I was comenting on a specific label which has dissapointed me as of late. Its difficult to make generalizations so I try to be as specific as possible.

I am a huge detractor of Vintage Charts as they are misunderstood and misused.... the devil is in the details.

Of the recent vintages in Argentina, 2006 is probably the best of them all.... and is the one vintage to look out for especially if you wish to have very super-long cellaring potential. A 2006 Vintage from the right producer will give you wines that will develop and gain complexity for decades.

On the ARG wine front, below is a link to an interesting article in Bloomberg News from earlier this week discussing Michel Rolland and, specifically, his involvement in producing Clos de los Siete. We have bought that wine for awhile now and liked it. Pricing here in NYC is a bit less than that quoted in the article.

And, on a separate point, we are now seeing a few ARG Rose wines here. Interesting. I've had some that were just Ok, nothing terrific so far. I have a bottle of Dolium Rose in the fridge and will try it this weekend. Cheers.
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�Satan� of Grape Consulting Blends Own High-Alcohol Red Wine

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Bordeaux vigneron Michel Rolland, consultant for more than 100 wineries in a dozen countries, is blamed by some for fostering the fashion for high-alcohol cult wines like those from California�s Harlan Estate and Staglin Family. Yet a recent tasting of Rolland�s seventh vintage of the Argentine wine Clos de los Siete shows he is able to make a 21st century-style red at the top of its class. And with the 2008 vintage, he does it for only $19 a bottle.

http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?...d=aS5cmZnJUG5U

Rolland is a popular subject when talking about 'international' wine... whatever that is.... (??)

There are plenty of folks that love what Rolland does, and a good number that hate what he (and other flying wine-makers) bring to market. Im on neither side of this fence....

I think that you have to look into the details.... and decide on a case by case basis. As an example, while I do conceed that Clos de los Siete is a well made wine, I think that it lacks uniqueness and pales in comparison to other Rolland and Rolland related products.

What do I like thats made by Rolland..... Yacochuya, now there is a unique wine that has a true identity... ^ Bodega Benegas is one of the few 3rd party consulting gigs that Rolland still maintains in Argentina... and this board knows of my love of the wine made by Federico Benegas Lynch (with advice from Rolland). Other producers making very good stuff not always known outside of Argentina include Ricominciare, Escorihuela, Durigutti, Universo Austral, Chacra, Manuel Lopez Lopez... just to name a few...

Regardless of liking Rolland and his colleagues or not, I still do recognize their efforts that have done a lot to put Argentina on the map of the international wine world. For this, perhaps Rolland is top of his class.... I think he deserves to be bestowed with La Orden del Libertador General San Martin, one of the highest honors that are given out by the Argentine Republic.

We just opened a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Ruca Malen that was a 2006 vintage and it was well above average for sure. I think we may have a couple other 2006 vintages downstairs so I'll have to note to hold off on drinking those.

Yes, thats probably a good move - but as I always say, the devil is in the details. Dont know which labels you will be cellaring but as you surely know, some wines are not meant for keeping and as we get towards the end of 2010, many 2006 labels - even if from this special vintage, warrant drinking right away.

If you care to share the list I will gladly give you my 2 cents....

Most of the ones we brought back and still have are 2007 vintages, but the 2006 bottles we do have left are the Benegas Malbec and Sangiovese. We have a few bottles of Carmello Patti's 2003 and 2004 vintages that I plan to let stay cellared for awhile and a 2004 Malbec Dezina from Carinae that will probably find its way out sometime in the not too distant future :-)

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I would advise caution with extended cellaring of Carmelo Patti.

None of our bottles will be kept for a really long period of time unless warranted. We tend to let them sit for a couple years at most and then drink them since then it gives us an excuse to buy more ^

The Gran Assemblage we brought back was the only one we thought about keeping for a long time. A couple folks I know told me it should keep for at least another 3-5 years (it's a 2003 vintage) but if you disagree then I certainly would appreciate your opinion.

While the label you mention is the longest "cellar worthy" example of this producer, a 2003 vintage is already 7 years old.... so my view is that this wine will no longer develop any additional positive characteristics. The trade off & the investment in cellar space is no longer warranted and as you wait further, I think the chances of the wine starting to lose more that it will gain (in my view nothing) just means its time to go look for a corkscrew.....

If anyone ever has a chance to try the Dolce from Achaval Ferrer, it tastes wonderful with many different types of chocolate based desserts

Apparently, there is another country in South America that also produces and exports much wine. Who knew? See article below, which is very interesting.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e31cb6be-c...44feab49a.html

Grape wars: Chile v Argentina
By Jancis Robinson

Published: September 24 2010 23:16 | Last updated: September 24 2010 23:16

South America has become an invaluable source of great-value wine. But a wine lover�s view of the continent is probably completely skewed by which side of the Atlantic he or she lives on.

To the British, South American wine comes from Chile. Much of it is reliable and inexpensive but the country�s winemakers have been moving determinedly, occasionally recklessly, upmarket. But in the US, Chile means cheap and, however hard Chilean exporters try, few US wine drinkers are prepared to look to Chile for anything other than a bargain.
US wine drinkers, on the other hand, have fallen hook, line and sinker for Malbec, the emblematic red wine of Argentina and the fastest-growing varietal red in the US.

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Indeed... the category of dessert wines is usually overlooked by wine lovers that visit Argentina. Together with sparkling wines, these two categories are the best kept secrets of the Argentine wine industry...

To follow up on the above post, here are a few suggestions in the two mentioned 'different' categories for Argentine Wines....

Sparkling Wines
- Alambrado Extra Brut
- Alma 4 Pinot Chardonnay
- Rutini Brut Nature
- Baron B Rose
- Zuccardi Cuvee Especial
- Alma Negra Brut
- Baron B Unique
- Rutini Brut Nature

Dessert Wines
- Stradivarius Porto de Magoas
- Rutini Vin Doux Naturel
- Malamado Malbec
- Afincado Petite Menseng
- Achaval Ferrer Dolce
- Rutini Malbec Encabezado
- Angel Mendoza Oportuno
- Fin del Mundo Cosecha de Mayo

my guess is that the amount of "good," or "high end" wine from chile is way under 1%. chile has so much carmenere, and so much rain it would not surprise me but that chardonay is 25% diluted with the stuff. i do not like carmenere, at all. it is also grown it NE italy. don't like that one either.

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Regulars on these boards know of my "issues" with wines from the "wrong" side of the Andes... however, I will say that some Chilean whites offer good value for money. Its more difficult with the reds... in this category Chile cannot match the depth Argentina offers... climate and soils are also issues. Its a little known fact that many Chilean producers buy juice in Argentina to improve their own stuff, and of course various Chilean firms have been producing Malbec in Argentina for many years as they cant be succesful overseas with only their home grown stuff...