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Tag Archives: Mendoza

Clos de los Siete by Michel Rolland 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

08 Wednesday May 2024

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$20, 5 stars, 90 points, Argentina, Cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Malbec, Mendoza, merlot, petit verdot, syrah, Uco Valley


Deep inky purple with slight staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of baked blackberry cobbler with vanilla, warm spices and nicely browned crust.  Mulberry and açaí berry follow with some mint and black tea notes.  The palate has medium acidity, a full body and medium tannins.  Medium (+) flavors of dark fruit, toasty oak, a slight bitterness from the tannins that have finally gripped and some heavy layers of mint/acai/vanilla that go on to a medium (-) finish.  A very delicious wine with decent structure – 90 points. Drink till 2028 with grilled tenderloins.  A blend of 50% Malbec, 24% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot makes this $20 bottle a 5 star effort.  Salut….

 

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Trapiche Oak Cask Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

13 Wednesday Mar 2024

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$10, 4 stars, 89 points, Argentina, cabernet sauvignon, Mendoza


Deep ruby colored with slight staining and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Ugh nose has somewhat muted aromas of black plum, blackberry, cedar, charcoal and baking spice.  The palate is dry with a medium body and medium tannins.  The lush black fruit is laced with baking spices and charred wood notes.  I get a hint of coffee and a licorice note.  The finish is surprisingly long for what started out as a fairly basic wine.  What it lacked in complexity on the nose, it makes up for on the palate with some decent structure and ripe fruit.  89 points from me for this $10 effort gets it 4 stars.  Drink till 2026 with burgers, pizza, grilled steak or even some charcuterie.  Salut….

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Bodega Aleanna ‘El Enemigo’ Cabernet Franc 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

25 Sunday Feb 2024

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$22, 4 stars, 90 points, Argentina, Cabernet franc, Mendoza


Deep purple with moderate staining and a high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of capsicum, black cherry, black plum, licorice, coffee, burnt sugar, clove, violets and acai berry.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins and a medium body.  Flavors of acai berry, black plum, black cherry, coffee, violets and smoky clove lead to a medium (+) length finish that has a nice tannic dryness and some caressing black and blue fruit.  Retasting- the body is medium (-) in weight and the density of the fruit is a little diluted. I can’t say I agree with the trio of 93 points from others, more like 90 to me. I am pairing it with Pot Roast and Yorkshire puddings, I think the tannic grip will do nicely with the fatty nature of the dish. At $22 it’s a 4 star wine to drink till 2027. Salut….

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Diseno Old Vine Malbec 2021, Mendoza, Argentina

25 Sunday Feb 2024

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$11, 3 stars, 87 points, Argentina, Malbec, Mendoza


From a recent dinner I took very basic notes of this Argentinian Malbec that runs a mere $11.

Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV). On the nose I get aromas of plum, acai, blueberry and coffee. The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a medium body. Flavors of blueberry, coffee, mocha, plum and a mineral note lead to a medium length finish.  I like the balance of this wine and its mouthfeel- not overly done with pleasing acidity and tannins that are smooth and unobtrusive.  87 points makes this a 3 star wine to drink soon.  Salut….

 

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Phebus Torrontes 2022, Mendoza, Argentina

15 Monday Jan 2024

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$13, 4 stars, 89 points, Argentina, Mendoza, Torrontes


Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose of this aromatic wine is quite intense with aromas of wild flower, lemon zest, grapefruit, papaya, pink guava, rosewater and tangerine.  It’s quite a potpourri!  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a refreshingly light body.  The flavors are not quite as intense as the nose but I still get loads of wild flower, citrus and tropical fruit notes. The papaya is quite prominent and reminds me of growing up in Africa.  One would be mistaken in assuming this veritable fruit salad is going to be off-dry- it’s really dry and crisp.  The finish is short to medium in length with citrus pith dominating.  I am really enjoying this Torrontes as I did with the 2021 vintage .  This one gets 89 points from me and at $13 it’s a buy-by-the-box wine for the upcoming summer.  Pair with crisp salad, grilled chicken salad or tuna fish casserole.  4 stars.  Salut….

