ARGENTINEAN WINES

Not many Americans think of Argentina as a large wine producing country, but it has a very long history of making "vino" and there are nearly half a million acres of vineyards down there!

While Chilean wines have become popular here, largely due to low prices, Argentina remains relatively unknown.  This anonymity means, at least for the time being, some fertile grounds for value-conscious consumers.

The first vines went into Argentina's soil, cuttings being brought from Spain, around the middle of the 1500s.  An influx of Italian and Spanish helped promote the growth of vineyards in Argentina.  In 1853 the first agricultural school was set up and its director, a Frenchman, introduced French grape varieties and new viticultural techniques.   A real turning point was in the 1880s, seeing the construction of waterways, bringing much-needed water to the deserts of Argentina and allowing for agriculture in previously arid lands. 

There are four major wine regions in Argentina: Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja (nothing to do with Spain's region of the same name) and Rio Negro.  By far the most important, at least presently, is Mendoza.  This region produces something like 70% of the wine in Argentina. 

There has been much foreign investment in Argentina.   You'll find some wineries owned by British, French, Chilean, Swiss, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese firms.  This is a good sign, as it helps open the doors to new techniques, as well as opening the minds of local winemakers.

We don't have very many Argentinean wines.  The wines we do stock are quite good and represent some good values.  Ten dollars goes much farther in Argentina than in California!  For ten bucks you can stop by and take home a bottle of wine.  In the Napa Valley, ten dollars might get you in the front door at some winery and an ounce of somebody's precious Cabernet Sauvignon!

Now we are seeing a wave of expensive, supposedly deluxe wines from many producers.  We have tasted quite a number of these and have to admit many wines are rather nice.  But we ask ourselves if we would pay $40-$50 for these wines and most of the time the answer is "no."  

Perhaps the most interesting and expensive wine we've tasted is called "Cheval des Andes" and is made under the watchful eyes of the Bordeaux firm of Château Cheval Blanc.  Their wine is costly but it is one which delivers all it promises and a more.  The single vineyard Trapiche wines are quite good and the Melipal winery is offering some serious bottles at sensible prices.

Some Argentinean wines we like:

MASI

You may be wondering how someone would use the name of a famous Veronese vintner for wine produced in Argentina.

It's not "someone," but the same Italian family, the Boscaini clan who make some splendid Amarone and Valpolicella wines.

Rather than produce the same old, same old, they have brought the brilliant notion of combining New World and Old World winemaking to create something totally unique.

Of course, Argentina is famed for its Malbec wines.  And the Masi name is famous for Amarone, a red wine made of grapes that are dried to intensify the resulting wine.  Masi, further, came up with a process which is called "ripasso," where they incorporate the skins of the Amarone back into a tank of Valpolicella wine.  That wine is called "Campofiorin" and it's a good example of this ripasso technique.  Masi copyrighted the term "ripasso" and other Venetian vintners who make a similar wine are obliged to pay a royalty if they use that term on their labels.

Masi is making a very interesting wine called Passo Doble.  This is an unusual process.  The Malbec is fermented in stainless steel tanks and as it's finishing its fermentation, they add some lightly dried Corvina grapes (this is a variety commonly used in the Veneto for Valpolicella) and the fermentation proceeds for an extended time.  The resulting wine is then matured for a bit less than a year in small oak barrels, more for development than to give it wood fragrances or flavors.

We have the 2007 in the shop presently.  It is not a wine for those looking for the big, flashy, muscular Malbec wine that's popular with wine critics.  This is a more elegant wine and it's a bit subtle if you're looking for "gobs of fruit" or a forest full of oak.  

We like the red fruits, baked cherries and hint of cola on the nose and palate.  The wine is medium-bodied and not particularly tannic or aggressive.  You can pair it with a range of foods, from a savory pork roast to tomato-sauced pastas to grilled or roasted red meats.

Currently in stock:  MASI 2007 "Passo Doble" $18.99

 

MELIPAL

The Melipal winery is located about 20 minutes outside the city of Mendoza.  They have a couple of major vineyard parcels with some rather old plantings of Malbec.

