Verum Seleccion de Familia Cabernet Franc 2018

Oz Clarke - Three Wine Men - tasting notes, July 2020

'Blistering desert sands to the north, the endless storm-swept stony waste of Patagonia to the south; and yet here, where the mighty Rio Negro surges from the Andes to the Atlantic, a little verdant paradise for just a few miles each side of the bustling waters of the river. Vines were planted here long ago, lots of types, but for me the joy lies in this Cabernet Franc. It isn't a well-known grape, but some say it might prove to be the best grape in all Argentina.

Well, planted in the bright sunshine of Argentina's far south, with chilly nights checking the rush to ripeness of the grapes and allowing them to hold on to their perfume and crisp juiciness - they might be right. This Cabernet Franc, with such an alluring raspberry flavour - pips and all - that I wonder - is it like shop-bought raspberry jam or could it be good enough to be my mum's home-made? - and this is wrapped in black chocolate sauce and sprinkled with the warm dry dust of a summer country lane ..... Yes, perhaps Cabernet Franc could be Argentina's greatest grape.'