchmark expressions of their respective variety.
VINTAGE
On the lead up to vintage 2017, Mendoza experienced a moderate and dry winter with temperatures slightly above average. During the
following cold, dry spring, the later development of Cabernet Franc meant it was unaffected by the early spring frost. The quality of 2017 Cabernet Franc is marked in the perfect balance of the fruit which had vibrant acidity and lifted freshness of aromas and flavours.
FOOD PAIRING
PRODUCER
What was once a bare patch of soil in the foothills of the Andes has been transformed into a remarkable single-vineyard estate. Decero, meaning “from scratch”, consists of one hundred hectares of vineyard newly planted in 2000 on this favoured site. The winery is state-of-the- art, having been equipped for the début 2006 vintage, and the gentle, hands-on approach in the vineyard continues throughout the process. The result is wines of elegance and sophistication; seductively textured and freshly aromatic. With such quality emerging after only one vintage, this is definitely a new name to watch.
VINEYARD
Located at over 1050 metres above sea level, in the renowned Mendoza appellation of Agrelo, the Remolinos Vineyard takes its name from ‘remolinos’ – whirlwinds which keep the grapes dry and in perfect condition before being handpicked each vintage. The soils are silty clay over sandy gravels. All the vineyard work is done by hand, without the use of tractors. Natural predators, including owls, are used to combat pests. During picking, there was a cluster selection followed by a second sorting within the small boxes.
WINERY. WINE MAKING
Following cluster selection pre-destemmer and berry selection post- destemmer, the juice underwent five to seven days’ cold soak, ten days’ fermentation in small, wide stainless steel tanks and fifteen to eighteen days’ extended maceration. It was then gently pressed before going into thirty percent new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and a sixteen-month ageing process. Ten percent of the wine was held back in tank to increase floral aroma in the final blend.
Maturation :16 months in 600L french oak barrels.
Fermentation :Cool alcoholic fermentation at 15-22 degrees C to preserve aromatics and freshness of flavours. Further maceration during 10-12 days, then racking, followed by malo-lactic fermentation in 600L french oak barrels.
VINTAGE
The forecast of the 2016 vintage was set to be similar to the cool, rainy 2015 vintage. With this in mind, we plucked leaves not only on the east facing but also on the west facing canopy to ensure good airflow in face of cool rains. In reality, the intermittent rains stopped in January and the dry February and March saw phenolic ripeness achieved. The vintage is expresses itself in high acidity, lower than normal alcohol and fresh flavours.
SPEC
| Characteristics |
|---|
|
ABV
|
14.5%
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Closure
|
Cork
|
|
Size
|
75cl
|
|
Grape Variety
|
Cabernet Franc
|
|
Vintage
|
2018
|
|
|---|
| Location |
|---|
|
Country
|
Argentina
|
|
Region
|
Mendoza
|