Another one people probably don’t think of when it comes to Argentina is Trousseau. I first came across this bottling during the pandemic when a retailer who knew I preferred old world style mentioned he had scored a case of this that was apparently found in a distributor’s warehouse after being lost for years. He kept the case stashed out of site and sold them selectively to people who he knew would appreciate them. I think I ended up with most of it : ) IIRC it was the 2011 vintage- whatever it was, it had about 10 years on it. I wouldn’t have guessed Jura on a blind taste but I would have definitely been guessing around traditional old style of Spain or Italy made cleanly. No noticeable new oak but definitely something that was allowed to breathe a little during elevage. At the time I was buying them for about $20-22 which was pretty sweet.
This is the 2017 that I had recently. They’re not that easy to find here. I am told Aniello is fond of exporting his wines and only about 100 cases are made annually. It’s made from a .08 hectare parcel of ungrafted Trousseau planted in 1932 in Patagonia. Fermented in small bins with ambient yeast before it goes into used barrels until it undergoes malo, then transferred to concrete eggs to age before bottling. I am not sure how long they wait before release but I think 2018 is the current release.
Not an incredibly complex wine but enough there to be interesting. Earthy, almost a hint of iron mixed in with the red fruits. Nice little grip on the fine tannins and almost Piedmont levels of acidity. I preferred the aged wine as I tend to like some age if a wine can handle it. It brought on just a touch of leather and tobacco. I doubt it holds up well after 15-20 years. It just didn’t have the oopmh for that. Happy with the current wine too. I think they’re priced around $35-40 here now. Decent for that price though wouldn’t be too happy paying more. Would be fun to throw in with a group from Jura as well as some Bastardo from Portugal or Spain.
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