‘The Full Monty’
Stepping in at short notice to take over a tasting requires skill, nerve and a depth and outstanding breadth of knowledge. When we were let down by our original speaker – the first time in the Club’s history this has happened at such short notice – our doughty Club President stepped boldly in to the breach and treated us not to just any tasting but to a full monty of a tasting, arguably the most comprehensive of Argentinian wines held outside of Argentina.
With a wealth of information at his fingertips – and direct experience of the country – plus his usual willingness to share his expertise, Michael blasted through the complex topic of Argentinian wine-growing with typical great gusto.
Background in brief - per capita consumption currently stands at 30 litres (the UK’s is 19), positioning Argentina as one of the few New World countries with a proud record of wine drinking. Some 50 per cent of the crush is currently not deemed worth bottling, illustrating the emphasis on quality. With a natural cooling system provided by both the Andes’ slope towards the sea and the slope from Paraguay down towards Patagonia, plus the high altitudes, much of the wine-producing area is categorised as Zones 2 and 3 under the Winkler degree system. The climate is characterised by hot days and cool nights with up to a 20° difference between the two. All vineyards are irrigated, primarily by flooding, (although a few vineyards do use the drip method) which has important implications for quality, with vine roots remaining near the surface. Grape varieties were introduced to Argentina by successive waves of immigrants, so that the current vines are generally clones of Old World varieties and many ungrafted, from the pre-phylloxera era. Over 80% of Argentina’s vineyards produce red wines, with Malbec, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah at the head of the grape league tables. Low land and labour costs provide the opportunity to make wines cheaply.
Wine 1 – 2010 Bodega Colomé Torrontés, Valle Calchaqui, Salta, 13.5% - Winedirect £8.95 – is produced by the Hess Collection, a wine producing group owned by Swiss billionaire Donald Hess. With 150 acres under production (on a 96,000 acre site) the wine is produced from old Torrontés vines at high altitude (2,300 metres) in the far north of Argentina. Stainless steel fermented and most probably not acidulated. On both the nose and the palate the wine was reminiscent of a Gewurtztraminer, with notes of Turkish delight, rosewater and orange blossom and was lightly floral rather than grapey. The finish was somewhat harsh.
Wine 2 – 2010 Mendel, Semillon, Altamira, Valle de Uco, 13.5% - The Wine Society £9.95 – Due to the relatively cool nights and hot days experienced in the vineyard, the performance of Semillon here is almost diametrically the opposite of that encountered in Bordeaux. In Argentina the grapes will hang on to their acidity and there is no botrytis. Made by Roberto de la Mota, one of Argentina’s most respected winemakers, the high altitude vineyard has ungrafted vines with an average age of 60 years, and is hand harvested. With a distinct aroma of vanilla, caramel and some vegetal banana-leaf notes, the wine was complex and almost buttery in mouth feel, not unlike a chardonnay. It had good length and balancing acidity.
Wine 3 – 2008 Chardonnay ‘Catena Alta’, Mendoza, 14% - The Wine Society £17.50 – made by Nicholas Catena, who according to Michael ‘embodies everything that is great about Argentina and everything you wish you could change’. Nicholas Catena has taken Mondavi as his model and once boasted that ‘no one can make wine cheaper than I can’! A single vineyard high-altitude wine, made from the local Mendoza grape which is a chardonnay clone, on the palate it was smooth balanced and honeyed, with distinct alcohol burn on the finish. Described by Michael as ‘a triumph of wine-making over grape’ the wine clearly illustrated the different processes used in its manufacture.
Wine 4 – 2006 Cavas de Weinert ‘Carriscal’ (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec), Mendoza, 14.5% - Majestic £7.49 – Early investment in this vineyard has not been sustained and Weinert’s attitude was described as ‘old guard’, resulting in a rather dusty, ‘old-fashioned’ wine. On the nose and palate, stewed fruits, old wood, shoe polish and even cough medicine were to be found, relatively low in tannins and with a slight bitter aftertaste.
Wine 5 – 2009 Bodegas Y Viňedos O. Fournier, Tempranillo ‘Urban’, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, 14.5% - Lea and Sandeman £7.95 – Described by Michael in his usual eloquent style as ‘an Essex woman of a wine’ this was a hugely commercial exemplar, jammily simple on the nose and sacrificing complexity for power. The wine spends 3 months in high toast oak.
