En Piedra Líquida Sauvignon Blanc El Peral | 2022

Piedra Líquida’s Sauvignon Blanc is so aromatic that you can smell its kaleidoscope of citrus fruits and tropical colors from across the table. Available in the United States for the first time, Líquida’s wines typically disappear into the trendy wine shops and restaurants of Argentina. Truly "underground," there’s no website and hardly any information about the wines in English. Piedra Líquida is a project from distinguished Italian winemaker Giuseppe Franceschini and farmer Juan Pablo Calandria in the El Peral region of the Uco Valley, which is a treasure trove of old vineyards and altitude.

Giuseppe has lived in Argentina for more than fifteen years, and in that short time he’s making some of the most eye-popping, head-turning wines in Argentina. Fermented and aged in used barrels, Piedra Líquida reminds me of a fine Sauvignon Blanc that I wrapped in a torchon and squeezed out its tiny droplets of water. It wakes you up with its orange glow, peach fuzz, exotic passion, icy stones, and smack of lemon balm. The oak treatment gives the wine its long torso on the palate with subtle gestures of brown spice. At 13.1% alcohol it’s a total flavor bomb with a sleek physique, high cheekbones and all. If you’re a fan of cult Loire Sauvignons, high-toned White Bordeaux, or the magic of Friuli, then Piedra Líquida is for you, like it is, for me. ~Allegra A