Familia Mayol Cabernet Franc “Single Vineyard” 2022

Alcohol: 14.8%

Grape(s): Cabernet Franc

Localization: Valle De Uco, Mendoza, Argentina

Tasting notes: A good structure is accompanied by great freshness and intense flavors, reminiscent of cherry, chocolate, and graphite. The ending shows long persistence and the set shows signs that it should evolve for a few more years.

The Domain: Matias Mayol comes from a Spanish grape-producing family and his memories of his grandfather sharing wine with him at the dinner table were the inspiration for him to start his own winery. In 1989 Matias and his father bought land in the Uco Valley and started producing grapes, soon becoming one of the most important grape producers for high altitude wineries in Mendoza.

Having always been surrounded by wine, Matias decided in 2003 to pursue his dream of creating his own winery. Familia Mayol's winery is in Tupungato, a stunning part of the Uco Valley that overlooks the Tupungato volcano. The winery makes Malbec and Bonarda as single varietals, a blend (which changes every year), and single vineyard Malbecs.

Working organically in the vineyards, Matias said, “The effort comes back to us one the wine is bottled.” To ensure acidity, Matias and his crew remove by hand the shoulder of leaves on each and every cluster to encourage early ripening, as Matias tends to harvest 7-10 days before his peers.

Farming some of the best singular vineyards in Mendoza, where every 100 feet the temperature drops one degree Celsius, Matias is able to plant a variety of varietals, with Malbec as his dominant grape. Planted to poor soils of loam and lime with alluvial deposits, the vines are then hand-harvested and destemmed without crushing before the fruit is fermented with indigenous yeast. The Familia Mayol Old Vine Malbec “Finca Montuiri” is made from a single block of vines planted in 1926 at 3,020 feet, making it one of the highest altitude vineyards in the world.