Cara Sucia Cereza
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2024
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Charcuterie and mild cheeses, grilled chicken skewers, traditional Argentine empanadas
✨ Technical Specifications
The 'Cara Sucia' (meaning 'dirty face') line is a deeply personal project for brothers Héctor and Pablo Durigutti, serving as a nostalgic tribute to their childhood in Rivadavia, East Mendoza, where they would return home after long days of outdoor play with dirt-streaked faces. This wine champions Cereza, a historic, pink-skinned Criolla grape native to Argentina that was long relegated to bulk wine production. Sourced from old pergola-trained vines in the eastern oasis of Mendoza, the Durigutti brothers vinify this grape with minimal intervention—utilizing native yeasts and concrete vats without any oak contact. The result is a delightfully rustic, light-bodied, and vibrant red that reclaims the dignity of Argentina's ancestral viticulture.
🍾 About the Producer
Durigutti Family Winemakers was established in 2002 by winemaking brothers Héctor and Pablo Durigutti, who sought to champion Argentina's heritage terroirs through precise, artisanal winemaking. Their viticultural base centers on Finca Victoria in Las Compuertas, a historic high-altitude appellation within Luján de Cuyo perched above 1,000 meters along the Mendoza River. Here, ancient alluvial soils rich in silt, gravel, and limestone combine with intense Andean sunshine and marked diurnal shifts, creating optimal conditions for certified organic viticulture. Rejecting heavy-handed intervention, the Durigutti brothers emphasize spontaneous native yeast fermentations, concrete vats, ceramic amphorae, and judicious oak aging to preserve varietal clarity and site transparency. Their portfolio reflects an extraordinary stylistic breadth, anchored by the benchmark Proyecto Las Compuertas Malbec and the icon cuvée Esencia, alongside heritage recovery projects such as Cara Sucia and terroir-driven expressions from regional outposts across Mendoza and San Juan.
🍇 Grapes
Cereza
🍷 ABV
11.5%