2023 La Cayetana Criolla Blanca

90% Criolla Blanca & 10% (Gewurztraminer, Viognier, and Semillon). Hand harvested, pressed separately, and fermented with native yeasts 5000L unlined concrete cubes. The Criolla Blanca was aged for 6 months in concrete eggs with lees contact. The trivarietal blend was aged for 2 years under flor in 400L French oak and used as a ‘dosage’ at blending/bottling. 

This unique, unusual white wine is surprisingly easy to drink, considering the fact that it is made with a small amount of oxidized wine aged under flor like sherry.  Pair with anchovies and sushi.

Emilia Armando and Eduardo Soler purchased their property in 2014 and embarked in a restoration project of an old Manor House that had been abandoned for 40 years in Cruz de Piedra, Maipu, Argentina, twenty minutes outside of the city center of Mendoza. They founded La Cayatena in 2016 and released their first wines in 2020. Their home was originally built in the mid 1800’s and there was once a 168-acre vineyard that was originally planted in 1860. Over the years, the estate was visited by Cardinals and Generals and the property still contains a library which houses numerous documentation and books illustrating the various historical and agricultural stages of the estate and the region. Today, the property primarily acts as an experimental vineyard nursery that provides new vines through massale selection for both Ver Sacrum and La Cayetana. Emila and Eduardo continue to revive their vines, gardens and olive trees respecting the old ancestral farming techniques always with long term sustainability in mind.

94 points, Decanter. "This takes the humble Criolla grape Pedro Giménez to another level (labelled Pedro Ximenez on the bottle, but distinct from Spain's Pedro Ximénez). Combining an early harvest with several months on the lees, there’s an inviting freshness underpinning its complexity. A final dosage of Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Semillon – which has been aged under a veil of flor for over two years – results in delicate layers of sea salt, chamomile and white orchard fruit. (AB)"