A beautiful old vines wine from Zena’s friends in Uruguay: Cerro Chapeu Cabernet Sauvignon!

This week, we’re heading to Uruguay for a Cabernet Sauvignon that has a lot more going on than you might expect.

Cerro Chapeu Cabernet Sauvignon comes from old vines planted in 1978, deep red Batoví soils, and a gravity-flow winery built right into the hillside. We talk about the Carrau family’s ten generations of winemaking, native yeast fermentation, and the work of our friend Francisco Carrau, whose research has helped shape the winery’s distinctive approach to fermentation and terroir.

We also dig into why Cabernet works so well in northern Uruguay, how this wine lands somewhere between the elegance of Bordeau ...