2015 Pascual Toso Alta Barrancas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Argentina 750 ml

Steal of the Year on Critically Acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon

Few combinations of words have quite the effect on wine buyers as half off. Applied to a bottle from a favorite regional producer—a Duckhorn, a Penfolds, a Louis Latour—it can transform an otherwise civilized sale into an outright free-for-all.

With Pascual Toso’s 2014 Alta Barrancas Cabernet Sauvignon landing on Wine Enthusiast’s 2017 Top 100 list, the 2015—every bit its predecessor’s equal in savory richness and high-altitude vibrancy—would seem to be an unlikely candidate for the halved price treatment. After all, it’s crafted with the help of famed Opus One veteran and 100-point winemaker Paul Hobbs from 60-year-old vines. Considering the historic reputation of the 130-year old estate, this is a tremendous value. 

The window of time for scoring the deal was narrow, but we didn’t hesitate. When an importer folded after placing a large order of the 2015, we were the first to get the call to take the allocation, and corralled every last bottle available. We already knew this wine was special.

We’d made it a point to stop at Pascual Toso’s booth at a recent South American wine tasting, and this sexy 2015 had left a lasting impression—one that left us hankering for grass-fed Argentinian steak. Swirling ruby, and tinged with magenta in our glass, the nose brimmed over with a heady mix of dark chocolate, violets, bramble, and smoky espresso. The powerful aromatics led us to expect all muscle on the palate, but we found something far more sophisticated and intellectual, balancing the heft of that dark, rich fruit within a fine acid structure, wrapped in velvety tannins and flecked with vanilla and spice.

The gnarled, old vines of the Barrancas Vineyard channel the poetry of Mendoza’s wide, hot plains. Thanks to the expert efforts of winemaker Felipe Stahlschmidt and Paul Hobbs, the grapes don’t sacrifice an ounce of freshness from the elevation (2,460 feet above sea level) or a gram of the richness born from the dry, rock-studded soil that forces the vines to search for moisture.

“Half off” aren’t words we usually get to use with this hallowed, old-school Argentinian winery. Take advantage of this rare deal and make off with a case of mouthwatering New World Cabernet Sauvignon.