The colour is medium ruby. On the nose herbs, green tea and menthol. In the mouth well balanced, but with a rather abrupt and tasteless finish.
This wine is made by Bodegas CARO. A joint venture between Nicolás CAtena and Domaines Barons de ROthschild (Lafite). An alliance between two wine cultures (French and Argentine), two noble grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec), and two renowned wine families.
Bodegas CARO started producing wines in 2000 with the two signature grapes of each producer: Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Starting with the 2010 vintage, they decided to celebrate the grape variety for which Argentina’s vineyards are famous by creating a pure Malbec wine: ARUMA.
“ARUMA is a pure Malbec made from a blend of grapes from the best terroirs in the Mendoza region”, which to me sounds a bit like the “leftovers” of Bodega Catena Zapata vineyards.
I’ve always been sceptical about cheap wines produced by prestigious joint ventures. My unproven suspicion is that the famous winemakers are able to sell the wine at a premium without necessarily adding anything in term of quality, beside making sure it has a taste and a brand that appeals to the mass market.
I don’t have enough experience with Argentinian Malbec to be able to make a judgement, but at 7.25 CHF (50% off the regular price of 14.50 CHF) at Coop, this wine was worth the price.
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Grapes: Malbec
Type: Red
Vintage: 2017
Producer: Bodegas CARO
Price range: Economic (<15 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5