Casarena Reserva Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

A resonant purple robe, plenty of varietal flavor, and good backbone, too, add up to make Casarena’s 2010 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon a winning choice. Richly endowed with complex, deep down fruit flavors, subtle earth tones that add complexity, and a bit of flamboyance, this Mendoza Reserva is truly enjoyable to drink. And even though Casarena’s 2010 Reserva Cabernet is still a youth with its best years still to come, it already offers up tempting scents and savory flavors reminiscent of crème de cassis, chocolate and orange peel that make it difficult to resist. In addition, the wine is full and structured on the palate, but also nicely balanced by soft spice and vanilla tones from a year-long stay in French oak barrels. Drink this well made Reserva at cool room temperature after at least 15-20 minutes of aeration. Enjoy!

In Argentina, there would be no doubt as to the proper accompaniment to Casarena’s 2010 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. It would be beef, beef, and more beef. And yes, beef in all of its forms pairs beautifully with Casarena’s polished Reserva Cabernet, whether it is prime rib of beef, sirloin steak, or a simple hamburger. However, we don’t think one should be so parochial about food and wine pairings: Casarena’s polished Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon offers terrific companionship to hearty pasta dishes, too, especially homemade cheese ravioli covered in a savory marinara sauce. Garlic and herb roasted chicken, spicy eggplant dishes, and all kinds of tapenades provide exceptional accompaniments to this flavorful Cabernet, too. A heart-healthy vegetarian chili makes for a tasty accompaniment to this wine as well. And for true Cabernet lovers, nothing but a glass or even a paper cup will be required to enjoy Casarena’s exceptional Reserva Cabernet from Mendoza’s high altitude vineyards.

Casarena is a young boutique winery that enjoys a well-deserved reputation for producing wines of uncompromising quality at a fair price. In a land of extremes and in a viticultural region known equally for oceans of cheap, hunky one dimensional wines as well as expensive, complex full-bodied masterpieces, Casarena shines as a beacon of quality and value. Situated in Mendoza’s premier viticultural areas of Agrelo and Lujan de Cuyo, Casarena’s ultimate goal is to become Mendoza’s greatest vineyard project. Casarena utilizes Mendoza’s finest terroirs at differing elevations to produce world class wines.

Eno Rolland (renowned Bordeaux oenologist Michel Rolland’s team of consultants) oversees the vinification at Casarena. So, not surprisingly, Casarena’s definitive mantra is “less quantity, more quality.” All of the grapes for Casarena’s wines come from the estate’s own vineyards and the resulting wines are made by controlling every aspect of the vinification process. Casarena sets high standards for its wines. It sells in bulk any juice that does not come up to its standards in order to maintain the consistency, quality and integrity of the wine sold as Casarena – a rarity in Argentina. Alejandro Sejanovich, of Catena fame, spearheads the viticulture at Casarena, ensuring that every plant reaches its maximum potential.

The Casarena line of wine hails from carefully selected parcels of vineyards that have been aged in 100% new French Oak. And only small batches of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay with intense color and aromatics qualify as Reserva offerings. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay constitute the winery’s two most important players, though Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc provide the raw materials for other splendid Casarena wines. Much of the estate’s Cabernet comes from a parcel of old vines that Casarena purchased shortly after founding the winery. The winery’s Reserva offerings provide unsurpassed quality and value. In coming years, Casarena plans to introduce several additional single vineyard varietals and blends.