We tasted their wines and found them to be really good...very stylish.  In researching information about the winery, it seems no wonder why we liked these.  Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini is a consultant for this producer and Martin Tosolini is the winemaker. 

We've tasted several vintages of delightful, serious quality Malbec wines...

The "regular" bottling is from the 2006 vintage.  The vineyards are 80 years old, so they don't produce a huge crop of fruit.  The wine is vinified to be drinkable rather early.   It spends about half a year in American oak, so there's a nice woodsy tone to go with the blackberryish fruit.

We had the Reserve bottling in a blind tasting of Malbecs and it was my first place wine.  A few tasters ranked it in last place, since it was so unusual.  What made it different from the rest of the wines in the tasting was its perfume was reminiscent of good, young, top flight Bordeaux.  There's a deep, cedary fragrance and this woodsy element struck a chord with me...heavy hitter Bordeaux!  

The vineyards for the reserve were planted in 1923 and yield a mere half-kilo of grapes (about one pound of fruit per vine!)...They leave the juice and wine in contact with the skins for 30 days and the wine matures for 18 months in French oak...quite a showy bottle of wine, frankly.

Currently in stock:  2006 MELIPAL Mendoza Malbec $17.99
2006 MELIPAL "Reserve" Malbec (LIst $40) Sale $34.99

MICHEL TORINO

The Michel Torino winery is situated in Argentina's Cafayate Valley, approximately 6,000 feet above sea level.  |

The region is blessed with some unusual viticultural conditions...the sun shines there almost all year long.  They have very little rainfall and the temperature swing from daytime to night is remarkable.

The Torino family started its winegrowing business in the late 1800s and today things seem to be thriving.  They cultivate their vast vineyard holdings using organic farming principles.  

We recently found a very good example of Malbec and this middle-tier bottling is actually a "good value" at its $15 price level.

Bearing the "Don David" name in honor of one of the founding Torino brothers, this 2007 vintage wine is 100% Malbec.  It's been matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels, though they leave one portion of the blend out of wood to insure nice red fruit aromas and flavors.  

The 2007 is ready to drink and it will probably remain in good condition through 2010, or so.  It's a medium-full bodied red wine with light tannins.

Currently in stock:  2007 "DON DAVID" Malbec $14.99

 

 

 

TRAPICHE

Trapiche is a very large Argentinean winery, still family owned and operated.   Having made such "normal" quality wines for years, it's nice to know they are striving to improve their quality.  They've hired some foreign help in order to improve their viticulture as well as their cellar practices.  We've got a rather pleasant, but simple, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Trapiche.  

We no longer see their Medalla Real or Fond de Cave wines.  They introduced a label called Broquel to replace the Fond de Cave and none of our South American customers know this label.  We've tasted these and they're nice, but we already have a store chock-full-of-wine.  


We have now tasted a number of their single-vineyard Malbec wines and these are top-notch, in general.

In particular, my favorite of those arriving in San Francisco to this point is the 2006 Adriana Venturin.

This vineyard was planted in 1959 by the grandfather of Ms. Venturin.  The wine is 100% varietal and it's matured in new French oak.  I found this bottling to be nicely intense, with dark berry, black fruit aromas and flavors along with a lovely woodsy fragrance and flavor.  It is quite drinkable now and very showy.  I'd say it's one of the few premium-priced Malbecs to be worthy of the tariff.

Currently available:  TRAPICHE Chardonnay  $7.99
TRAPICHE Cabernet Sauvignon $6.99
TRAPICHE 2006 "Adriana Venturin" MALBEC $49.99

 

NIETO SENETINER

This enterprise was founded in the late 1800s by Italian immigrants.  Today the winery is owned by a former oil and gas magnate who owns a major food business, something like America's Kraft Foods.  

Molinos Rio de la Plata raises tons of soybeans, as well as dealing in cattle for beef and dairy products, pasta and frozen foods.  Gregorio Pérez Companc is now in his 70s and was a high school dropout.  But he's no dummy and the Nieto brand of wines has some nice offerings.

We currently have a Reserve bottling of Malbec...it's one of those modestly-priced wines that tastes more expensive than its price tag would indicate.  It's 100% Malbec and was matured for about a year in small French oak...we find a light touch of wood...it's there at a level where you notice it, but not too strong so it overpowers the mildly plummy Malbec fruit.  Not a wine for cellaring...please drink it within a year, or so.

