Seleccion Ricardo Santos, Single Vineyard Semillon 2010, USD 15
This Lunlunta district (Maipu Dpt, Central Mendoza) single vineyard shows more fruit shifted palette. The melon and white peach are striking. The complexity is wider than 09 vintage with an edge of herbal citrus, and soft minerality.A buttery toach present too. A 94 points white. Probably the top only-Semillon white. Finca La Anita Sémillon (Agreglo district,Lujan de Cuyo Dpt) goes quite close on the spotlight.
Tasted same time with Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2010, marlborough, NZ : 90 pts
- see the 2009 vintage notes here: Ricardo Santos Sémillon 2009
Malma Reserve Malbec 2006, By Bodega NQN. USD 15
Also sold international as Lonco. A beautiful Malbec from San Patricio Valley with such a character and balance I´ve not seen before in North Patagonia. Fresh dark berries and cherries with quince and plum jam, you name it. Nice alcohol and acidity too. Chocolate and soft smoke too. A 92 points Malbec getting better. Great value. To my palate the one I picked up.
see the Jan 2011 note: Malma/Lonco 2006 Malbec note Jan 2011
Quara, Barrique Aged, Torrontes 2006, By Bodega Lavaque, USD 22
A wonderful Torrontes from Cafayate Valley, Salta Province, NorthWest Argentina
Golden and bright yellow impressive from the beginning. Explosive aromas of grapefruit and melon with nice linden (basswood) herbal tea that will add honey bee and some dry leaves on the palate. The white fruits are nicely matured in a beautiful even not complete yet oxidation. Quite appropiate buttery mouth toach without any dominance. A complex and very attractive Torrontes
like no one I ever tried before (well, I must say some vintages of Torrontes 'Etchart International' back in the 90's were close to this amazing). A 93 points white vivid expression both the nature of Torrontes and Cafayate imprints. It should get more nice notes of
beautiful oxidation next couple of years. Given the strong acidity and alcohol of this barrique aged Torrontes, I wound't be suprised if it develops even more terciary notes to allure some palates during the next 4 to 6 years. A must to taste now and keep safe some bottles for the years to come.
Infinitus (sold int´l as Fabre Montmayou Barrel Selection) Malbec 2010, By Domaine Vistalba, USD 15
A Malbec from Rio Negro Valley in North Patagonia.
Striking Malbec with all the beauty of northpatagonia expressed with strong tannins,concentrated black and red
cherries with plum and violets. Firm backbone with nice chocolate slightly expressed. Now a 90 points malbec to improve next 2-4 years. One of the best Patagonian Malbecs given the balance and terroir expression quality.
Infinitus Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. By Domaine Vistalba, USD 15 (Sold internationally as Fabre-Montmayou Barrel Selection)
A Cabernet Sauvignon fron Rio Negro Valley. Rio Negro Province, North Patagonia.
A deep blue violet color with striking onset. Close to pure blackberries and violets from the nose on and finishing with a concentrated palate adding nice pepper notes with very soft smoke and chocolate. Strong and concentrated Cab mostly about black fruits and rose/violets aromas. A 90 points CS worth it the price to impress many palates. It´ll be better probably 3-4 years from now.
This styled Cabernet goes pretty away from the oak complement and place itself as a good fruity driven counterpart of a modern oak complemented Cabernet. That means a good rival to ripe and oaky driven reds. A wine with strong character as the hallmark of this winery.
Chakana Reserve, Malbec 2009, By Chakana Wines (Andean Wines), USD 15
A beautiful Malbec bottled in Lujan de Cuyo Departament, Central Mendoza.
It mixes ripe and sour black cherries and berries typical from Uco Valley with a bit of soft and strong red berries. Delicious chocolaty note rounds up. Very good balance and attractiveness
all over the palate. Delicate and soft and not even close to overconcentrated. Nice enough complexity.
An 89 points malbec that will get better next few (lets say 2-4) years. Great value.
Pulenta Estate, Sauvignon Blanc 2009, By Pulenta Estate, USD 12
A Sauvignon Blanc fron High Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo in Central Mendoza.
Striking mix of herbal, citric and ripe white peach fresh and nicely acid. No oak note whatsoever wich could have well ruined the beauty of this SB. The herbal goes like some type of chicory or bitter lettuce.
