Arca Yaco Amar Y Vivir Cabernet Sauvignon – 2020

6,800+ feet
From the winemaking legacy of Bodega Etchart
Tim Atkin’s Wine of the Year 2020 & 2021

Founded in 1850, Bodega Etchart’s Arnaldo B. wine has won no fewer than 52 medals, including Gold at the Mondial de Bruxelles. But recently, Matias Etchart, the latest in the dynasty, decided to try something else. Arca Yaco is a small farm alongside a creek, nestled in an oasis high in the Calchaquí Valley. There, winemaker Matias Etchart harvests malbec and cabernet sauvignon grapes in the shade of fig and walnut trees.

The resulting wine, Amar y Vivir (a reference to an old bolero song sung by his uncle Arnaldo), is a personal statement – a memoir fermented and aged in oak. This 100% cabernet sauvignon is subtle, floral, and refined, with notes of fresh herbs and blackcurrant, soft tannins, and a long, complex finish. Amar y Vivir is a wine to remind us, even in these times, that life is to be lived.