Currently in stock: NIETO 2007 Reserve MALBEC $9.99

 

 

DOMINGO HERMANOS

The Domingo family came to the wine business in an unusual fashion.  They were owed money by someone and instead of being paid in cash, they were paid with vineyard land!  Now they own vineyards in several areas of Argentina and produce a wide range of wines.

Headquarters for this company is the Cafayate region in the Salta province and this is where Torrontes seems to grow especially well.

We appreciate Torrontes that are aromatic and have the zesty notes of a Muscat or Gewürztraminer and the snappy zing of a good Sauvignon Blanc and the Finca Domingo wine offers tremendous character at an attractive price.

The wine is fresh and has the spice and fruit-basket fragrances we look for in Torrontes.  It's dry and crisp...a great wine to start off a meal, as it sets up a serious red wine quite nicely.

Currently in stock:  FINCA DOMINGO 2008 Torrontes  $11.99

 

CRIOS (Susana Balbo, winemaker)

Though I've tasted some nice wines made by Susana Balbo, I can't say I'm usually willing to spend the dollars it takes to acquire her main label wines.  I suppose it's a matter of being cheap, or, at least, expecting to receive "good value" for my hard-earned cash.  

I did taste her more modestly-priced wines, which are sold under the label "Crios" (a Spanish word for off-spring).  We have her Torrontes in stock and a dynamite Malbec.



Torrontés is a grape variety transplanted from Spain many generations ago.  It is a very interesting white grape variety and it's thought to be related to Malvasia.  If you take a sniff of Crios' Torrontés wine, you'll probably see the similarities.  The fragrance is spicy and floral...I find it reminiscent of some fine Italian Muller-Thurgau wines.  This is dry, light, flavorful and best consumed in its youth.  The 2008 seems to be the most intensely fragrant example we've had, so far.  It is absolutely stellar.

We included her higher tier Susana Balbo Malbec in a recent blind-tasting and I was delighted with this wine.  Deep in color and teeming with dark fruit, the wine also had a nice bit of oak.  Beautifully balanced and immediately drinkable, this is delicious!

Currently in stock:  CRIOS 2008 TORRONTÉS $12.99
SUSANA BALBO 2006 MALBEC $27.99

 

BODEGA LURTON
The Lurton boys hail from Bordeaux, where their family owns Chateau Bonnet, Chateau Dauzac, Chateau La Louviere and several others.  Striking out on their own, they make wine in Spain, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as in other areas of France.   Their Argentina project is a joint effort with a large firm called ESCORIHUELA.  Of all the wines we've sampled of this winery, the Pinot Gris stands out. 

Nobody tasting this wine pegs it as a seven buck bottle!  It's rather dry and has a floral note not unlike a good Pinot Gris from Alsace.  It's wonderful.

The new Torrontes from Lurton is delicious.  Very aromatic and fruity...it has a bit of sweetness, too  And inexpensive.

Currently available:  2008 Pinot Gris SALE $7.99
2007 Torrontes $6.49

 

FAMILIA ZUCCARDI'S "VIDA ORGANICA"

The Zuccardi family has been living in Argentina since the late 1800s, but it's only relatively recently that they've been making wine.

The family has been well-known for its irrigation company, providing water resources for grape and other fruit growers.  They have been able to help turn arid land into viable farming soil.  In 1963 Don Alberto Zuccardi purchased some vineyard land not too far from the city of Mendoza.  He did this mainly to demonstrate the efficiencies of his irrigation systems.  Well, one thing led to another and today the Zuccardi family has about 170 hectares of vines.  

And they're not bound to tradition, so they cultivate all sorts of unusual grape varieties.  The Zuccardi's were the first to plant Viognier in Argentina and even have a bit of Zinfandel growing there!

In the late 1990's the family has been working on converting its vineyards towards organic farming.   This is something we support, of course, but, even more importantly, we're looking for good quality first.  If a wine happens to be organically farmed, that's even better.  

