Bodegas Caro: An interview with Saskia de Rothschild and Laura Catena

To understand the origins of Caro, the flagship wine of producer Bodegas Caro in Mendoza, we must go back to the previous century, when Argentina was just beginning to emerge onto the global wine scene.

Nicolás Catena, the head of Catena Zapata, was leading a local viticultural revolution when he happened to cross paths with Baron Eric de Rothschild, the president of Château Lafite and Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR), marking the beginning of a relationship that would merge two winemaking dynasties.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for wines from Bodegas Caro

The Baron was familiar with South America through his winery Viña Los Vascos in Chile but knew very little about Argentinian wines. However, he soon became fascinated with the high-altitude terroirs and century-old vineyards that Mendoza had to offer. After several tastings of Catena Zapata wines and visits to Mendoza, a joint venture was conceived.

The partnership was officially formed in 1999 and by the following year, the first Caro – the name is a combination of the first two letters of both partners’ surnames – wines were being bottled.

‘The idea was to make the best Bordeaux-inspired wine in Argentina, uniting two cultures and varieties, taking advantage of Rothschild’s famous expertise with Cabernet Sauvignon and our family’s speciality, Malbec,’ says Laura Catena, daughter of Nicolás.

The managing director at Bodega Catena Zapata since 2012, she is now in charge of Bodegas Caro alongside Eric’s daughter, Saskia de Rothschild.

The challenge was to produce great wines using grapes from old Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Las Compuertas, Vistalba and Agrelo in the department of Luján de Cuyo, as well as La Consulta, Altamira and Gualtallary, Uco Valley.

The Catena family shared its experience with Malbec and the high-altitude terroirs in Mendoza, while the team led by Eric contributed its savoir-faire with blending and barrel ageing, using its own Bordeaux cooperage, as well as its decades of experience with Cabernet Sauvignon.

However, the journey to winemaking greatness still had some way to go before it was to fulfil Nicolás and Eric’s vision for an authentic grand cru.

Saskia continues the story: ‘Caro was created by a pair of very strong personalities, two men of imagination and intuition, and when that happens, it’s never easy to establish a clear direction of travel, especially when they were both so enthusiastic. They made a great wine, but now we need to think of the future.’

Watershed moment

A quarter of a century after its founding, Bodegas Caro stands on the threshold of producing the grand cru the winery’s creators envisaged.

‘There were significant moments in the history of the winery that reaffirmed the commitment of each family,’ says Laura. ‘For instance, when we harvested the first grapes from the vineyard we planted in Altamira in 2009; or when we restored the family home, which is now Caro’s exclusive winery. However, I think that Saskia taking a leadership role in 2016 brought vital, definitive momentum.’

‘Ever since Laura and I took the reins at the winery, we knew that we needed to find Caro’s identity, meaning we needed a specific place, a team and a terroir,’ says Saskia, who in 2018 was named chair of DBR Lafite and assumed overall control of all the family wineries in France, Chile, Argentina and China.

To consolidate this new direction, in early 2019, Philippe Rolet (formerly at Bodega Argento, also in Mendoza) was appointed as Bodegas Caro’s estate manager and Pablo Serrano (formerly at Moët Hennessy Argentina and Bodega Piattelli in Salta) joined as winemaker.

The duo was tasked with building an exclusive team and finding a terroir that possessed all the characteristics of a grand cru. They received support from Olivier Trégoat, the technical director of all of DBR’s estates. This watershed moment wouldn’t just result in an oenological evolution, but also a passionate search for identity.

Prime territory

The first vineyard dedicated to CARO was Finca 99 in the Uco Valley’s Paraje Altamira, which was planted from scratch with 8ha of Malbec in 2009 (the 99 in the name refers to the birth of the Bodegas Caro project).

It was joined in 2021 by Numa Camille, also in Altamira, with 8ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, which Bodegas Caro purchased after having bought grapes from the original producer for a few years.

‘Although CARO has its own vineyards, we also use grapes from prestigious third-party producers,’ Laura explains. ‘But the Baron used to say to my father that one couldn’t make a grand cru with someone else’s grapes.’

That’s why the decision was made to seek out another terroir that would fulfil three criteria: availability of water, a high-altitude location with a relatively mild but cool climate, and soils that contained active calcium carbonate.

‘Five years ago, we started the search for a vineyard that would bring greater freshness and complexity to our blends,’ says Trégoat. ‘Which is why we focused our efforts on Gualtallary and San Pablo, areas of Uco Valley that are higher than our vineyards in Altamira.’

Eventually, between 2020 and 2021, the choice was made to narrow the search’s focus to the San Pablo Geographic Indication, a terroir that sits between 1,175m and 1,700m above sea level and receives an average annual rainfall of 500mm, twice the average in Mendoza.

