Cara Sur

VISIT IMPORTER'S WEBSITE
Country of Origin: Argentina
Location: Barreal, Calingasta Valley
People: Pancho Bugallo, Marcela Manini, Nuria Año Gargiul, & Sebastián Zuccardi, Owners & Winemakers

Items

Cara Sur 2021 Moscatel Tinto, Barreal Login DCH 93 In Stock
Cara Sur 2022 'Pergolas' Criollas Tintas, Barreal Login DCH 92 In Stock

Established in 2011, Cara Sur is a partnership between two couples who were inspired to revive ancestral vines and produce honest wines from these traditional Argentine varieties.

Sebastián Zuccardi and Marcela Manini and friends Nuria Año Gargiulo and Pancho Burgallo are the quartet who quietly produce some of the most unique wines from one of the most underrated microclimates of Argentina: Calingasta Valley of San Juan, north of Mendoza. The wines are made from 80-year-old Muscatel, Muscatel Negro, Bonarda, and Criolla Chica, the Argentine iteration of País (a.k.a. Listan Prieto / Mission). The vines are trained to a parral, a ceiling-trellised system that provides shade and maximizes airflow. The vineyard sits alongside the Los Patos River in Barreal on stony soil at 1,500 meters above sea level. The Cara Sur wines are made in a tiny winery next to Pancho and Nuria’s home where they produce small quantities of wine with minimal intervention.

Cara Sur translates to "south face" and refers to the more challenging approach to Cerro Mercedario, one of Argentina’s tallest peaks, which can be seen from Barreal.

Reviews

  • Cara Sur 2022 'Pergolas' Criollas Tintas, Barreal
    Descorchados
    Rating: 92 (5/17/2023)
    Pérgolas is a small, juicy and delicious summary of vines of native varieties along the Calingasta Valley, all of alluvial and colluvial soils, at the foot of the mountain. Fermentation takes place in concrete vessels with native yeasts and aging in vessels, also made of concrete, for about 6 months. And what goes into the bottle is a seductive juice of red fruits, a light body, with rough tannins and refreshing acidity. The type of wines that one should have by the case when going on summer vacation or when the meat is roasting on the grill and the thirst of the griller and his guests needs to be quenched.
  • Cara Sur 2021 Moscatel Tinto, Barreal
    Descorchados
    Rating: 93 (8/19/2022)
    For this Moscatel Tinto, vines over 80 years old from Finca Maggio are selected, planted in the alluvial soils of the Los Patos stream. It is fermented in concrete eggs and raised in those same containers for about eight months. The aromas are somewhat vegetal and earthy, but the mouthfeel is a delight of red fruit flavors amid somewhat rustic tannins, ideal for charcuterie. A wine of great balance and, above all, great freshness.