We bought some bottles of the Zuccardi wines.  They have a line called Vida Organica.  The current vintage of Torrontes is delightful!  It's dry and extremely aromatic.

 

Currently available:  Vida Organica "Torrontés" $7.49
By Special order:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay 
Malbec 

 

 

 

We also have a dynamite dessert wine from Zuccardi's "Santa Julia" label.  The wine is called "TARDIO" and is a fantastically aromatic, fruity, floral wine costing all of $11.99 for a 375ml bottle.  Don't miss it.   Very fresh and floral.

 

 

 

BODEGAS WEINERT

The Weinert family started this estate in the mid-1970s and it's been a highly-regarded winery since its first wines were released.

They've not gained much traction in the U.S. market as they routinely change importers every couple of years.  

The wines are more a traditional style, rather than being the big, fruit and oak bombs which are so popular today. This is "old fashioned" winemaking and represents an adherence to tradition.   

We currently have a blended red called "Cavas de Weinert," a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec.  The 2000 vintage is available and it's a medium-bodied red wine.  Oak is not a major part of this wine and it shows dusty notes and a bit of red fruit.  The tannins are modest, so this may be consumed now or held for several years.

Currently in stock:  2000 Cavas de Weinert $24.99

 

 

CHEVAL DES ANDES

The "Cheval" here is a reference to the famous Bordeaux estate in St. Emilion called "Cheval Blanc."  

The Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessy group owns a sparkling wine facility in Argentina and a table wine place called Terrazas des Andes.  Pierre Lurton, who's the director at Château d'Yquem and Cheval Blanc, was intrigued by the potential for good wine in Argentina, so he's teamed with a local enologist and they've embarked on a project of truly deluxe quality red wine.  

We're skeptical about many of these collaborative endeavors, finding most to be merely a way to gussy up some decent wine with an association of famous wine people in hopes consumers will fork over a king's ransom.  Look at the Mondavi's "Luce" project in Tuscany or Antinori's Washington State "Col Solare" wine for examples of this.

But after tasting the 2002 Cheval des Andes in blind-tastings and, even better, with dinner, we can say this wine delivers!  

The 2005 is an elegant and refined bottle.  It's drinkable now and we expect it will blossom and develop additionally with time.  

 

Currently in stock:  2005 Cheval des Andes $69.99

NAVARRO CORREAS

Regarded as a producer of premium and special quality wines, this winery launched a special artist label series for its "Coleccion Privada" Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine used to come in a curious frosted black bottle.  They've changed it to a normal bottle (see the depiction to the left).  

The wine, from the 2003 vintage, is a medium-bodied, berryish Cabernet with a touch of cedary oak.  It's not particularly complex, but it is nice with some grilled red meats.   

Currently available:   2003 Navarro Correas  Cabernet  $13.49 

CATENA (Bodegas Esmeralda)

The Catena family came to Argentina from Italy and planted their first vineyards around the turn of the 20th century.  They make boat-loads of wines, but it was only after one of the younger generations of Catena's came to study at U.C. Davis in California that things got to a serious level of international quality.  They hired Paul Hobbs, who used to be at the University of Wine at Robert Mondavi (the Oakville campus) and then at Simi.  

Hobbs helped elevate the quality and brought a more international style (like new oak barrels) and an emphasis on starting with higher quality grapes.  The first Catena-labeled Chardonnay and Cabernet wines were extraordinary.  My impression is that they've either hit a bump in the road or have focused on attracting a market different from the original plan.  

Chardonnay the past couple of years seem slightly sweet. The wine we have in the shop presently is big, oaky and buttery, but with a touch of sweetness.  The local importer claims the sweetness is due to a wild yeast fermentation.  Hard to believe.
And Mr. Hobbs is no longer affiliated with Catena.

2005 CATENA "Alta" CHARDONNAY
This is their no-holds-barred Chardonnay.  It's entirely barrel-fermented using native yeasts and it undergoes a full malolactic fermentation, making it quite buttery and creamy.  It's as showy a Chardonnay as we have seen from Argentina.  It is matured in a high percentage of new oak, giving it a toasty character and it spends a fair bit of time on the lees, adding additional smokiness.


