2021 Marcelo Pelleriti Cabernet Franc Signature Uco Valley Mendoza 750 ml

Marcelo Pelleriti’s Cabernet Franc is a stunningly serious bottle of wine—a powerful 94-point triumph that challenges the best big reds of France and California.

Given his 100-point pedigree as the force behind Bordeaux stars Château Le Gay and Château La Violette, that’s not surprising. One of the only Argentine winemakers to ever earn a perfect score from Robert Parker himself, he’s made some of the most exciting wines in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

This Cabernet Franc reminds us of a cross between a top Napa bottling and an excellent wine from Saint-Émilion, with a purple-black color and an explosive nose of blackberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants, raw cocoa, and a hint of spice box. That mesmerizing complexity continues in a densely flavored and structured palate, which weaves together blackberries, blackcurrants, smashed raspberries and red flower petals with a wave of velvety tannins that rides through the immensely satisfying finish. 

In other words, it’s what happens when you give Pelleriti a vineyard of expertly farmed Cabernet Franc in the cool, high-altitude Uco Valley in Mendoza. When you hand such stellar grapes off to a winemaker who’s been crafting some of the best in Bordeaux for the last 15 years—but calls Argentina home—you have a recipe for greatness. 

Pelleriti earned a 100-point score from Parker for the 2010 Château La Violette and 99 points for the Château Le Gay from the same vintage. We think producing a wine like this Cabernet Franc for the price might be an even bigger accomplishment.