Alpasion Grand Cabernet Franc 2018 Los Chacayes, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Alpasion was founded by a group of friends who shared a single ambition: to build a winery in the Uco Valley and craft wines worth travelling for. The name joins the Spanish words for soul and passion, and the estate sits in Los Chacayes, one of Mendoza’s most highly regarded high-altitude districts. Today the vineyards are farmed with respect for the land and the community around them.

This is pure Cabernet Franc, a grape that has found a natural home in the cool, stony soils of Los Chacayes. Grown with care for the surrounding environment, it is aged for around a year in French oak barrels to build texture without smothering the fruit.

The 2018 vintage gives a red with ripe fruit and a firm, ageworthy frame, typical of a cooler, elevated site where the grapes ripen slowly and hold their freshness. It has the concentration to drink well now with air, or to develop further over the next few years.

Expect a perfumed nose of red and dark berries, bell pepper and spice, leading to a structured palate with a peppery, savoury edge and grippy but ripe tannins. The finish is long and lifted. Decant a young bottle and serve with grilled beef, roast lamb or a mushroom dish.

Cabernet Franc lovers will find plenty to enjoy here, and anyone drawn to structured, cool-climate Uco Valley reds should give it a place in the rack. If you enjoy Bordeaux’s leafier reds, this Argentine take is a natural next step.