Alta Chardonnay was sourced from 2 vineyards in the Valle de Uco: Adrianna in Gualtallary and Domingo in Villa Bastias. 10-12 months in oak, 1st- and 2nd-use oak, is felt in the full and round palate, with up-front wood, a round, firm structure, and ample vanilla spicing on the warm finish. Heady lemon curd, white peach and a lift of citrus trying here, but at this point, losing out to the density and concentration.
Purple tint. Bright ripe cherry and other small red fruits along with a fair amount of soft spicy oak. Round and full mid-palate, very soft texture, clean finish. Nothing complex but hard to resist. Drink now.
From Luján de Cuyo, this is next-gen Malbec, from one of the exciting young movers-and-shakers on the scene, Matias Riccitelli. Easy and detailed at once, Hey Malbec is 12-year-old vines, predominantly aged in concrete (the remainder in French oak), which is felt on the breadth and grip of the palate. Concentrated plums, mulberry and perfumed red florals drive the savoury red, with whisper-tuggy tannins along the long palate to support. Easily bright enough to carry the 14.5%. Not profound, but (as the label suggests) fun; complexed enough for the geeks and accessible enough for the rest. A well-struck balance all around.
Ontarian partners Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling make this wine on their small vineyard holding in the Mendoza Valley. Dense purple in colour, the wine has a spicy plum and blackberry bouquet with notes of tar and vanilla oak. Full-bodied, dry with spicy black fruit flavours; firmly structured with a cedary, peppery note on the finish.
Shows raisiny rich dark fruit with spicy and caramel notes together with a touch of fig. Smoothly rounded with good tannic and acid balance, it finishes with ripe dark fruit, spice and chocolate, culminating with dry tannic grip. An intriguing wine, well worth a try.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah. Dense purple in colour, the wine has a cedary, cherry nose; it’s medium-bodied and dry with richly extracted cherry and plum flavours and balancing acidity.
Aurelio Montes produces terrific wines in Chile under the Montes label. He also owns a winery in the Mendoza Valley called Kaiken. The wine is dense purple-black in colour with a cedary, blackberry vanilla/oak nose and a note of tar; full-bodied and richly extracted, it offers flavours of sweet black fruits with a firm structure.