WTN: Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2006

Mendoza

Dark purple in the glass.

A rather odd nose: menthol, coffee, chocolate, cherry cough drops. With time this nose faded and there was pretty much nothing there.

Medium weight, sour cherries covered in chocolate, floral, spicy, a little shy on flavour, quite tangy and a little hot toward the end.

With time, the wine became a little rounder and richer but still retained that tangy-menthol combination.

Not much on the finish.

Purchased at $13.95.

The 2002 Reserva Vina Hormigas was the first Argentinian Malbec I had, and still stands as the best Argentinian Malbec I've had. Have very fond memories of it. And, if you can find it, it should still be in nice shape. Just for kicks, here's my note:

Altos Las Hormigas, Malbec, Reserva Vina Hormigas, Mendoza 2002
From the moment the cork leaves the bottle, an increadibly rich, deep, and absolutely gorgeous nose of blueberries with hints of tobacco promises that you are in for a treat. And what a treat . . . . on the palate, the same oppulent flavors of mixed crushed dark berries, with blueberries taking the lead, and hints of black raspberries coming in toward the finish. A wine of flawless and seductive balance, and not to be missed. The only possible fault is that the fruit is a bit too dominate - but with some more subtle and complex notes that could very likely come with age, this will be even better. Gorgeous now, but with such balance, I imagine it should last until the end of the decade. Exceptional (90 - 93) [9/27/05]

Note that I've retconned this note to fit my current style.