Wine 6 – 2007 RJ Viňedos, ‘Joffré e Jijas’ Bonarda, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, 13% - Hennings Wine Merchants £12.99 – Originating from Piemonte and Lombarda, the Bonarda grape lacks colour and vitality in Italy and is generally used as a blending vehicle. In Argentina, the Bonarda is more aromatic and has dusty dark fruit chararcteristics. Described by Michael as ‘the best Bonarda he has tasted’ and a Decanter trophy winner, as well as an International Wine Challenge silver award winner for a single varietal, this is a well made commercial wine which is arguably too expensive for its quality, although if you move quickly you may still find it on offer at Hennings for £9.99.
Wine 7 – 2009 Bodega Chacra, Pinot Noir, ‘Treinta y Dos’, Rio Negro, Patagonia 13.5% - Lea and Sandeman £58.50 – Owned by a scion of the Rochetta family of Sassicaia fame, the ungrafted Pinot Noir vines were first planted in 1932 (hence the wine’s name). Production is restricted, at 4,000 cases per annum and the naturally made wine is early hand harvested, whole bunch pressed and left on the skins for one month. The wine is gravity pumped, with no racking or pigeage, with 20% of the production spending time in new oak. With a rather unexpectedly dark appearance for a pinot noir, the wine has a light strawberry nose and great length and is generally not unlike a Chambolle Musigny in character. Without doubt this was one of the highlights of the tasting, but one must question whether given the relative price difference between a top quality Chambolle Musigny and the Treinta y Dos, one might not do better to save one’s pennies and stay in the Old World!
Wine 8 – 2006 Alta Vista Grande Reserve Malbec, Mendoza, 14.5% - Paul Adams Fine Wines £15.75 – the first of the three Malbecs tasted. With the importance of Malbec in decline in Bordeaux, partly due to its susceptibility to every disease known, Malbec has found a more empathetic environment in Argentina. With the lack of moisture in the air, this thick skinned grape remains relatively disease free and produces an aromatic ‘turbo-charged’ wine. The Alta Vista Grande Reserve spends 12 months maturing in 100% new French oak and is dense and deep coloured, possibly slightly oxidised, with distinct oak on the nose and a mulberry like, jammy almost sweet but vegetal palate and soft tannins and low acidity. Definitely a wine to drink now!
Wine 9 – 2008 Bodega Noemia, Malbec ‘A Lisa’, Rio Negro, Patagonia, 14% - Lea and Sandeman £21.95 – owned by a Contessa from the Cinzano family and made by Hans Vinding-Diers, a Bordeaux-based wine maker who has worked with Hugh Johnson, this vintage was awarded 91points by the Wine Spectator. Fermented in open cement vats, using natural yeasts and gravity fed, the wine spends up to 18 months maturing in new French oak. Deep damson-coloured, the wine is unfined and unfiltered. On the nose it had a slightly eggy (sulphurous) note while the palate it had ample red and black fruits and soft but evident tannins, yet showed some evidence of having spent too long on the lees and had a resulting lack of complexity. As Michael said however, £20 will only buy you a tiny sip of Lafitte!
Wine 10 – 2007 Achaval-Ferrer, Malbec ‘Finca Mirador’, Medrano, Mendoza, 13.5% - Corney and Barrow £53.10. Planted in 1921, the vines are ungrafted and the yield low, at around 12 hectolitres per hectare. The vineyard is situated on heavier clay soil and is at a lower altitude and hence has a hotter climate than the other two Malbecs tasted. Produced as a result of an Argentinian-Italian collaboration, the wine is made by Roberto Cipresso of Montalcino. (Whose wedding Michael attended, an occasion marked by the provision of 840 bottles of wine for the 200 guests!) Matured in a blend of new and old oak barrels of varying sizes, this single vineyard wine has been made with great care and attention. Clear and dark in colour, the wine is still rather immature, showing as green and stalky on the nose and light, volatile and almost Chianti-esque in character, but should mature well.
Wine 11 – 2006 Dominio del Plata, Late Harvest Malbec ‘Virtuoso’, Mendoza, 14% - Winedirect £16.95 (50cl). Produced in the hotter Luján de Cuyo area, it was viticulturist Pedro Marchevsky who oriented the vines to exactly 21° North West, in order to optimise exposure to the cooler morning sun. Vines are netted in order to protect the grapes from both hail and sunburn, with the canopy providing added shade. Grapes for the Viruoso are air-dried on the vine. Wine maker Susana Balbo uses all stainless steel fermentation and the wine spends up to 35 months in new French oak. Deep and creamy in colour, on the palate the wine had lots of black and stewed fruit sweetness. Ever the gourmet, Michael suggested the wine might go well with foie gras dusted in cocoa. Definitely one to try at the next dinner party chaps!
HRE