Carmelo Patti, Cabernet Sauvignon

Should you be lucky enough to visit the spectacular Mendoza region of Argentina, it won’t take you long to encounter a Frenchman from Bordeaux. Legendary consultant Michel Rolland has made this place his second home, attracting many of his contemporaries to join him in the Clos de los Siete project, while other big-name Bordelais have taken their talents and investment capital to the foothills of the Andes—including Château Cheval-Blanc (Cheval des Andes) and Domaines Baron de Rothschild-Lafite (Bodegas Caro). And yet, for all the impressive, Bordeaux-inspired wine to be had from Mendoza, this humbly priced Cabernet Sauvignon from Sicilian-born Carmelo Patti displays more Old World Bordeaux character than perhaps anything I’ve tasted from the region.Although Patti is widely respected in Mendoza and a cult favorite of Argentine wine aficionados, he keeps a relatively low profile: He has just one employee and has kept his operation small and resolutely traditional, crafting soulful, soil