The citric close to sweet white grapefruit. Not very complex although it keeps the shine alive. An 89 points SB worthwhile the price/qty equation.
Udwe, Pinot Noir 2010 ,By Marcelo Miras, USD 15
Saurus, Barrel Select, Pinot Noir 2006, By Bodega Schroeder, USD 15
-Udwe:A Pinot from Rio Negro Valley. Cooked red cherries and plum with some sour quince.
Some unwanted oxidation (even cork not leaked) renders a compote quality to the fruits.I don´t feel it attractive neither to improve over time.
An 84 points
-Saurus:A Pinot from San Patricio Valley. Bright red cherries, sweet and modestly sour. More gentle than wide and deep as usual for a Patagonian Pinot Noir. Its easy to drink and friendly though no complex. It might get better a couple of years ahead.
An 88 points
Xumek, Malbec 2009, By Bodega Santa Sylvia, USD 12
A Malbec from Zonda Valley in San Juan Province, north to Mendoza Province by the Andes Montains too.
Nice and blue colored malbec with deep fruit dominated of blueberries and boysenberries. Blackcherries sweet and concentrated. Nice chocolate. Strong alcohol and strong tannins in fruit
expression. Looks like a red to enjoy young ,like before 4 years old. Beautiful alone or with dark,dark chocolate and spiced and complex food like morrocan dishes. Its the Argentinian Malbec version of a Barossa Shiraz in style, power and presence. An 89 points malbec, easy and impressive at the same time. Very good value.
Old Vineyard (La Isabel), Humberto Canale, Pinot Noir 2009, By Bodega Canale, USD 19
A fresh Pinot Noir from Rio Negro Valley,(Rio Negro Province) North Patagonia.
Nice and fruity keeping a good wide palate.Balanced and ripe red cherries with a plummy edge. Very mild and not clearly unpleasant metal undertone. Strong and nicely balanced acidity. Quite soft chocolaty undertone too. Keeping a delicate balance all the way. An 88 points pinot fair and soft sound and clearly kept simple. The good tannins make room to improve further in 2-4 years.
(tasted at 16 Celsius).
Trumpeter Reserve Torrontes 2008, By Rutini Wines, USD 17
A torrontes from Tupungato Valley (part of Uco Valley). It displays a wide palette of white flowers in aromas. Soft rude plant and grapefruit not as sour and crispy as a typical sauvignon blanc.
Nice ripe peach in the middle palate. A little bit buttery and toasty but only timidly. A complex and balanced Torrontes, not as expressive as the Cafayate´s ones but probably at least as good as those. A 90 point white ready to impress most people. This delicate balance shoudn´t go better more than 4 years. A great value.
Trumpeter Reserve Pinot Grigio 2008, By Rutini Wines, USD 17
A pinot grigio from La Consulta in San Carlos Departament, Uco Valley, Mendoza.
Again and round white (like the Torrontes from the series) with buttery and toasty envelope and this time a beautiful melon and cantaloupe juice. Nice sweety honey aftertaste with some honest
oxidation. Strong alcohol and a stemmy bitterness for some complexity. An 88 points Pinot Gris to enjoy before 4 years old. The Torrontes has more perfume and floral aromas that will surely catch more friends. Better structured than Viogner which reached much more fragil.
Saint Felicien, Cabernet Franc 2007, By Bodega Catena Zapata, USD 15
A series sold only to the local market. A CF blend from Agrelo district (lujan de Cuyo Dpt) and San Carlos (Uco Valley). A soft red mostly sweet,gentle and caramelized. Some red cherries and sweet
quince marmalade attractive but somehow weak in terms of lacking good acidity to back it up. Very mild oak envelope and a very soft wet leather bretty like. Likable and enjoyable though.
I wound´t go more than 85 points. All in all a good value. It dosen´t look like worth waiting more than now.
Navarro Correas Reserva, Seleccion de Parcelas, Malbec 2009, By Bodega Navarro Correas, USD 13
A malbec blending diferent vineyards from Mendoza. Well balanced Malbec mixing ripe red cherries and black ones too, mostly like high settled vineyars given the sweety and sour basic tannins structure. Soft chocolaty and smoky notes by the way without much noise. Probably no better much further of 4 years old. I´d say an 89 points malbec and a very good value.
