Gaucho100K

Indeed.... I of course have a horse in this race***, but I can attest to the mostly binary characteristic of Tannat. Most wine aficionados either love or hate it... there isn't much crowd in-between.

In Argentina its mostly a blending grape, and there are only a few varietal Tannats that I would feel comfortable recommending. If you are a Tannat fan, then with a (very) few exceptions, you should be looking at Uruguay and not Argentina.



(***) I am a Buenos Aires based Fine Wine Merchant.

Gaucho100K

Pinot Noir continues to grow as a grape of relevance for the Argentine Wine Industry. Here below is a list of some of the top quality Pinots made down here on the right side of the Andes...

Bressia Piel Negra (Mendoza)
Diego Rosso Pinot Noir (Mendoza)
Marcelo Miras Pinot Noir Reserva (Patagonia)
Rutini Antologia XXXIV (Mendoza)
Chacra Barda (Patagonia)

lhgreengrd1

Surprised to see several from Mendoza. I would have guessed that they almost all came from either Patagonia or Salta. Oh, and for those of us looking down at ARG from above the Equator, you all are on the LEFT side of the Andes.

Gaucho100K

Yes and No...... Yes to Patagonia, some of the best and most expensive Pinots are grown in Patagonia, but Salta is not a region for Pinot Noir, its simply toooo warm. Bear in mind that the Mendoza Pinots are almost exclusively from the high-altitude regions of the Uco Valley.

Gaucho100K

Here is an expanded list of some other noteworthy Pinots....

Ernesto Catena Padrillos Pinot Noir
Alma Negra Pinot Noir
Rutini Coleccion Pinot Noir
Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco
Chacra Treinta y Dos
DV Catena Pinot Pinot

Eastbay1K

WS seemed to be giving a bit of love to Bonarda with decent scores - thoughts?

shanshan

(I) does anyone know of wineries that finish in toasted oak?
(II) Is there a sticky for the highest-end wineries in Mendoza?

My wife and I will have 2 days in Mendoza and will get a driver to take us around. Sounds like we can only do 3 wineries a day since everything is so spread apart (vs. a target of say... 4-5). Want to do the best of the best while we are there.. realizing palates are different, but the style I like are Napa Oakville region wines finished in oak/toasted oak.

Thank you!

Gaucho100K

WS..... well, Im not a big fan of Bonarda. Only the very good quality old vine stuff makes good varietal juice in my opinion, else its an OK blending grape. You need to make it in a sort of over the top kind of style to make it work.....

Gaucho100K

Almost all wine producers in Mendoza will be using Oak, in one form or the other. All of the high quality wine will be aged in Oak barrels, usually in 225 liter formats with the toasting level depending on the style and what the winemaker wants to do with the juice.

Three wineries in a day is already pushing it, if you want to do proper visits with a meal at one Bodega then there will be days where you will only be able to do 2 visits. I strongly suggest you book a private car and driver to do this.... Im on record here as suggesting Miguel Sanz is the best option for this in Mendoza.

I have a horse in this race as Im ITB here in EZE. If you need any more specific advice please feel free to PM or email me directly.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

Gaucho100K

Forgot to address your "highest-end" winery question. This is a very tricky issue... but I can use a car industry analogy to lead you in the direction of an answer. Of the below list, which are the most high end car manufacturers.....? And in which order would you list them...?

- Bentley
- Ferrari
- Porsche
- Aston Martin
- Bugatti

Its all debatable.... so to know which is the best choice for you, I need to know a little more than the fact that Californian big Cabs are to your liking.... you probably like what Bond and Harlan do in California, but you may also like Dominus, and that is in a different style.... there are a lot of details to cover. If you care to share more examples of what you like I can give you some names.... but this discussion is perhaps best taken to PM and email.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

ryan754

I used to come to BA all the time, and always made a trip to Mendoza to pick up some wine.. Not happening on this trip. Can anyone recomend 6 affordable bottles, and a good place in BA to buy them? I'm not looking to spend a lot, just a few bottles to enjoy with friends.. As far as I'm concerned a $5 bottle of wine from BA or Cape Town, beats a $50 from Napa anyday! So no need for anything fancy this trip

Thanks!

Gaucho100K

Please let me know next time you are in EZE, I would be happy to assist you with anything grape-juice related.... ^

sonomawine

Will be in Mendoza for 3 days and then Buenos Aires for 6 days and was hoping for some wine bar recommendations. We have found with all of our travels, a good wine bar in a wine growing country typically has great wines from small producers.

Gaucho100K

Sorry... just saw this today, not sure this is still on time before your trip but please PM/email me if you need anything wine related.

Gaucho100K

Time to add a few new labels to my list of suggestions.....

Los Noques Malbec - Gualtallary, Mendoza
Los Noques Reserva Malbec - Gualtallary, Mendoza
RJ Pasion 4 Malbec - Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza
Bonfanti Gran Reserva Malbec - Valle de Uco, Mendoza
Begani Special Blend - Mendoza
Begani Master Blend - Mendoza