2025 La Cayetana - Criolla Blanca (750ml)

La Cayetana is the project of Emilia Armando, working out of a historic finca near Mendoza City with help from winemaker Eduardo Soler in both the vineyard and a small, garage-style cellar. The two focus on reviving nearly forgotten Argentine grape varieties, part of a broader effort to restore the winemaking traditions once known as the Vinos de la Tierra de la Cruz de Piedra. Their approach blends old techniques, including biological aging under a veil of flor, with careful modern viticulture, resulting in wines that feel both historic and genuinely new.

This bottling centers on Criolla Blanca, an old Argentine cross between Criolla Chica and Muscat of Alexandria, sourced from twenty-year-old Parral-trained vines growing in the sandy, flood-irrigated desert flatlands of Lavalle. The grapes are hand harvested, pressed separately, and fermented in unlined concrete eggs, resting on their lees for six months. A small remainder of Viognier, Gewürztraminer, and Semillon from Los Chacayes ages separately for two years under flor before being blended in as a finishing dosage, a technique borrowed from Sherry production.

The wine opens with apricot, yellow apple, brioche, and chamomile, followed by a light, textured palate layered with crushed wet rock, honeysuckle, and peach. Bright acidity and a subtle salty edge carry through the finish. Serve it with oysters, ceviche, or soft goat cheese.