Reserva del Fin del Mundo, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, By Bodega del Fin del Mundo, USD 20
A CS from San Patricio Valley of Neuquen Province, North Patagonia.
Impressive red brilliant and vivid worth watching. Brave aromas of dark roses and violets allure. The palate offers a set of red cherries and black berries with firm and nicely bitter tannins with great acidity
and alcohol. A strong and solid CS with a fine line of peppers and spice. Absolutely typical of San Patricio Valley and North Patagonia. A 90 points CS that will push any meety casserole or BBQ up to who knows where. This type of CS will reach better after 4-6 years of age . A Great Value.
Reserva del Fin del Mundo , Chardonnay 2010, By Bodega del Fin del Mundo, USD 20
An impressive and full body Chard from San Patricio Valley, Neuquen Province in North Patagonia.
Attractive and vivid yellowish with green undertones catch the eye right off the bottle. A solid and strong Chardonnay full of a bi-fruit punch: ripe pineapple and yellow peach. Quite attractive, with nice acidity and alcohol. Some buttery and toasty edge give an appropiate complement.
An 89 points Chardonnay that might surely get more complex in 2-4 years. A great Patagonian Chardonnay full of local personality. An easy to adore white.
Maria Codorniu (Sur), Sparkling, N/V, By Bodega Septima (Codorniu), USD 13
A sparkling blending 80% Chardonnay and 20% of Pinot Noir from Tunuyan distric, Uco Valley, Mendoza. A well balanced sparkling with extrabrut sugar content. Good fruit like apple and ripe peach with some sweet pineapple. The pinot gives off roundness and counterbalance on tropical fruits. Nice acidity and sweetness. Delicate and soft toasty and buttery note. An 86 points sparkling and a good value. Nothing to die for neither to remember more than a couple of weeks even though it pass by just nice.
Atamisque, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, By Bodega Atamisque, USD 22
A very nice CS from Tupungato city in Uco Valley, Mendoza.
A high settled vineyard that gives this typical imprint over CS with mostly black cherries and plum on a thin structure widen on the middle palate with soft tannins but finishing too soon.
Good balance with soft oak and backed up by good alcohol and acidity. Also a delicate peppery note. An 89 points CS with some weakness for an above premium 20 bucks type of malbec. I don´t feel it will reach any better after 4 years old. At least this bottle, although I should give a try to others bottles to take a better grip of it.
Vistalba, Corte B, By Carlos Pulenta Winery, USD 25
A Malbec blend with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Vistalba distric of Lujan de Cuyo Dpt in Central Mendoza.
This is a wonderful red, round and complete. Rich and fruity with much more complexity than a malbec running alone.
Say red and black cherries with chocolate and smoke. Beautiful middle palate and adorable aftertaste. A 7 y/o malbec probably
in its plateau of maturity but intriguing to see next 2-4 years. A great value for 25 bucks with all the beauty of high Lujan de Cuyo.
A realy adorable and admirable Malbec blend to drink again and again and gather more friends to the list. A 92 points Malbec blend with great value and profile reached.
Afincado, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, By Bodega Terrazas de los Andes, USD 45
The Moet-Hennesyy wine division in Mendoza. A Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard ´Los aromos´
in Perdriel Distric in Lujan de Cuyo Departament, Central Mendoza.
A delicate Cabernet Sauvignon with all the finesse and fruity balance with herbal and peppery charge typical of Perdriel District. It goes with a fine blackberry signature not seen in other districts, and much less expressed than Uco´s cabernet (where I´d say sometimes ´overexpressed´). This and the ´Nico´ label of Cobos Winery are two best known CS from this wonderful terroir. Deep delicious tannins,very delicate and fruity equilibrated. Good chocolate very entangled with soft toast and smoke. A 91 points CS and a good son of Perdriel. Probably better in 2-4 years from now.
Cadus, Blend of Malbec 2009, By Bodega Nieto Senetiner, USD 34
A Malbec blending three vineyards ,Vistalba district (950 mt/3100 ft, Lujan de Cuyo Dpt), Agrelo district (1050 mt/3400 ft,Lujan de Cuyo Dpt),and Vistaflores district (1150 mt/3700 ft, Uco Valley).
