Does anyone else love Argentine wine?

Hey Guys,

When I traveled through South America, I had the chance to experience some of the best wines I've ever tasted. In the US, though, it seems that Argentine wine isn't all that appreciated, and we rarely receive any of the best selections.

Do any of you share that same passion?

And if you don't, I hope I can convince you to at least give Argentine wine a shot. I've reviewed over 100 Argentine wines, and I'll be posting some tasting notes up every once in a while for anybody who's interested!

Edmund, Hi....

In an interesting way, Argentinian wines are taking on greater appreciation in Europe and parts of the Middle East than in North America. Even in France and Italy where shelves are dominated by the wines of their host countries, some of the very best wines of Argentina are making their inroads rather nicely.

As to critical reviews, I think you will find that the Wine Spectator has been showing increasingly greater appreciation of those wines. I cannot speak, however, to how these wines fare in the United States.

Best
Rogov

WLDG is home for the Malbec Hounds!!! There is a T-shirt around to prove it too.

I think one of the Malbec threads ran to 10 pages so lots of interest here, that is for sure. Try a search Edmund, lots of info.

Thanks for the heads up. I really love a good Malbec.

Stereotypes aside, though, one of the more interesting things I've discovered is that Argentines actually produce some other varietals really well, too. I've had some fantastic Syrahs, Cabernet Sauvignon (their 2nd biggest grape), and even Tempranillo. And the mixes are fantastic, too.

Unfortunately, that's not what you typically find in the wine section under Argentina. Just another reason to research wine, I guess.

I see Achaval-Ferrer features on your blog. Great wines indeed!

I have recently experienced Malbec ennui, where I am just totally sick of all the generic, homogenized Malbecs around. However, there are a few notable exceptions to that - and I agree with you, that Argentina is doing very exciting things with other grape varieties. Too bad they are just so often eclipsed by the big "M".

Ya, they need to start elevating the quality/uses of the Malbec.

Some of that's been starting to happen, though. If you want an innovative take on Malbec, try out one of the new Malbec dessert wines that are being produced. I'd recommend the Las Perdices Malbec Ice if you can find it (that's not a typo. They've actually managed to make Ice Wine out of Malbec!).

It's really just a problem of what the demand in the market is at this point. The American market looks at Malbecs as a very cheap alternative that's not supposed to have the same quality as a European wine, which is unfortunate, b/c that's not the way it's viewed in Argentina at all.

sorry, except for a few wonderful Torrontes, NO.

I have just recently returned from a trip which took me to amongst other places, Argentina (BA and Iguazu Falls). When I was there, I loved popping a few Argentinian wines, and my fav of them was probably O'Fournier. His Alfa Crux blends, while not expensive, were really enjoyable. Of course, so many more labels that we cannot get here, and it was too bad that there were a few places to go before I came home or else I would have brought a few of those back. Lovely stuff. Just a couple of my tasting notes from that trip...of course, my notes could have been affected by the 9 days I spent at elevations between 8000 ft and 14,000 ft in the Andes (walking about Machu Picchu, the sacred valley and the area around Cusco).

Landed in Buenos Aires and of course the first thing we did was look for a local restaurant that had a good grill We are staying in the Recoleta area, which is georgeous, but also a bit pricey (then again, anything after staying at Machu Picchu's Santuary Lodge and Cusco's Monasterio anything else looks cheap.....)

Good local restaurant located and promptly ordered a 500 ml bottle (which is my perfect size.. my wife will take a sip and I get more than half bottle) of this malbec. Very nice wine for the value driven price. Berries, cherries and cassis, followed by vanilla, soft tannins, and ripe smooth texture. Good modern wine and went perfect with a number of pieces of steaks that we ordered......yes more than two

Had lunch in San Telmo today and dinner at Cabana Las Lilas in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. Both times, I endedup ordering a wine from O.Fournier.

For lunch, had a bottle of the 2002 O.Fournier Alfa Crux Blend. This was just a wonderfully balanced wine. I suspect it had plenty of punch initially, but by now it was quite together. The tempranillo dominated blend shows through with the density and structure but it had good depth and complexity, floral, spicy, good amount of wood to be sure but nice coco, fleshy, but all these components in good balance. A wonderful wine for the price.

For dinner, with such a large amount of meat that was coming my way, I wanted a bigger wine so the Sommelier selected this for us. 2006 O.Fournier Alfa Crux Malbec. This is 100% malbec and it showed. Very dense, very fleshy, deep dark in color, opaque, great goobs of blueberry, deep fruits, coco and great density. It was an impressive wine, lacking perhaps the balance of the former but there is a lot of stuffing here and might ultimately be the better wine.

I've never really had wines from South America and now that i've sampled the $10Usd to $50USD range, I'm pretty impressed.

I have a soft spot for Argentinian wine; goes with my soft spot for Argentina. The good stuff is wonderful. Argentina seems to do good things to malbec; some of the best malbecs I've had are from Argentina.

Although I'm sure there is a lot of good Argintine stuff at the high end, for ole guys like us on a fixed income we are happy with the journeyman offerings from down there. We are Malbec hounds like a lot of folks around here, but have probably consumed more Cabernet Sauvignon. I think that Bodegas Salentein, Finca El Portillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza at around $10 U.S. is the best value Cab in the whole world. We have enjoyed an ocean of it, and almost always have it on hand.

