Mariano Zelada
La Racine du Cabernet 2023
About the producer — Mariano Zelada →
Gaillac, France · 0.75L
- Vintage
- 2023
- Format
- 0.75L
- Custody
- Bonded storage
Held privately in professional bonded storage. Recorded, not offered. Enquiries by request.
Enquire about this bottle →Why this bottle matters
La Racine du Cabernet reads as a quieter counterpoint to La Cabernet au Carré. If one suggests structure, this one suggests origin: Cabernet returned to soil, place and root. In this cellar, it is recorded not because it is obvious, but because the beginning is worth following.
Why this bottle matters
La Racine du Cabernet — the root of Cabernet — is Mariano Zelada's varietal statement: 100% Cabernet Franc from an extremely poor limestone site in Gaillac, hand-harvested and biodynamically farmed, fermented spontaneously and raised nineteen months in used wood, bottled unfiltered. Zelada, an Argentine trained at Geisenheim with cellar time across four countries and New Zealand, founded his label in 2020 and chose Gaillac for its chalk; this cuvée is the wine where that choice speaks most clearly. His German importer reads it as cool and mineral in the manner of a top Loire Cabernet Franc, but with a more Mediterranean cast to its fruit and spice — the variety's northern nerve on a southern hillside.
Cellaring perspective
Cabernet Franc from poor limestone is one of the grape varieties that most rewards patience without demanding it: lovely young, more aromatic and silkier at eight to ten years. Production is tiny and hand-made, and the bottle came directly from the winemaker to this cellar — a chain of custody with exactly one link.
From the same cellar
About this bottle
Is this Mariano Zelada 2023 authentic and how is its provenance documented?
This Mariano Zelada, La Racine du Cabernet 2023 0.75L is held in professional bonded storage with documented custody. Its provenance is recorded from acquisition, the bottle remaining in professional custody, and condition is noted. The Empty Drops is a private cellar, not a reseller, and never invents data about a bottle.
How is the bottle stored and shipped?
The bottle is kept in temperature-controlled bonded storage and is not moved unless shipping is requested. It is recorded privately, not offered publicly; it can be released through CruTrade on request.
What does the fill level and condition tell you about this bottle?
Condition is read from the fill level (ullage), capsule and label rather than taken on faith. A bottle that has stayed in professional custody since acquisition avoids the usual weak points — heat, movement and broken records.
Where can I buy Mariano Zelada, La Racine du Cabernet 2023 0.75L?
Mariano Zelada, La Racine du Cabernet 2023 0.75L is recorded privately in this cellar and is not offered publicly. When a bottle is released it is handled through CruTrade, where condition and custody are documented. To ask about availability, price or a similar bottle, make a private enquiry.