Bodegas Caro 2017 Caro
The goal was simple. Make a single wine that combined two grapes, two countries and two families. The grapes were malbec from Argentina and cabernet sauvignon of Bordeaux, France. Add two wine-family dynasties like the French Rothschilds working with the Catenas from Argentina. The result is Caro, a malbec blend with 26 percent cabernet sauvignon, aged 18 months in mostly brand-new, French-oak barrels.
Used as a blending grape in France for hundreds of years, malbec really found its home in the Southern Hemisphere where it is widely grown and has star power it never had in France. The 2017 Caro showcases just how good malbec can be. There is lovely enticing red and black fruit such as blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, quiet black pepper and violet, with the ever-so-subtle wood and vanilla notes from aging in barrel. But the great success of this wine is how it feels: It is smooth, viscous, soft and pleasant, with moderate tannic structure and moderate acidity.
Food pairing is quite simple: preferably something that Argentina is known for such as beef chimichurri, pork empanadas and even provoleta, a grilled cheese dish topped with oregano.
ORIGIN: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
ALCOHOL: 14 percent
PRICE: $65 (750 ml)
SCORE: 92 points