What we get and what they make are two different things, a situation very similar to the Australian one where someone thinks that all North America values is blowsy sweet wines so for the most part that's what they ship.

I have tried many Argentinian Malbecs, liked some, thought many were clumsy versions of Australian styles I hate, and loved none.

My most memorable Malbecs have generally been from Cahors as the balance and style is more consistent, but I have had some decent examples from Argentina as well.

It's really just a problem of what the demand in the market is at this point. The American market looks at Malbecs as a very cheap alternative that's not supposed to have the same quality as a European wine, which is unfortunate, b/c that's not the way it's viewed in Argentina at all.

Personally there is no wine I would rather drink at an out door BBQ of red meat than one from the Rio de la Plata region. Indoors, at a more formal situation if I am eating lamb or beef slow cooked over hardwood coals than a Argentinian styled Malbec. I would probably say the same thing about an Australian Shiraz if I had lived there. I only hope that a number of the better Argentinian producers will not bend to the "Parkerization" of their wines. From my point of view stylistically a good Argentinian Malbec should be what the Argentinians themselves judge it to be. I think they know best what style of wine made from the Malbec grape goes best with their cuisine.

Recently had the chance to taste a newer vintages from Rutini which were profoundly different than many goopy Malbecs which some disparage. Blazing acidity...almost some tartness which I found really refreshing. Their Apartado blend (30% Cab, 0% Merlot, 60% Malbec) was even better but very expensive, with more richness and some black fruit complementing the Malbec. A nice house! I was surprised to read on their website that they are the most visited winery in Argentina, because the house style does not seem particularly "international." http://www.rutiniwines.com/ Hecik, I even like the vaguely old world label!

We don't see a lot of wines from Argentine here. There used to be an importer of Weinert and I loved these wines which had an unostentatiously classical style which showed off their robust fruit very well; their 1977 Malbec Reserva was something very special in a rather oxidative style. Alas, they are no longer available and I read that they may be changing their style to something more "modern".

Malbecs can be found at prices from €6 to 20 but I have been bored by a lot of sameness and often displeased by dry caramel notes from clumsy oak ageing. A Catena (I need to search the archive to see which one) about a year ago was much better and I have great memories of a more pricey Fabre & Montmayou Reserva tasted on the Cahors bridge a couple of years ago.

Tim, Fabre & Montmayou is a wine that I try to hand-sell when helping out at DeVines downtown....along with Achaval-Ferrer of course. The Fabre malbecs could never be described as "international".
I too am interested in seeing where Weinert are headed.

What we get and what they make are two different things, a situation very similar to the Australian one where someone thinks that all North America values is blowsy sweet wines so for the most part that's what they ship.

I have tried many Argentinian Malbecs, liked some, thought many were clumsy versions of Australian styles I hate, and loved none.

My most memorable Malbecs have generally been from Cahors as the balance ans style is more consistent, but I have had some decent examples from Argentina as well.

Bill summed up my feelings well. None have really impressed me all that much. Power isn't hard to come by, but complexity is. Of course, I'm sure in the country itself there would be some great wines available. But I've stopped buying them here.

Do any of you share that same passion?

And if you don't, I hope I can convince you to at least give Argentine wine a shot.

No, and I'll pass. Back in the early 90's I tried some Argentine wines (Weinert, others) before they became lauded on the world stage and they were okay, but I find more of interest from other regions of the world. I wouldn't mind trying that pinot noir that Oswaldo recently reviewed, but - at $80 a bottle - I surely won't be buying it. There are so many other bargains from France & Italy that combine to form a sense of place that few New World regions have at the moment. Through time, I'm sure this will get better. I do like torrontes, however.

Edmund.... thanks for your reviews.... Ive taken a quick glance just now but will be looking in more detail over the next couple of days...

Thanks & cheers from Buenos Aires,
Alejandro

Edmund.... thanks for your reviews.... Ive taken a quick glance just now but will be looking in more detail over the next couple of days...

Thanks & cheers from Buenos Aires,
Alejandro

We carry a few Argentine wines mostly on the inexpensive side. I've tasted a few of the better wines, mostly Malbec but some cab, but the market for the more expensive wines doesn't exist in SO CA yet. It's a tough market for any wines over $30, $40 unless a demand has been created for them in the past.

I like Torrontes and Catena Alta Zapata Chardonnay (grown at high elevation). Have come across an occasional Malbec I liked (one at a tasting at a Washington, DC wine store) but I don't recall the producer's name. Also liked an inexpensive red blend that I tried at a restaurant in Charlotte. I haven't purchased many Argentinian wines but will look at your tasting notes and may try some in the future.

Lou, doesnt Laura Catena do relatively well with her wines in SoCal...??? Have you heard of the Luca line of wines...?

Cheers,
Alejandro

Lou, doesnt Laura Catena do relatively well with her wines in SoCal...??? Have you heard of the Luca line of wines...?

Cheers,
Alejandro

Talked to the guys a the store this morning and they said that Catena does sell some. You are correct about SO Ca. sales.