Ernesto Catena Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Ernesto Catena’s Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu label is one of the more playful, art-led corners of his Mendoza portfolio, and the wines are chosen from specific parcels rather than blended across the region. The name nods to the Inca world, part of the storytelling that runs through his projects.

This is a single-vineyard Cabernet Franc from the Uco Valley, the cool, high-altitude heart of Mendoza. Cabernet Franc thrives on that altitude, holding its fresh acidity and its signature savoury, peppery character while still ripening the fruit fully. Bottling a single vineyard keeps the wine focused on one site rather than smoothing it into a regional style.

The 2015 now has a good ten years behind it. Time has rounded the structure and drawn out the more savoury, secondary notes, so this is a wine to enjoy for its developed complexity rather than for primary fruit. It is drinking in its mature window now.

On the nose and palate it shows ripe black fruit, roasted red pepper, spice and aromatic herbs, with a mineral thread running underneath. The tannins have settled and the finish is long and gently earthy. Serve it at cool room temperature and give it time in the glass to unfold.

Single-vineyard Cabernet Franc is a rewarding style for the curious drinker, and this one suits a considered evening with lamb, herb-crusted pork or roasted vegetables. If you like the herbal, structured side of the grape, or Loire reds such as Chinon, it is well worth exploring. It is a fascinating look at how altitude and time can reshape a familiar grape.