2020 PerSe, La Craie, Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
Critics reviews
912 bottles were filled in December 2021.
The 2020 La Craie was also picked earlier, and the wine achieved lower alcohol (14%) than the 2019 through fermenting the destemmed grapes in their new crylon vats. It matured in used 225-litre barrels for 16 months, the same barrels they have always used from the beginning. It's a less austere expression of LaCraie, more open, aromatic and gentler but keeping the personality, the delicate tannins and the DNA from the place, the large bones with little meat—a great effort for the vintage.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (November 2022)
The 2020 La Craie is a co-fermentation of Malbec and Cabernet Franc from El Monasterio in Gualtallary, Uco Valley, specifically a plot that faces south and sits on a hill with calcareous soils. Aged in neutral French oak barrels, it's purple in colour. The nose has a high-altitude character of herbal notes such as sage and ash and subtle hints of black- and blueberry.
It's lean and electric on the palate, with taut, chalky tannins, mouthwatering acidity and a balanced, sculpted feel before the prolix, primary finish. It has a Venturi effect in the mouth, compressing itself in the middle before allowing the energy to flow freely.
Drink 2023 - 2035
Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous.com (September 2023)
About this WINE
Per Se Vines
Mendoza
With its western borderline dominated by the Andes and its 146,000 hectares of vineyards representing 70% of the country’s wine production, Mendoza is Argentina’s biggest and most important wine-growing province.
Mendoza’s vineyards are a haven to Old World varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo, Bonarda, Sangiovese, Barbera, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The province’s signature grape is Malbec.
Mendoza still produces large amounts of inexpensive wine for domestic consumption, as well as grape concentrate, but the sub-region of Luján de Cuyo stands out with some lovely velvety Malbecs, while the cool, gravelly Maipú is best for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The most exciting area in Mendoza for fine whites, however, is the Uco Valley, that has the highest vineyards, up to 1,200 metres above sea level. Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin, Pinot Grigio and Torrontés fare particularly well in its cool climate. Its sub-region of Tupungato produces Argentina’s best Chardonnay.
Malbec
Known as Auxerrois in Cahors, Cot in the Loire and Malbeck in Argentina, this grape has undergone a mini renaissance in the last decade, largely fuelled by its success in South America. It used to be a staple component of the Bordeaux Blend, but it never recovered fully from the 1956 frosts and its plantings there have fallen by 75% as growers have replaced it with more fashionable, and crucially, more durable grapes.
It is still grown successfully in South West France where its most famous wine is Cahors. This wine used to be black as coal and tough as leather but improvements in viticultural and vinification techniques have led to riper, softer, more approachable wines that are now amongst the best of the region.
In Argentina it is widely grown and produces deep coloured wines with generous black fruit characteristics, balanced acidity and smooth tannins. It is either bottled on its own or as part of a Bordeaux blend. In Chile it is the 3rd most widely planted grape after Pais and Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce firmer, more tannic wines than its Argentinian neighbours. In Chile it is often blended with Merlot and Petit Verdot.
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Description
The 2020 La Craie is a co-fermentation of Malbec and Cabernet Franc from El Monasterio in Gualtallary, Uco Valley, specifically a plot that faces south and sits on a hill with calcareous soils. Aged in neutral French oak barrels, it's purple in colour. The nose has a high-altitude character of herbal notes such as sage and ash and subtle hints of black- and blueberry.
It's lean and electric on the palate, with taut, chalky tannins, mouthwatering acidity and a balanced, sculpted feel before the prolix, primary finish. It has a Venturi effect in the mouth, compressing itself in the middle before allowing the energy to flow freely.
Drink 2023 - 2035
Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous.com (September 2023)
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