Cara Sur 2022 'Pergolas' Criollas Tintas, Barreal

Cara Sur 2022 'Pergolas' Criollas Tintas, Barreal

Item Number: 18777

UPC: 7-791728242263

Country: Argentina
Region: San Juan
Sub Region: Calingasta Valley
Appellation/AVA: Barreal
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vintage: 2022
Grape(s): Blend of Red Criolla Varieties
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Screw Cap
Alc by Vol(%): 12.5
Soil Type: Alluvial
Case Production: 660

Terroir Notes: This wine, from couples Sebastian Zuccardi & Marcela Manini and Pancho Bugallo & Nuria Año Gargiulo, is made in the Calingasta Valley, in San Juan, northwest of Mendoza. Grapes are sourced from multiple tiny vineyards in Barreal and Hilario, planted between 1920-1970. While most of Cara Sur’s wines are from the 80-year-old Finca Maggio Vineyard that they farm, the Cara Sur Pergolas Criollas Tintas is unique. The couples work with various families in the area who have small home vineyards, sometimes only 4 to 5 parral vines. They buy the fruit from these families to make Pergolas Criollas Tintas. These are high altitude vineyards, located between 4,900 and 5,700 feet above seal level. The region has desert-like weather with strong sun, little rain, and big diurnal shifts. Vines in this area have traditionally been trained to pergolas/parrals to protect the grapes from the intense sun in this high altitude region. 

Winemaking Notes:  Grapes are destemmed and fermented with indigenous yeast. The wine ages for 7 months in a mixture of concrete tanks, neutral oak barrels, and 50-liter demijohns before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: This wine is super fresh with a juicy and light body. It’s herbaceous with a hint of tart strawberry. This is a summer crusher to be sure.

Reviews

  • 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.