ARGENTINA $20 TO $40 - Ray’s Home (11/24/2009)
My value tasting group met to taste wines from Argentina. The rules are that the wine had to be currently available on the local shelves and cost between $20 and $40. A few "ringers’ were thrown in due to their price or availability which made for interesting comparisons. All wines were consumed blind over the course of two hours or so. Bread and cheeses were served.
Easily identified blind based on knowing it was probably from Argentina and the nose. This has crept up in pricing over the years, but still a very nice wine.
-
2008 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés - Argentina, Salta
Golden in color with some green. A very nice aromatic nose with canned peaches and mandarin oranges, also some white flowers. On the palate, slightly bitter and very viscous. Nice acidity. Lots of grapefruit flavors. This was nice and would work well where ever Gewurtz or Vidal Blanc would. 13.5% Alc. (88 pts.)
On the whole, a WAY better tasting than the Chilean one a few months ago. These are all nice with striking acidity that will make them food friendly. I am sure that many are less than $20 in the free world. For us they tended to be between $20 and $25 and at that range, these represent decent value.
-
2008 Viña Cobos Malbec Felino - Argentina, Mendoza
Purple in color. The nose started out strong but faded with air. Black raspebrries, plums and coffee. Soft on the palate. Nice juicy acidity. The finish was a bit odd with a sweet/bitter componenet. The group liked it better than I though as this got two first place votes. (87 pts.) -
2007 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec - Argentina, Mendoza
Purple in color with some ruby at the rim. This wine was aromatically challenged. Some dust and hints of plum. On the palate, it is much better with sweet black cherries. Slightly thin, but a lively acidity. Long finish. This improved as the night wore on. This was the group’s WOTN. (88 pts.) -
2006 Bodega Colome Malbec Estate - Argentina, Salta, Calchaquies
A blend of 85% Malbec, 8% Tannat, and 7% Cabernet. Purple in color, magenta at the rim. The nose has coffee, black raspberries, and plums. Nice wine, but somewhat sweet and jammy for my tastes. Decent acidity. It finishes very well with persistent fruit. (88 pts.) -
2003 Clos de los Siete (Michel Rolland) Clos de Los Siete - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
Interesting to try a bottle this “old”. 40% Malbec, 20% Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah. Magenta/purple in color. The nose is dusty with dried meats, dried cherries, rosemary and Vick’s mentholated rub. Nice texture on attack but it turns drying. Some black raspberries. Not bad, but I suspect this was better a few years ago. Do these wines hold up? Not if this wine was an indication. (85 pts.) -
2007 Clos de los Siete (Michel Rolland) Clos de Los Siete - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
This was good to try a recent vintage. 48% Malbec, 28& Merlot, 12% cab, 12% Syrah. The nose has cedar, black cherries, plums and dust. This is soft and easy to drink. Good black cherry fruit on the palate. Nice finish. I liked this more than the group, but found it lush and quenching. Compared to the 03, it seemed a dozen years younger. (89 pts.) -
2007 Bodega Eral Bravo Urano Syrah - Argentina, Mendoza
Trent put this in as an additional bottle. Available for under $15, I have been a fan of this wine in prior vintages, and this was my WOTN. Ruby in color with purple swirls. The nose is tight but eventually shows som rosemary, cedar and iodine. Also Black raspebrries and pepper. Nice texture. On the palate, dark fruits. Plenty of tannins. Plastic cork so I would not age these, but it is a nice lush drink right now. And of course, I do love Syrah! (90 pts.) -
2003 Bodega Nofal Alonso - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is dusty with clay and some cherries. Also showing some oak. A blend of Malbec, Cab, and Tempranillo. Thinner on the palate with cherries and a very tannic finish. Seemed to drop off for me during the night. The groups last place wine, but it did get one first place vote. (87 pts.) -
2005 Doña Paula Malbec Selección de Bodega - Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Purple/ruby in color. The nose has plums, black cherries and rosemary. On the palate, sweet black cherry fruit. Nice acidity. The finish was a bit off with a cherry “fizzies” taste (if you remeber that 1960’s candy). Very heavy bottle. (89 pts.) -
2005 Bodega O. Fournier Beta Crux - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, La Consulta
60% Tempranillo, 35% Malbec, 5% Syrah. Opaque purple in color. The nose is off with a pickle juice component (American oak gone bad?), and cherries. On the palate, sweet and a bit jammy. Although there was some complex layering underneath. Cherries and plums. It finish with tannins, oak and heat. (86 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker