i thought los vacos was pretty much a wine from chile. i like it because they keep the carmangiere out.

bonarda is another of those wierd success stories in argentina. the bonarda of argentina can be a supurb wine.

bonarda is grown extensively in the piedmont/lombardy reigon where it makes a decent, but not special table wine, and is frequently sold in bulk to individuals. some of the wineries have pumps that look just like 1960's gas pumps to allow filling of 10-20 gallon jugs. i have never heard of a bottle of bonarda shipped from italy to usa for resale. i have seen some in distributor dumping sales where they are clearing out samples(probably unsolicited).

slawecki is correct... the Los Vascos is indeed from Chile, not Argentina.

On the subject of Bonarda, here are some labels to look out for:

Trapiche Fond de Cave Bonarda Reserva
Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda
Nieto Senetiner Reserva Bonarda

And some blends that have a serious amount of Bonarda....

Ernesto Catena Siesta Bonarda Malbec
Finca Las Moras Mora Negra

^ I agree on the Alamos. I enjoy it regularly and now find it all over the place.

Big fan of the Alamos - great price point too $7.99

Also, I'd recommend watching these two clips regarding Malbec's in general:

Malbec vs. Malbec
Argentina and Those Pesky Malbec's

Thanks for the correction. In any event, it's a cheap, tasty Malbec :) And their Cabernet isn't bad either.

The policia de vino tinto may repossess your business over this one :p

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For those wanting to have some of the best wines of Argentina, here is a list of super high-end/cult labels:

Benegas Lynch FBL Barrica 2003
Azul Gran Vino 2003
Alto las Hormigas Reserva 1999
Catena Zapata Estiba Reservada 2002
Achaval Finca Altamira 2005
Cobos Malbec 2005
Cobos Unico 2005
Felipe Rutini 2002

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Just to add a few labels to the A list:

Chacra Treinta y Dos 2006
Ocio Pinot Noir Crianza 2003
Judas Malbec 2005
Rutini Antologia XVII 2003
Rutini Apartado 2002
Miguel Escorihuela Gascon 2004

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Some more high-end picks:

Enrique Foster Firmado
Las Perdices GR Tinamu
Susana Balbo Nosotros
Foster Enamore

Gaucho100k
I had the Nicolas Catena Zapata today , and it was excellent:D

wow... indeed, its special stuff. Did you have the Cabernet based blend or the Malbec...?

it was a 2004 , and it doesn't say anything about the type, i believe it was the blend though.

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The two wines are easy to tell apart... if the label only reads Nicolas Catena Zapata, then its the Cabernet Blend... if it says Malbec Argentino, its the 100% varietal.

thanks
It is def the Cab Blend.
Our local wine shop was able to secure a case of 6 , and we split it 3 ways.
I still have 2 bottles left, the one we drank belonged to someone else
:D

Hmmm... what vintage was it...?

I believe 2004 , I will check when i get home.

I opened a 2007 High Note (Mendoza) the other day. $14 at RI's highish wine prices. Somewhat more lush and rich than the Catena (but not the Alta...but not the same league). Highly recommend it, with BBQ, or just by itself.