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Arraigo Benegas Estate Wine Cabernet Franc 2021, Mendoza, Argentina

12 Tuesday Dec 2023

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$20, 3 stars, 87 points, Argentina, Cabernet franc, Mendoza


Deep purple colored with slight staining and medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of blueberry pie, with vanilla and baking spices really prominent.  Acai berry and black plum support alongside bell pepper and mint.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (-) tannins.  A medium body shows off ripe blue fruit, vanilla, spices and a hint of greeness.  The finish is a little bit tart with the blueberry tending to slightly underripe which is interesting.  The length is short to medium and very pleasant.  I like this somewhat basic wine for what it is- a $20 weekday quaffer.  It gets 87 points from me and 3 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

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Los Noques Cabernet Franc 2020, Uco Valley, Argentina

24 Sunday Sep 2023

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$14, 2 stars, 86 points, Argentina, Cabernet franc, Mendoza, Uco Valley


Deep ruby with medium viscosity (15.1% ABV).  Aromas of menthol, green pepper, blackcurrant and black raspberry.  It’s a bit tough to overcome the high alcohol on the nose but I finally let it blow off and get some notes of dried fig and tamarind.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are quite raw and green.  The body is medium to full and has blackcurrant, raspberry, fig, dusty earth and underripe blueberry.   The finish is astringent and medium in length.  A somewhat disjointed wine that needs some time to settle and let the tannins smooth methinks.  The alcohol is noticeable and bothersome unfortunately which further lowers the score of this wine.  86 points from me and at $14, it’s a 2 star effort.  Drink from 2025-2029.  Salut….

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Ernesto Catena Vineyards Tikal Patriota 2018, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Saturday May 2023

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$20, 4 stars, 90 points, Argentina, bonarda, Malbec, Mendoza, VWTC


A 60/40 Bonarda/Malbec blend, this was the second wine in our lineup at the 31st virtual wine tasting.  It showed deep purple with lots of staining and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  On the nose- blackberry, black cherry, black currant, pomegranate and caramel.  Others noted candied cherry, twizzlers, fig, slate and violet.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and high tannins.  The dark, ripe fruit flavors were echoed on the palate along with some oak influence- coffee, charred wood and an oaky hint.  The finish on this medium bodied wine was decent in length and really honed in on the ripe, black berries.  I gave it 13 points on our scoring sheet and would assign it 90 points.  For $20 this wine gets 4 stars with a drinking window of 2025-2030 unless you like them tannic AF.  Salut….

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Bodega Mauricio Lorca Reserve Malbec 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

09 Thursday Mar 2023

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$14, 4 stars, 89 poitns, Argentina, Malbec, Mendoza, Naked Wines, Uco Valley


Deep purple colored with a secondary tinge of dark brown showing a touch of turbidity.  Slow but thin legs show off the 13.6% ABV.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black currant, plum, vanilla, menthol, coffee, violets and black tea.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and tannins alongside a medium body with flavors of black plum blackberry, vanilla and coffee.  The nose is more intense and offers more complexity but the palate is very smooth and delicious.  The nose was confusing me- it has aromas that would point to Cab Sav or even Merlot but it’s the structural parts on the palate that confirm it to be a Malbec- soft and juicy with an easy to drink tannic structure coupled with lower acidity.  The finish is a touch short but there’s some charred oak notes alongside the dark fruit.  I like this $14 effort a lot and give it 89 points, making it a 4 star wine.  Tonight I am pairing it with baked Corned Beef and roasted potatoes.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

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La Mascota Vineyards ‘Unanime’ Gran Tinto 2017, Maipu, Argentina

06 Monday Mar 2023

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$25, 5 stars, 92 points, Argentina, Cabernet, Cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Malbec, Mendoza


Inky purple colored, this blend of 60% Cab Sav, 25% Malbec and 15% Cab Franc leaves a slight stain on the walls and has thick, slow moving legs (14% ABV).  The nose has wafting aromas of blackberry jam, black plum, violet, vanilla bean, chocolate,   some bell pepper and a medicinal note from the oak.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are fine grained but prominent.  Full bodied, this wine gives me flavors of black fruit, oak influence that is well masked/integrated (vanilla, medicinal, chocolate) and a touch of blueberry.  It hangs in there for a decent length finish and is silky smooth on the back end.  It’s delicious and will pair beautifully with our grilled lamb chops with roasted potatoes.  This is drinking beautifully now and will cellar till 2028.  I will give it 92 points which is a bit shy of the 95 it got from one pro.  At $25 it gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

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