Maybe it’s because the winery is relatively new.  Founded in 2004- and dedicated to methode champenois – they’ve probably been more busy hand-riddling than selling & marketing up to this point.  Capacity here is small to medium sized – but not so small that you wouldn’t expect to find it in major North American wine markets – and it is a very well-funded operation (supposedly with serious Chilean money behind the venture.)  It has a real word-of-mouth thing going on in Argentina fine dining circles, but even in B.A. we didn’t see it on the shelves at wine retailers (even the fancy ones like Winery) or at the otherwise miraculously comprehensive airport duty-free shop.   Cruzat makes only sparkling wines – a Brut, a Rose, and a higher-end “Nature.”   We tasted the Brut on several occasions and were impressed – not how much like a fine Champagne it was, but on it’s own merits.  So lively & bright- with honey and hay on the nose – and a mysterious bottle bouquet that just can’t be placed.  We liked how bracing and fruit-driven the wine is, a little riper than the driest bruts, which really rounds out the mid-palatte without sacrificing complexity.  We hear it’s available in the U.S. but have seen zero evidence of this.  So if anyone knows any different, please let us know.

Inducing botrytis in places where it doesn’t thrive on the vines is an ancient practice.  In dry Orvieto, they contrived humid conditions by moving grapes into special grottos carved out of volcanic stone – introducing the fungus post-harvest.  Pulenta Estate claims this wine is made using “forced climate” conditions, which is likely a more modern version of high-humidity environment – such as one of the modern drying rooms (sala di appisimento) used in the Veneto for Amarone.  Vinifying red wines with botrytis requires either a gentle maceration with a very low percentage of infected grapes,  or fermenting the infected grapes completely off the skins then infusing the wine with a dose of concentrated tannins from uninfected grapes to restore pigments and achieve a full flavor profile.  We suspect the latter here – as the wine doesn’t have any off odours or reduced color intensity that would imply fermentation on moldy skins.  In general, cabernet franc is a good choice for drying (which naturally increases the residual sugars in a grape) because it has high acidity and therefore never gets syrupy, cloying, and generally robitussin like.

However it’s made, the results are nothing short of spectacular.  This is late harvest 100% cabernet franc from a specialiast in that varietal, aged 40 months in French Oak.  Concentrated nose of herbs, cherry kirsch, green eucalyptus, and mint.  Dried red and black fruit on the palate, a feral mushroomy quality, hints of white pepper, and a finish that lasts for days, evolving eventually into sort of a carmel corn flavor.  This is heady, complex stuff, and should blow any superficial characerizations of what Argentinian wines are supposed to be out of the water.

* Editorial Note- we apologize if we have given the impression that no good Malbecs are made in Argentina, there are and we will surely write of them, however we spent good money on the above mentioned and were feeling both peeved and vexed.