2012 Kaiken Terroir Series Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml

Setting A High Bar in Mendoza: Aurelio Montes’ 93-point Cabernet Sauvignon

Even as so many critics have hopped on the Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon bandwagon, for the most part, we’ve stayed on sidelines. How come? While dark and ultra-concentrated, all too many Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignons lack the structure we look for in Cabernet. Maybe we’ve set the bar too high. If you were weaned on Pauillac and Margaux, all but a few of Mendoza’s Cabernet Sauvignons pale in comparison.

The 2012 Kaiken is one of the few.

Aurelio Montes, Jr., is the son of acclaimed Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes, Sr. In 2001, the Montes family purchased two small vineyards outside of Mendoza. After years of experimentation, the family recognized the potential for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Agrelo district of Luján de Cuyo and purchased a magnificent 70-hectare property perched at 3,100 feet in elevation. Several varieties were planted to tight spacing — 5,000 vines per hectare — including broad-shouldered Cabernet Sauvignon and muscular Petit Verdot. Seven years later, when Nature treated Agrelo to one of its more sensational growing seasons, Aurelio — who by this time had relocated his family to Mendoza — crafted the Cabernet Sauvignon of his young career.

If you’re enamored of ripe vintages in the Médoc, like 2009, but less enthusiastic about Bordelais pricing, the 2012 Kaiken Terroir Series Cabernet Sauvignon is a bargain-hunter’s dream come true. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot. Dark purple color. Voluptuous aromatically, featuring a chalky mix of blackberry, black cherry, dark plum, and chocolate. Rich, dense, and pliant on the attack, with broad Cabernet Sauvignon shoulders, filled with crushed-black-fruit preserves, finishing with sturdy Petit Verdot backbone. Drink now-2020.

93 points from James Suckling. $15/bottle. The last 1,200 bottles of our 2012 allocation are now up for grabs. Shipping included on 6.