bakoboy

Yes, it is Medrano. I bought a couple of bottles yesterday. I thought it was sort of acidic and young. Nice color and aroma.

Gaucho100K

Acidic....? I suggest you try decanting it but that just may mean it needs to be cellared for a while... again, Im just guessing as Ive never tasted this wine.

slawecki

BOBBY KACHER IN ARGENTINA
INCAYAL PINOT GRIGIO 2006
A brilliant white wine with delicate green tones . . . fresh, floral nose and a fully viscous, rich, round mouthfeel . . . citrus and traces of licorice . . . think Alsace.
Reg 12.99 . . . Pearson's Price $9.74
ALBERTO FURQUE MALBEC 2004
Vibrant and dense. Beautiful nose with notes of violets, black plum and ripe raspberries. The flavors coat your palate and the tannins are evident. This is a three day wine . . . improving every day.
Reg 13.99 . . . Pearson's Price $10.49
ALBERTO FURQUE SYRAH 2005
Black/purple wine . . . a thick fruit-driven wine with dark fruit and spice . . . aged in oak? you ask . . . not for a minute . . . you need a crusty grilled beef for this one.
Reg 13.99 . . . Pearson's Price $10.49
ALBERTO FURQUE TEMPRANILLO 2005
They transplanted the Tempranillo from Rioja and Ribero del Duero . . . alluring deep, rich color . . . black cherry and mineral . . . silky on the palate a fine long finish.
Reg 13.99 . . . Pearson's Price $10.49
ALBERTO FURQUE ROBLE MALBEC 2002
Furque's reserve Malbec. Old vines, picked late and aged in new oak for a year. Impenetrable color. Sweet nose of vanilla, ripe plum, black cherry, minerals and spice. Hard to compare with anything else for under $50.
Reg 29.99 . . . Pearson's Price $22.49
ALBERTO FURQUE ROBLE SYRAH 2002
Furque's reserve Syrah. Old vines, picked ulltra ripe and aged in new oak for over a year. The color is black purple . . . nose of black raspberry, blackberry, violets and black pepper. Amazing wine at half the price of its perceived value.
Reg 29.99 . . . Pearson's Price $22.49

kacher is a well know french wine importer. he played a prominent role in getting rhone back on the map. gigondas in particular. he has played an important role in improving the quality of red burgundy. he is adamant about dropping fruit, and if the growers will not comply to his wishes, he will not import them. his burgundies are very big and heavy, and some say lack finnesse. the parker reviewers(parker himself has not reviewed burgundy since the '89 catastrophe) love the style. tastes to me like a lot of rhone mixed in, and not enough fruit.

full disclamers...got nothing to do with anybody mentioned here. pearson's is in dc above georgetown, and hell to get to. last been there in '73 or '74.

CousinNick

Alex and all,

What do you think of the Weinert brand? We tried their malbec when we were in BsAs recently and were impressed.

Marina45

Hi folks- anyone know where I can find SANTA ERCILIA (Bodega Nofal) Malbec in the US?? I'm based in NY but will happily order a case from any place that will ship to me. I've found numerous sources in Paris but none in the US...

We had this marvelous light and luscious wine at Cataratas Iguazu a couple of years ago and have been searching for it since then. We're also big fans of Broquel Malbec (2000), Weinert and Rutini.

Gaucho100K

Hello Marina-- I would be glad to assist you with what you need (either shipping or assisting you in finding the wine in the USA). Please be so kind as to PM me with you email address and I will contact you.

Gaucho100K

Im a fan of some of the Weinert labels, although not all of then make by bells ring. If you like their style, you should also look into the wines made by Bodegas Lopez. If you could somehow describe what it was that you liked about Weinert, I could also provide you with some other names you may want to look out for.

