Gaucho100K

And a further update to the ArgEnology Cellar..... (with some labels returning back after a "vacation")....

Benegas Lynch Malbec La Encerrada Vineyard - Gualtallary, Mendoza
La Azul Malbec - Valle de Uco, Mendoza
La Azul Reserva - Valle de Uco, Mendoza
La Azul Gran Reserva - Valle de Uco, Mendoza
La Azul Sauvignon Blanc - Valle de Uco, Mendoza
Raul Joffre Distinto Malbec Blend - Mendoza
Joffre e Hijas Gran Malbec - Mendoza
Joffre e Hijas Premium Cabernet Sauvignon - Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza
Los Noques Reserva Cabernet Franc - Gualtallary, Mendoza

JFSV

Hi Alex

I will let you know how are the wines that you kindly chose for me during my recent trip!

Anyway, thanks for your help! The wine itself arrived perfectly, with no scratches and survived two long hauls to JFK and LHR. The tax free voucher was also helpful!

Cheers
Jorge

Gaucho100K

Glad your wines arrived in order !!! ^ ^

3544quebec

2006 Catena Zapata Estiba Reservada


Paired nicely with a slow braised hare in shiraz jus last week. Unfortunately no more in the cellar

Gaucho100K

The 2006 Vintage is one of the best of the last 30 years, especially in Mendoza. This vintage is very hard to find, and it now priced at astonishing levels if you can find the Merchant that stocks it. In this context, the current 2009 Vintage, although far from being a bargain, is a far better value as all back vintage Catena Zapatas get pricey very very quickly.

Flying Machine

One seller in Uruguay has it for $190 USD see below..

malagajohn

Sineriz is a big duty free shop in Rivera on the Uruguay-Brazil border.

By the way , there is no sales tax , as its a duty free shop

The owner is a big wine fan and has a good selection of wines from many countries

As well as all the normal duty free shop , they have a wide selction of foodstuffs,

Gaucho100K

For the record, I am a subscriber to Wine Searcher, and while I can attest to the value of the information they provide for many markets, I can also attest that their reliability with information from smaller markets such as Argentina can (and most of the time is) be very inaccurate. The same can be said for the large markets such as the USA, but specifically for wines from places like Argentina (ie. info on Argentine Wines from US based merchants is also quite inaccurate/outdated, etc.).

I deal with these issues on almost a daily basis, as a large portion of my US based clientele uses Wine Searcher. Their experience, which they share with me on a constant basis, shows that the information available online for US based merchants related to Argentine labels is most of the time outdated and inaccurate. This means that many times a Merchant will list a certain label, and when this Merchant is contacted.... turns out the wine is no longer available, or the vintages information is wrong, or that the listed price is outdated, or the bottle format is other than what is listed, etc. etc.... or even that the actual label/brand and/or grape variety is different. This situation is confirmed by many of my contacts ITB throughout the US. Database maintenance is not free... so merchants and vendors concentrate on the stuff that moves the most.

Bottom line... I think that Wine Searcher is a great tool and can/should be taken as a valid reference, but for Argentine Wines make sure to double & cross check the information before rapidly jumping to conclusions.

Flying Machine

In the case of the Catena in Question. The Merchant and Wine Searcher seem to have the same information: http://www.sineriz.com.uy/shop_info.php?prod=3130

Flying Machine

2 Argentine Malbec Wines made entry to Wine Spectators Top 100 List this year. Read on:

http://www.areadelvino.com/articulo.php?num=28735

HIDDY

I'm no wine expert but I would have expected more than two.

Gaucho100K

Wine Spectator ratings are like the "Funnies" to most serious people ITB. Ratings and coverage are dependent on advertising, unless you are already an "icon" brand or producer. There are a couple of very well quasi-scientific papers on this that are on the web.... very interesting reading for those with a mathematics and/or economics background - or anybody that understands regression analysis.

Today, I think that the Spectator is a mere informative tool for folks to know whats out there, but I don't think that its a reliable tool for the somewhat serious to advanced Wine Aficionado. The same can me said of the other large publications..... even the "mythical" Robert Parker Wine Advocate must also be taken with a pinch of salt (to say the least). On the subject of Parker, I only follow his advice regarding California, his ratings on France are no longer of interest (for me). Perhaps the only publication that I still take somewhat seriously is Decanter Magazine.

Aside from that, I have a short-list of wine writers that I hold in high regard, but even for those "critics" I tend to follow each writer only for a few specific regions (and not for everything they cover). Most of the writers I follow are UK and Europe based, with one Australian and another South African. I have one guy that I follow for Champagne, another for Ozzie Shiraz, another for Bordeaux, one for South African Pinot Noirs, etc.

Like most things in life, doing things properly requires attention to detail and investing the right amount of time.

Flying Machine

Interesting perspective on the Argentine Wine Trade:

http://fortune.com/2016/04/13/argent...-big-comeback/

CLG

Thanks for the article!

Flying Machine

Looking forward to the Premium Tasting Event in BsAs on November 10th. Sorry that I had a conflict with the Event today and tomorrow in MDZ..


http://www.premiumtasting.com.ar/