El Esteco – Chañar Punco 2012 – Calchaqui Valley

Very dark and inky colour, opaque core. Intense nose, showing off some new oak. Intense ripe fruit such as cassis, blackberry, blueberry. Really an emphasis on fruit with a high ripeness. Palate is very dense. High concentration. Still appearing very youthful with plenty of tannins. Rich dark fruit, again those hints of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, with plenty of extract. There are some slight herbal notes as well, such as mint, sage, some peppery notes. A little bit of oak noticeable on the palate as well, but the dominance is really that ripe inky, dark fruit. It is definitely got both power and persistence. Really keeps lingering. I still find it very young, though. This is a wine I would easily put back in the cellar for a few years and see what happens as it develops.

Tasted by the Best Sommelier of the World, Andreas Larsson.