Cara Sucia Nebbiolo
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Charcuterie boards, tomato-based pasta dishes, roasted pork
✨ Technical Specifications
The 'Cara Sucia' (meaning 'dirty face') line by the Durigutti brothers is a nostalgic tribute to their childhood in Rivadavia, East Mendoza, where they would play in the fields until their faces were covered in dirt. This range focuses on reviving the historic, often overlooked grape varieties planted by early European immigrants in the eastern oasis of Mendoza. Nebbiolo, a classic Piemontese grape, found a unique home in these old pergola-trained vineyards. To preserve the grape's bright, rustic charm and pure varietal character, the winemakers employ minimal-intervention techniques, fermenting with native yeasts in concrete vats without any oak aging. The result is a fresh, vibrant, and highly approachable expression of Nebbiolo that showcases a lighter, more playful side of Argentine wine.
🍾 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
Nebbiolo
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%