2006 CHARDONNAY
Creamy, mildly buttery and lightly vanillin, the 2005 comes from several vineyard sites.  The wine offers elements familiar to those who drink California Chardonnays, as it shows some tropical fruit aromas along with appley tones and a touch of minerality.  It does not strike me as bone dry, but perhaps low acidity gives one this impression.


2006 MALBEC
Some earlier vintages struck as as being rather meaty and leathery on the nose and palate.  This new vintage seems brighter, cleaner and showing more blackberry and dark fruit tones.
We like it quite a bit, as it's a good example of Malbec.  You can even compare it to some lovely French wines from the region of Cahors, a European bastion of Malbec.
The wine was matured in French and American oak, mostly the former.  The wood is merely a spice tone in this wine.  If you're firing up the grill and preparing steak or lamb, this is a good choice.  The wine probably can be cellared for a few years, but it's drinkable now.


2005 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
This wine is made entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon. Like their Malbec, this is matured in both French and American oak barrels.  We find the fragrance to show notes of cassis and red fruits such as plums.  We find a note of cola and tea here, too.  The oak seems hidden in the background.
Got steak?

Currently available:  2006 Catena Chardonnay $16.99
2006 Catena Malbec $21.99
2005 Catena "Alta" Chardonnay $29.99
2005 Catena Cabernet Sauvignon $18.99 

ALAMOS

Another Catena family wine is this Alamos Chardonnay.

We were pleasantly surprised by many early vintages of this wine...it was stylish, dry and aimed at Chardonnay drinkers.  But the Gallo family now is in some sort of partnership on the Alamos brand and it didn't take them but one vintage to change the wine.  

Instead of continuing to make a wine which was attractive to hard-core Chardonnay fans (people who appreciate white Burgundies and top California wines), they've changed the style to attract those who find Kendall Jackson, Meridian and low end Beringer and Mondavi wines.  

The 2008 is mildly sweet, very fruity and totally different from the previous three or four vintages.  I'm a bit disappointed it's actually selling as well as it is, so the quandary is this:  Pull the plug on this brand in the shop and abandon the customers who are currently buying it, despite its change in style--OR--keep ringing up bottles and cases of this at the cash register...

Currently in stock:  2008 Alamos Chardonnay  $9.99

 

NORTON

Founded in 1895 by an English railway engineer, Bodega Norton is today owned by Gernot Langes-Swarovski, a fellow who is from Austria.  His son runs this winery and their wines seem mostly destined for the local Argentine market.  

We've had some pleasant wines from this firm and a couple of really odd bottles.   I tasted through their line-up in the Fall of 2006 and found but one wine of interest, a Bordeaux-styled blend called "Privada."   It's from the 2004 vintage and is a Cabernet-based red with Malbec and Merlot.  Medium-full on the palate, this shows nice woodsy, cedary notes from its maturation in French oak for nearly a year and a half.  The 2004 is drinkable now and should soften a bit with additional time in the bottle.  It's perfectly drinkable now, though, especially with grilled or roasted meats.

Currently available:  2004 PRIVADA $18.99

We have access to:
Cabernet Sauvignon (regular and reserve)
Malbec (regular & reserve)
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Syrah/Cabernet blend Reserve

ZOLO  (Fincas Patagnicas)

The Ortiz family owns this enterprise and we've become fans of their "Zolo" label.

In America we say something about "knocking your socks off..."  In Argentina, they must have a similar expression except you'd better be wearing a hat.

We have two wines, presently, of the Zolo label.  One will knock your socks off and the other will knock one sock off.

Especially fine is their Torrontes wine.  It's a 2007 vintage white wine and you can't get much more aroma in a bottle of wine.  It's hugely fragrant, along the lines of a Muscat, but slightly more well-mannered.    It's floral in the manner of jasmine, perhaps and fruity in the fashion of a ripe peach.  The wine is rather dry on the palate and very fresh.  It's a delicious cocktail white and works well with chicken or seafood with citrus or saffron.  
It will knock both socks off your feet.

The Bonarda might knock one sock off.  It's a grape from Northern Italy and it's rather widely-planted in Argentina.  The Zolo wine is a nice rendition, showing berryish fruit aromas in a soft, smooth, medium-bodied red wine.  It's a lovely ten-buck red wine and will pair well with white or red meats.

