Argentina

• Mendoza
  • Valle de Uco

This is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.  Salmon pink in color with gold hues.  A moderate mousse with small bubble, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with strawberries, and slight orange peel.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Less froth than the Brut.  On the palate, pomegranate and strawberry notes. Some orange notes.  Long finish.  This is ever so slightly sweet.  Drink over the next couple of years.  This would go well with Roasted Chicken or Duck.  

Made from organic grapes. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir.  Pale, silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse of tiny bubbles, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lanolin, lemons and slight chalky note.  On the palate, this is frothy with good acidity.  Sweet/tart with green apple flavors.  Very tasty.  Nice minerality.  Long finish.  This is drinking quite well.  Drink over the next few years.  Very food friendly, this will work with just about any food you care to have it with.  It was also great with popcorn!  Great Value!

Grown high in the mountains of Uco, this Chardonnay is a blend of 10 different vineyard sites. This wine offers a lot of minerality and acidity, a step away from overblown butter rich chardonnays. And that’s why it’s the ideal food companion. Lemon lime, quince, peach, light guava and a hint of wild sweet grass permeate. There is a slight oak influence (eight months on the lees) but it is minimal and allows the fruit, acidity and freshness to come through. ORIGIN: Mendoza, Argentina. ALCOHOL: 13.5%.

Cheval des Andes is a joint project between Château Cheval Blanc, of Saint Emilion, Bordeaux and Terrazas de los Andes, of Argentina.  It is a blend of 60% Malbec and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, coffee and sandalwood.  Lovely texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, plums, milk chocolate with some char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is young and could use so more time in the cellar although it is drinking well today.  Hold for a few more and then drink for ten to fifteen after that.  Great on its own, it needs so

Malbec has become Argentina’s signature grape, and this South American country does very well with it. This value wine shows off how good Malbec can be at various price points, proof you don’t need to break the bank for a good bottle of wine. It offers huckleberry and blackberry, and there’s an earthiness to this wine, with solid acidity and oak aging that supports the fruit. The finish is a little thin, but when paired with food, as all good wines should be, that becomes less of an issue. ORIGIN: Mendoza, Argentina. ALCOHOL: 14.5%

This is an unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina.  It provides excellent value.  Screw capped.  Ruby/purple in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, and sandalwood.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with slight minty note especially on the finish.  This wine delivers a lighter, but present, style of Cab that would be great for Cookouts or other parties.  Drink over the next three to five years.  A good wine to pair with Burgers off the grill.  

This is a really great value for a nice, easy to drink Chardonnay.  Made with Organic grapes and coming in at 12.5% ABV.  Screw capped.  Pale gold in color with slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens with some air. Slightly viscous and slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this is more open with grapefruit notes.  Long finish with strong grapefruit notes.  Good acidity.  This drinks very well on its own and is also food friendly with lighter foods.  It worked with with stuffed grape leaves.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is an organic Kosher wine and before you start snickering, this is also really good!  Purple in color with slight magenta hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries and plums.  Smooth texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, plums and boysenberries with slight underlying earthiness.  Long finish with an almost minty note.  This is very tasty on its own and will work well with slow cooked meats.  Brisket, anyone?  Drink over the next five years.  

This was my favorite of the Virgen lineup of wines recently tasted and seemed a step up from the 2020 Organic Malbec.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has sweet black cherries, some plums, some currants and a slight earthy note.  Nice  lush mouthfeel.  Firm tannins.  Great balance and energy.  On the palate, black cherries and plums with some depth.  Long finish.  Tremendous value.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with meats and fowl off the grill (and, veggies too).  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This was my favorite of the Gaia lineup tasted.  Purple in color, ruby at the edges, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, slight cherries, slighter cranberries with char.  Firm tannins.  Nice texture.  Nice balance.  On the palate, this is very concentrated.  Plums and dark cherries with some underlying char and earth.  Long finish.  Delicious wine.  Great value.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with roasted chicken or meats.  Drink over the next five to eight years.