2003 Luca Syrah from Mendoza

Luca is one of my favorite Argentinian producers.  When we visited Mendoza last year,  I was on a search for Luca, as I'd read rave reviews before my trip.   

But when I got to Argentina, I couldn't get a tour at the producer,like we did for many of our other favorite labels.  Luca's grapes are sourced from many vineyards and they didn't have a winery that accepted visits at the time.  In fact, tour guides that gave private and custom wine tours hadn't even heard of Luca, even though these wines are made by the well know winemaker Susana Balbo.   That's mainly because Luca's wines were primarily made to be exported.  This was not uncommon to us.  Many of the traditional wineries made more expensive, premium wines that were mostly exported to the U.S.   On wine shop shelves across Mendoza or Buenos Aires, we'd mostly see very young and inexpensive varieties by the tried and true old school producers everyone knows and loves in Argentina.   At restaurants, we'd see more of the same but with expensive older vintages.  But rarely the "exported" labels or producers, like Luca.  Unfortunately, this was more of a statement on the economic standing of the country.  To many, spending more than 10 pesos on wine is ridiculous.  And let's face it - that can be just as good on a daily basis anyway.

This Luca is not a Malbec (even though Luca Malbecs I've tried are excellent).  We tried lots of varieties in Argentina beyond Malbec and they are doing grapes like Syrah, Cabs and even Tempranillos to nice results as well. In fact, many of our favorite wines were Malbec/Cab blends. This Luca Syrah is deep and brooding, inky and rich in color, with a fantastic long finish.  With a nice balance of oak and tannins, this will age well.   Let this puppy breathe for a half hour or so after opening, it needs it.   Don't balk at the $30 - it's a great wine. Here's where you can get it.

 

Comments

[ARG LVR]

Unfortunately there is some incorrect info listed here about Luca. I will only point out the most obvious...LUCA is made by Laura Catena NOT Susana Balbo. Go to www.vineconnections.com for the facts---Vine Connections is the importer of LUCA wines.