A very good malbec spreading floral and fresh fruits like red and blac plums with red cherries. All in a new oak envelope of mostly coffee. Good acidity and concentration. A nice malbec that will enter its polished roundness 2-3 years from now and probable its best 2-3 years more. A 91 points malbec that I feel overpriced here (you may get this quality here for less than 25 bucks, I mean not all malbec but quite a few of them reach a close quality by less than 25 bucks).
Keeping the winery (for which I´m used to find this price/quality ratio) and the price apart, the wine is very nice.
Laureano Gomez, Pinot Noir Reserve 2010, By the winemaker, USD 22
A Pinot from Tunuyan, Uco Valley, Mendoza showing nice character and tipycity. Round and thin red cherries with black ones as won´t be other way from Uco´s any grape. Good acidity and alcohol. Nice ripeness too. Now an 89 points PN and surely 90 points 2-4 years ahead. It doesn´t look like a pinot with tannins and struture to improve beyond 4-6 years. Fair value for the price.
Montesco Passionate Wine,Sauvignnon Blanc, By Matias Michelini, USD 20
A Sauvignon Blanc signature wine from Gualtallary district in high Tupungato, Uco Valley.
An opaque Sauvignon Blanc. Timid expression of tropical fruits with weak citric note under a big mineral dominance that spreads all over the palate. There´s a honey and dry herbal tone not quite alluring to me. Good but not nice acidity. Good and nice alcohol. I woudn´t go more than 84 points on this SB neither pay 20 bucks for it.
(tasted twice with unblind reference once: Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, NZ, 20 USD, 89 points)
Malma Reserve Merlot 2007, By Bodega NQN, USD 14
Unbelievable merlot from San Patricio Valley of Neuquen Province, North Patagonia.
Ripe fresh and also cooked red cherries and plum with aromas of violets and fresh red roses. Great middle palate growing from the initial toach. Nice alcohol and acidity. Good chocolaty and toasty notes. A 90 points merlot with tannins to improve the first 4-6 years of ageing in the bottle.One of the gratest values in terms of price/quality offered.
Marchiori & Barraud Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, By the authors, USD 20
Very attractive CS from Perdriel Distric if Lujan de Cuyo Departament, Central Mendoza.
Announcing aromas. Very smooth and expressive palate, balabced and fruity. Ripe red and bkack cherries with vanilla and a mix of chocolate and coffee pinchs. Nice memory after the palate. A quite attractive CS with only small peppery and herbal notes. A noticeable spicy toach of cinnamon and soft star anise. A 91 points CS that should get better next 2-4 years. Great value from the prime growth zone of Mendoza (to my own taste,for sure).
Laureano Gomez, Malbec Reserve 2010, By Bodega Laureano Gomez, USD 22
A nice Malbec from Tunuyan city in Uco Valley, Mendoza.
Dense blue with much violet tone. Expressive nose. Straight inicitial palate with thin middle palate dominated by boysenberries and sweet blackberries and plum, overripe plum I´d say.Good envelope of chocolate and smoke. The usual Tunuyan´s Malbec. Attractive and typical but lacking that wide middle palate of red fruits found in others malbecs and that I admire more. I wound´t go more than 90 points with this malbec, even probably most would go 91 or 92, more if you think of 3-4 years ahead. Good value.This malbec is easier to drink and more sweety than the Salentein Reserves Gomez did up to 2007/08 vintages.
El Malbec de Ricardo Santos 2009, By Ricardo Santos, USD 18
A very nice Malbec routed to a single vineyard 'La Madras' in Russell district of Maipu Departament, Central Mendoza.
An impressive Malbec with typical balance of ripe black fruts with red cherries and a little touch of chocolate and smoke.
The middle palate is pleasant and you may actually toach the round and ripe tannins. Not very complex to be a super neither a deep concentrated to be an outrageous malbec either but quite nice.
A little bit short lasting to excel even though it keeps the beauty alive. A 90 points Malbec and a great value too. I don´t feel this Malbec would be better after 4 years of cellar.
I surely misinterpreted the global character of this malbec that must be from Russell but it looks more like a 'La Consulta' (San Carlos Dpt, Uco valley) Malbec to me.
You may also like to read the 2007 vintage on March 2010 HERE