Currently in stock:  2008 ZOLO TORRONTES  Sale $9.99
2005 ZOLO BONARDA  Sold Out

 

ALTOCEDRO

The owner of this small estate is of Lebanese heritage, explaining the choice of a winery name with a reference to cedar.  The country's flag depicts a cedar tree and it's a symbol of pride amongst Lebanese.

Karim Mussi Saffie has a few acres in the La Consulta region  of the Mendoza appellation.  He's a fan of sustainable agricultural practices and he restricts the yields in his vineyards in an effort to produce wines of balance and intensity.

We found his 2004 Reserva bottling of Malbec to be a very good wine.  It's from a couple of old vineyard parcels, one plot being 67 years of age and the other is 49 years old.  The wine was matured for 15 months in French oak and bottled without filtration.   

This is fairly dark in color, with a lovely black fruit fragrance and a hint of oak.  It's medium to full bodied and only mildly tannic.  Paired with red meats, this will be rather supple and silky on the palate.  

Currently in stock:  2004 ALTOCEDRO Reserva  Malbec $23.99 (last bottle)

 

 

 

OTHER BRANDS AVAILABLE TO US BY SPECIAL ORDER:
Subject to Availability
Prices noted are approximate and subject to change at the whim of the producer, importer or distributor .  We routinely offer our customers pricing based upon the best price offered by the distributor.



ALFREDO ROCA
Pinot Noir

ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS
Malbec
Malbec Reserva

AMANCAYA (A Rothschild-Catena wine)
Malbec/Cabernet 

ASTICA
Malbec

Cabernet
Chardonnay
Shiraz

COLONIA
Bonarda

HIGH NOTE
Malbec Elevated

LAYER CAKE
Malbec

MICHEL TORINO
Torrontes
Tannat

SANTA ANA
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet/Merlot blend
Chardonnay
Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc blend
Merlot
Malbec

BALBI
Cabernet Reserve
Malbec
Syrah

 

NOEMIA
Malbec

QUARA
Malbec

BROQUEL  ($15-$17)
Chardonnay
Cabernet
Malbec

CARO
Cabernet/Malbec blend

EL PORTILLO  
Cabernet
Malbec
Merlot
Sauvignon Blanc
Shiraz
Tempranillo

GASCON
Malbec
Viognier
Syrah


SANTA JULIA
Cabernet
Chardonnay
Malbec
Merlot
Torrontes
Viognier

BENMARCO
Malbec  
Cabernet Sauvignon
VMS
Expressivo 

BUDINI 
Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec
Chardonnay

GUSTO
Malbec 


LA POSTA DEL VINATERO
Bonarda Armando 
Malbec Paulucci 
Malbec Pizzella 

LUCA
2005 Chardonnay ($31)
2002 Beso de Dante (Cabernet/Malbec blend) ($52)
2005 Pinot Noir ($31)
2004 Syrah ($31)
2005 Malbec ($35)


MENDEL
Malbec 
Unus

MIL PIEDRAS
Tempranillo
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sangiovese

SAN TELMO  ($7.50-$9)
Cabernet
Malbec 
Shiraz

SEPTIMA  ($9-$11)
Cabernet
Cabernet/Malbec Blend
Malbec
Tempranillo
Syrah/Tempranillo Blend

SUSANA BALBO
Cabernet  ($28)


TAMARI
Malbec Reserva

TEMPUS ALBA
Preludio Tempranillo

Preludio Cabernet
Preludio Syrah 
Preludio Malbec 

TERRAZAS
Cabernet
Chardonnay
Cabernet Reserva

TIKAL
Patriota (Bonarda/Malbec blend) 
Jubilo (Bordeaux-styled blend) 
Amorio Malbec

XUMEK
Malbec 
Syrah 

ZOLO
Sauvignon Blanc ($10)
Chardonnay ($11)
Cabernet Sauvignon ($11)
Malbec ($11)
Merlot ($11)
Reserve wines: Cab, Chardonnay and Malbec ($21)

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Last modified:  September 2, 2010