Cheers,
Alex

Gaucho100K

Hi Slawecki-- do you have a website or some other info where I can look into Mr. Kacher? Thanks.

slawecki

from the distributor site:

http://www.europeancellars.com/parke...-importers.cfm

for himself:

http://www.robertkacherselections.com/

he is based in dc, lives in gigondas(as I recall).

dc is unique in the US in that it does NOT have a required 3 tier system, so kacher serves as both importer and distributor of his wines. to my knowledge, he does no retail. DC retailers frequently have his wines for less than distributors in other states(essentially none of his wines are sold in maryland for this reason).

he became financially stable with the creation and production(exclusive importation?) of Domain de Pouy, a cheap white made from 80% Ugni Blanc(pinot blanc, trebbiano) of armagnac. goes for $5.00 a bottle retail in dc. about 10 years ago, sat with his wife. she told me how many cases of that stuff he imported. something beyond comprehension. maybe 10,000 cases a year.

http://www.sopowine.com/pouy.html

DC/VA area has two other people who do a lot of Argentinian wine importing. Harrison Jones, and Fran Kysela

http://www.whimports.net/


http://www.kysela.com/

Gaucho100K

Slawecki, thanks for the information.

Cheers,
Alex

CousinNick

Hmm, that's a good question (thanks for the reply, BTW). It seemed smoother than a lot of the other malbecs, without a bitter bite at the finish. If that makes any sense.

I've also heard Lopez is a solid brand.

Thanks,
Nick

Gaucho100K

Nick, the bite you mention is usually associated with young wines that need more time in the cellar to complete their maturity process, oak integration, etc. etc. Many everyday wines (Malbec or otherwise) sometimes show these traits.

Apart from Lopez, you should also look into the wines of Bodega Benegas, IMHO one of the best producers in Argentina.

YLU FF

Fascinating thread Gaucho100K!

As a young'n (28 today!) without the knowledge of the seasoned oenophiles here on FT, what are some good Argentinian wines to lay down? The wine critic in our local paper is of the opinion that it is rarely worthwhile to age cheaper wines but I noticed you have comment to the contrary in several instances.

BTW, the Argentinian wines are considered the best bang for the buck here in Quebec by those in the know. I recently had a very reasonable Malbec for $8 CAD. A price that low would normally relegate a wine to plonk status but the Argentinian wines are an exception to that rule.

Gaucho100K

My point is always that with wine, you have to dwell into the details. Everything is relative... its hard to speak in absolute terms. What is your definition of "laying down"... (as in how many years are we talking about?). Are we talking about 3-4 years, or 10+ years?

Also, what is the definition of "cheap/inexpensive". One persons every-day bottle of wine could very well be the special occasion wine for another. Also, price points for wines are different from market to market, this is especially the case for Canada where the state & provinces tend to tax alcohol with a heavy hand.

However, not to leave you questions completely unanswered, let me say this. The everyday wines that will usually retail below USD10-15 per bottle are made to be consumed young, which means during the first 2 or max. 3.5 years after they are released. As a general rule, the wines that you can think about to lay down for a minimum of 5+ years are usually priced at levels of USD30-35 and above. This however does not mean that some of these value-for-money wines will not benefit from buying them and laying them down a few months (6-8 months or so). This period is not a long time when discussing wines/cellar life, but for young wines with a total shelf life of -say- 3 or so years, cellaring them for 6 or so months can make a difference, especially in the better made wines from established producers.

Wine is a very tricky, multi-variable animal where is very hard to generalize and establish 100% clear-cut rules to follow. To find the best answer, its best to look at things on a case by case basis. Apart from storage and cellaring, there is also the issue of correct service temperature, use of a decanter (or not), proper glassware, etc. etc. etc. As I say above, the devil is very much in the details.

If you have a couple of names of the producers and labels that are available in your area, I would be happy to assist you in picking out a few that I think will age well.

Cheers from Buenos Aires,
Alex (Gaucho100K)

audio-nut

I am headed down to BA tomorrow and I have been instructed to pick up a bottle of either Trivento Reserve 2003 or Trumpeter 2002 (or 2003).

Any recommendation on where to do this (I will be staying downtown at the Sheraton) and how to get it home (I am bringing a 22" roll aboard). Do wine stores sell Styrofoam cases that travel in cargo holds well?

Thanks!