2020 Luca Syrah Laborde Double Select

Luca is the private project of Laura Catena. Laura has made her mark on the wine world and is often referred to as 'the face of Argentine wine', as she has meant a lot to the country. She recently presented her 100-year plan: "I want every collector in the world to have Nicolás Catena Zapata in their basement - that's my dream".

Another of Laura Catena's dreams was to create Luca, named after her eldest son. She wants to make quality wines with Luca, in which the perfect terroir, low yields per hectare and state-of-the-art winemaking are the keywords. The vineyards of Luca are located at an altitude of 900 to 1500 meters and are among the highest in Mendoza. Old vines can be found here, which may no longer produce much, but keep the quality of the vineyard (and therefore the wines) high. She wants to show the best expression of each grape variety. Luca has planted six grape varieties in total: chardonnay, malbec, pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

The grapes come from the 'Laborde' vineyard in La Consulta, Uco Valley. Double Select refers to the process Louis Labardo used. Luis Labardo was a renowned French winegrower from the Rhône. He chose the best syrah vines (not clones) he could find in the Rhone Valley and planted them fifty years ago in a research vineyard in Mendoza. He followed their quality and picked only the vines that yielded the best fruit. So there was subtle variation between the vines, but he (and many others) believed it was better than choosing one specific clone. Whether that is true is still a matter of debate among oenologists and winegrowers. The vines are now 53 years old. The Laborde vineyard is located 900 meters above sea level in the Uco Valley. A traditional vinification takes place, followed by a twelve-month wood aging in oak barrels, 35% of which are new and the rest second-year. The Syrah 'Laborde Double Select' has the typical purple Syrah/Shiraz color in the glass. In the nose this is a powerful Syrah with aromas of leather, cigar, sweet spices, forest floor, blackberry jam and black cherries. In the mouth this is a full, rich wine with typical Syrah notes of leather and blackberries. The velvety tannins go hand in hand with the dark fruit. Delicious with grilled or roasted meat, such as BBQ rib-eye. Also delicious with cheese-stuffed portobello mushrooms.