WineLovers Discussion Group

I recently bought a single bottle of Cuvelier Los Andes 2006 for what I thought was a good price of $21. Is this a wine to cellar for 5-10 more years or is it approachable sooner. Having only one bottle I would rather lay it down than open it wAY to soon.

Which one did you buy?

The Grand Vin which is 70% Malbec,10% Merlot,10% Cabernet and 10% Syrah. abv of 15%

It is the rare Argentine Malbec that truly needs age.

FWIW I agree with David and since it already had some age I'd go for it over the next 3-6 months.

If this is the wine then you may want to ignore my previous post and cellar a bit.

Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Malbec 2006
The Wine Advocate 95 points: "The deep purple-colored 2006 Grand Malbec has a stunning aromatic display of pain grille, mineral, espresso, black cherry, and black raspberry. Large-scaled yet elegant on the palate, it has gobs of succulent black fruits, serious depth and concentration, and enough stuffing to unfold for another 5-7 years. This lengthy, powerful effort's drinking window should be open from 2014 to 2036." Dec 2008

Oh no! Pain grille!!

I'll bite - what is "pain grille"?

Different wine. I think the Grand Malbec is the top wine, the Grand Vin the midtier.
I have one cellared bottle of Argentine Malbec, a 2003 Achaval Ferrer single vineyard that is in a box at a bottom of a pile, and which I plan on digging out soon.
My general feeling re Malbec AND re Rolland wines is that drinking young with a steak is preferable to taking chances on aging.

Sam, toasted bread.

Thanks Dale. I would try to work in "pain grille" at the next wine tasting I attend, but I don't want to get punched in the face.

Sam-
Pain grille ain't just for breakfast anymore.

Sam Platt wrote:I'll bite - what is "pain grille"?

Literally it translates to "toast". I can't speak to Mr. Parker's intepretation.

Tom Troiano wrote:

Sam Platt wrote:I'll bite - what is "pain grille"?

Literally it translates to "toast". I can't speak to Mr. Parker's intepretation.

Expensive toast.

I think the wine he's describing is their Coleccion Red Blend Mendoza and not the varietal Malbec.

Helping out tonite at an Achaval Ferrer do downtown. Guess 7/8 wines so will be lots to report on later. Stay tuned .

I drank that wine soon after posting and remember it was NOT a WOW wine but enjoyable, maybe an 88. I prefer theCasarena Synergy and Antucura red blends but would not lay them down either.

Thanks for coming back with the report, Jim! Upon re-discovering the thread, I can't help but be amused by The Bob invoking not only pain grillé but also GOBS!

So, did you think it was more toasty or more gobby?

I'd say more "gobby". I usually only find the " toasty "note in Champagne, but that was a while back and I'm happy to remember what I drank last nite!