Today, San Pablo is one of the most sought-after terroirs in Mendoza because it boasts the coolest, cloudiest and wettest climate in the province, as well as a remarkable variety of soils.

Vineyard for the future

In 2021, after much searching, a 60ha plot of land was bought and named Finca Désiré. The plans for the new vineyard required the taking of 100 separate soil samples, through which seven different profiles were identified.

This helped determine where best to plant the Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that would be key to the future of the winery’s flagship wine, alongside, unusually, Chardonnay.

‘I love white wines, even though I was raised by a father who only drinks reds,’ says Saskia. ‘Also, the conditions here are ideal for Chardonnay and the Catena family has extensive experience making mountain whites. Cabernet Franc grows wonderfully well in San Pablo and will bring plenty of freshness to future vintages.

‘We took climate change into consideration when choosing the location for the future vineyard of Bodegas Caro. A cooler climate allows us to plan for the next 30 years with a degree of confidence, although the resulting conditions can be challenging.’

In mid-November last year, Laura and Saskia planted the vineyard’s very first vines, although the stringent plant selection process means that only a total of 10ha of Malbec have initially gone into the ground.

A sustainable vision

Laura and Saskia share a concern for the environment and the impact of their activities on nature. ‘Finca Désiré is run on ecological lines. The soil is free of agrichemicals, the stakes for the vines are made from natural wood with no impregnated chemicals, and a micro-aspersion irrigation system with a very low environmental impact will be installed to protect against frosts,’ says Saskia.

On the 60ha estate, 25ha will be kept as native forest and biological corridors will connect the natural spaces with water reservoirs in order to preserve the agroecological balance.

In addition, the genetic material to be used at the plantation is the result of several clonal and massal selection processes. that placed an emphasis on organoleptic qualities, potential for adaptation to the terroir and perfect vine health.

Meanwhile, the remaining vineyards at Bodegas Caro are in the process of converting to organics.

‘We are artisans of nature, it is our duty to care for it. In line with initiatives we are implementing across all the DBR Lafite wineries, at Bodegas Caro, care for the environment and sustainability are a priority, and something of an obsession for me,’ says Saskia.

‘Sustainability is a feature that will also be reflected in our wines, as we’ve transitioned to lighter bottles. Even in our labels, we’ve refreshed the design to require fewer processes, thus contributing to a lower energy footprint,’ adds Laura. The pair hope that the Finca Désiré vineyard will also have a beneficial impact on the region.

‘By preserving a significant amount of native forest and adding low-impact vines, we will bring more carbon into the soils than is generally captured by the desert. We hope the estate will have a net positive effect on the ecosystem and soils of San Pablo,’ says Laura. ‘The quest for a Caro grand cru isn’t just an oenological journey, but also a sustainable mission, embarked upon in harmony with nature.’

The way ahead

Laura and Saskia take a long-term view. They both come from outstanding viticultural lineages whose names are synonymous with fine wines but also a place of origin: Bordeaux in Saskia’s case, and Mendoza, Argentina for Laura.

‘It’s very important to us to protect and preserve family legacy, and to do that we need to pay great attention to quality,’ says Laura. ‘It lies at the heart of everything we do: it makes the difference. Making wine is a huge part of my family’s life, and that’s also true of Saskia, and focusing on quality is the best way to protect that tradition.’

Saskia agrees: ‘The wine business is going to change a lot over the next few years. Consumers are drinking better wines and wines are improving across the board. The competition is going to get tough and to stay at the top we need to pursue the best wines we possibly can with sincerity and transparency. Wines are the result of creativity and science; winemaking is an art.

‘That is why we never rest on our laurels and are continuously carrying out new research and innovating. But in an authentic way, not chasing after the latest fad. We’re aware that we need to provide inimitable experiences, and we are known for delivering exactly that. In the case of Caro, our Argentinian side is always very genuine and creative.’

The winemaking process at Caro was always overseen by master winemakers such as Estela Perinetti, Fernando Buscema and Eric Kohler. They didn’t just bring the house’s flagship wine to life but also expanded the range with Petit Caro, Amancaya and Aruma, an unoaked Malbec from the Uco Valley.

‘You might say that after the 2018 vintage there was a notable change in the wines,’ says current winemaker Serrano.

‘We started to work with greater precision on the vinification of each component, looking to enhance the freshness and essence of the vineyards. In addition, the ageing process also required adjustments and we are always testing out innovations to polish and refine the wines still further. The important thing is that we now have a clear vision of the wines we want to bottle.’

‘We’re certain that Caro’s future will be extraordinary, we have great belief in our current oenological team, we have a wonderful winery and now a terroir that fulfils all our requirements for a grand cru,’ concludes Saskia.

The transformation that Caro is undergoing promises to produce wines that capture the essence of a long dreamed-of grand cru, driven by a talented team and the visionary leadership of Saskia de Rothschild and Laura Catena.

Bodegas CARO:

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