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 Malbec
and Cabernet at a glance: here are my notes and ratings, for your pure
pleasure, of twenty diverse reds made from arguably Argentina's forte on
the variety front - varietals or blends of the two (or sometimes with a
third grape such as Merlot), gleaned from the huge discovery of an
Argentina stand at this year's London Wine Fair (May 2010). Interesting
to note perhaps, I copied this comment from a tasting report I did on
Argentina back in 2004 (one of many pages from the previous incarnation
of this site I still think worthwhile restoring when I get a moment): "To
reiterate one particular criticism, Argentina's winemakers (OK so not
all of them) still appear to be on a learning curve in terms of oak
usage..." Apply this to some of my comments below about oak and draw
your own conclusions... Click here to find out
more about most of the producers below, plus a few nice pics, and where
to get their wines (goes to "winery snaps" page 5).
2007 Norton
Privada (Malbec,
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) - quite
extracted but has richer smokier fruit than their other wines I tried,
with spicy dark olive notes too; and the grainy oak texture is more
subtle on the finish. 87+
2007 Bodega Dante Robino Gran Dante
Malbec - dusty oak on the nose, richer than
their others with lively red berry fruit and hints of black olive;
grainy coconut oak with solid tannins, shows fair depth although again
not sure that oak is adding much...
Bodega Septima
2009 Malbec - nice "inky" cranberry fruit,
quite intense with spicy liquorice notes; firm palate with perfumed
fruity vs smoky edges, attractive style. 87+
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon - quite rich and
structured with some vibrant cassis fruit, although less charming than
the above in the end.
2008 Septimo Dia Malbec - a touch of oak on
the nose vs again lively characterful fruit; hint of spicy grainy oak on
the palate yet quite concentrated vs firm and closed up finish.
89
2008 Septimo Dia Cabernet Sauvignon - spicy
cedar notes vs pretty intense cassis and black cherry; again has firm
and grainy mouth-feel vs fair concentration and oomph. Needs a year to
open up a bit. 90+
2008 Gran Reserva (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Tannat) - oakier still but pretty
concentrated, difficult and inexpressive at the moment but promising...
 Las
Piedras Pura Vid & Bodega Calle
2009 Pannunzio GV Malbec - vibrant
currant-y fruit with lush smoky edges and spicy too; attractive
concentration and depth of fruit vs a touch of tannin grip and oomph.
88+
2009
Pannunzio GV Cabernet Sauvignon - rich
and juicy with lovely cassis aromas/flavours; again shows good
concentration and style, lush vs firm mouth-feel and well-balanced
finish. 89-91
2009 Bodega Calle Alberti 154 Malbec
- "inky", spicy and intense with cranberry, raspberry and liquorice;
delicious fruit and spice vs big firm mouth-feel. Promising.
90+
2009 Bodega Calle Alberti 154 Cabernet Sauvignon
- wilder and smokier profile with rich cassis and biscuit tones; solid
and powerful finish, also needs a couple of years to open up.
90+
Domaine Vistalba / Fabre Montmayou
2008 Reserva Malbec -
shows a bit of coconut oak vs nice peppery black and red fruit profile;
smoky richness vs solid dry mouth-feel vs good balance of attractive
fruit and oomph; finishing with lingering tobacco, raspberry and
liquorice tones/flavours. 87+
2008 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon -
juicy and ripe cassis aromas/flavours with "inky" intensity; firm
structure and power vs touches of chocolate oak underpinned by nice
currant fruit. 87+
2008 Gran Reserva Malbec - shows
more choco oak yet definitely lusher mouth-feel too; very chunky and
grippy still with underlying dark spicy fruit.
87-89
2008 Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
- lovely cassis and dark plum fruit, again big solid palate vs
concentrated and structured; promising, needs 1-2 years to open up.
89-91
2007 Grand Vin (Malbec,
Cabernet Sauvignon + 5%
Merlot) - pretty coco oaky nose and
texture; chunky, dense and concentrated though with a bit of wow on the
finish. Not sure about the amount of oak but there's plenty going on
underneath, it seems... 90+?
Orfila
2008 Malbec - a touch baked on the
nose; ripe vs vibrant cranberry palate with minty raspberry notes too,
has a bit of power and grip but it's quite easy-going.
80+
2007 Solar de Orfila Malbec (14%) -
smokier and richer with firm tight palate, not very oaky actually with
punchy finish. 85
2007 Cautivo de Orfila Malbec (14.5%) -
quite complex, rich and smoky with darker spicier profile; light
chocolate oak texture vs dry grip, nice intense and spicy red vs black
fruit finish. 86-88
Other South American links:
Chile
Awards gold & trophy winners
Tannat: Madiran v Uruguay
Some previous Argentina stuff on the way (at some point)...
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Argie profiles
A to Z
Bodega Calle
Orfila
Las Piedras
Septima
Vistalba
Winery snaps 1
Burgundy
Winery snaps 2
SW France
Winery snaps 3
South Africa
Lebanon & Austria
Winery snaps 4
Spain
Winery snaps 5
the Americas
Winery snaps 6
Oz & New Zealand
Winery snaps 7
Rhône & Provence
Winery snaps 8
Sicily
Winery snaps 9
Portugal
Winery snapshots: Roussillon
(4 pages)
Winery
snapshots:
Languedoc
(6 pages)
Wines of the
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