Colonia Las Liebres Cabernet Franc-en

Colonia Las Liebres Cabernet Franc

harvest

The season began with a dry and fresh spring, which favored the good ones in the vineyard. Summer is characterized by moderate temperatures and a large amount of precipitation in February and March, the months in which the windstorm is carried out. At the end of the rainstorm, precipitation decreased and temperatures in the tuvieron grande peaks remained moderate and stable, maintaining the bay’s turgency and avoiding descriptors overripe. These conditions decanted in wines with great freshness and aromatic expression, high color intensities, elegant tannins and a great structure.

vineyard

100% Cabernet Franc grapes, grown in a vineyard with organic management conducted in a garden; Located in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. In this area with a semi-desert climate, the thermal range between day and night stands out. The soils, originated by alluvial sediments from the Andes Mountains, present a fine loamy-sandy texture with a low proportion of coarse elements in their matrix. This composition, combined with its deep horizons and large water retention capacity, favors the development of a cool root ecosystem, ideal for coping with the high temperatures typical of the Mendocino summer.

elaboration

Vinified in small stainless steel containers, at controlled temperature. The process lasts 20 days, from reception of the grapes, including daily pumping over. Extraction was minimal and elegant. I was raised in cement vats, without coming into contact with wood at any time, to preserve the freshness of the wine and allow the grape to fully express itself.

CATA’s notes

This special organic Cabernet Franc, coming from a vineyard with stony soils at the foot of the Los Andes mountain range, stands out for its distinctive finesse, unusual in other examples of the hechos variety in Mendoza. Create a ruby red color, bright and vivacious. It is very intense on the nose, showing notes of black and pink pepper. It also has notes of black fruits, cassis and cranberry. In the mouth is a juicy, concentrated and very drinkable wine. Its integrated tannins and elegant acidity are the central element of a wine that finishes in 45 minutes. It is ideal to accompany red meats, casseroles and spicy dishes.

technical data

Alcohol: 13%
Total Acidity: 5.50 g/l
PH: 3.76
Residual Sugar: 1.8 g/l
Closure: DIAM cork
Bottle capacity: 750 ml
Winemakers: Alberto Antonini, Attilio Pagli, Federico Gambetta, Ana Wiederhold
Agronomists: Juan José Borgnia, Victoria Maselli

awards

93 pts Descorchados Guide
91 pts Vinous
90 pts James Suckling

Colonia Las Liebres Cabernet Franc

harvest

One harvest is cuter than others, but not less intense. It was a year marked by strong waves of heat, a year in which physiological maturity was delayed a little with respect to organoleptics. Our work in the vineyard allowed us to reach the desired alcohol and acidity just before the heat waves, preserving the fruity character and the skin tension of the bays. The season also has a lot of precipitation, which threatens to delay the harvest. However, the rains ceased and opened a wind, just in time, to harvest with a great point of maturity and health. The cold of the last few weeks leaves the time needed in the bays to finish maturing and balancing all your calculations. It was a year with great concentrations, colors and health, where fruit and spices predominated.

vineyard

elaboration

Vinified in small concrete containers, at a controlled temperature (26°C). The process lasted 20 days from the reception of the grapes. Extraction was minimal. It was created in concrete vats, without coming into contact with wood at any time, to preserve the freshness of the wine and allow the grape to fully express itself.

CATA’s notes

This special organic Cabernet Franc is characterized by its finesse and marked varietal type, and at the same time by its innovative style. Create a bright and attractive violet red color. On the nose you can appreciate its typicality, showing notes of ciruelas, flavors and spices. As it opens, it releases mentholated aromas, white pepper, dried grapefruit peel and grapefruit. In the mouth there is a lively, fruity and vertical entry. Its vibrant acidity, textured tannins and intense spice and fruit flavors stand out. A structured wine, with a long finish. Ideal to accompany red meats, casseroles and spicy dishes.

technical data

Alcohol: 13.5%
Total Acidity: 5.2 g/l
PH: 3.72
Residual Sugar: 2.3 g/l
Closure: DIAM cork
Bottle capacity: 750 ml
Winemakers: Alberto Antonini, Attilio Pagli, FedericoGambetta, Ana Wiederhold
Agronomists: Juan José Borgnia, Victoria Maselli

awards

91 pts James Suckling

Colonia Las Liebres Cabernet Franc

harvest

2024 was a vintage with cold and warm weather bouts combined and interspersed. Thanks to our team care and to regenerative agriculture we produced typical colder vintage wines: tense, juicy, and lively. The spring was cold, with several Zonda wind events causing frosts. These conditions led to a slow yet well-fulfilled completion of the phenological process, while posing challenges for the plants to set due to the wind, which also resulted in reduced canopies. The prelude to the harvest was an extensive heat wave that lasted more than 3 weeks, with maximum temperatures reaching around 40°C (104°F) and little thermal amplitude. This increased the sugar content, but at the same time, the pulp did not separate from the seed, yet retaining a very attractive natural acidity. As we approached the final stretch and the harvest, the fruit matured slowly, allowing us to wait and retain a good level of natural acidity and freshness. Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley experienced diverging weather conditions, with significant ripening variation observed between the two areas. The team followed the evolution of the process without respite, tailoring the harvest plot by plot, confirming once more that exceptional wines are indeed crafted in the vineyard.

vineyard

100% Cabernet Franc grapes from a plot in our vineyard at El Hormiguero estate (Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza), which is completely certified organic. The area has a semi-desert climate with a wide range of temperatures between day and night. The plot is located in the northwestern part of the estate, very close to the first elevations of the Andes, which gave rise to the soils there. The soils are mixed: one quarter has sandy silt with scattered calcareous granite, and the other is 100% sandy silt. The vineyard is trellised.

elaboration

Vinified in small concrete vats, at controlled temperature (25°C- 78°F), with 5% whole cluster. The elaboration process lasted 20 days, since the reception of the grapes. Extraction was minimal, with only one pumping over per day. The wine was also aged in concrete vats, receiving no oak treatment in order to preserve freshness and to represent a pure expression of the grape.

CATA’s notes

2024 is the first vintage of this wine made entirely with grapes coming from our own Cabernet Franc vineyard, on our El Hormiguero estate in Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. The fully organic management of the vineyard and an innovative approach to winemaking have produced a fresh, original wine of great finesse. It has a subtle red color, almost transparent, with indigo color hues. The nose is dominated by notes of green pepper, as well as fig, white pepper, native flora (jarilla) and eucalyptus, with a balsamic touch. The palate is structured but upright, with granular tannins. A soft mineral sensation on the palate ends in a long, fruity finish, full of peppery notes. Ideal to pair with red and game meats, and spicy dishes.

technical data

5208

awards

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