Trapiche Roble Malbec 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Bodegas Trapiche

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Ruby colored, this argentinian Malbec starts in a slightly muddled way, difuse in the nose, with some coffee and toast and an almost animal overtone. As it opens and breathes, red berries appear in the nose, although the main feel keeps on being the oaky/toast notes.

The first impact on the mouth is of a high acidity which, coupled with the average body, is not very appealing. Thankfully, as it opens and lingers in the glass, a good deal of red fruit appears in the palate as well, balancing the harder oak notes and masking the high acidity. Tamed and balanced tannins round up a taste that finishes with a nice persistence, mixing acid red berries and vanilla.

This benefits a lot from being paired with food, as it feels much more integrated. Also, decant it for an hour or so. Alternatively, let it rest on the cellar for some years before tasting.

Tasted on 2012-05-02

Trapiche Syrah 2008

15.0 / 20

Producer: Bodegas Trapiche

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Bodegas Trapiche offer an impressive amount of brands and varietals from Argentina. This Syrah is part of their Trapiche Varietals series, which is, according to their website, the largest offer of varietals in Argentina.

Purple coloured, the bouquet is warm and sweet, with loads of sweet red plums and some jam in the background.

In the mouth, it's a round, medium-body wine. Full of red sweet plums, balanced by some nice acidity, it's a nice, simple, easy to drink wine.

For the price tag (around 9€), I think it should offer something more, at least comparing to some similarly priced Malbecs I've tasted. But I wouldn't mind tasting the other 11 varietals the producer offers.

Tasted on 2011-01-14

Famiglia Bianchi Malbec 2006

16.0 / 20

Producer: Famiglia Bianchi

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Good malbec from Argentina (where else?), this wine, ruby coloured, has an intense berries and cherries aroma, helped along by some strong vanilla notes and other spices. Intense and bold, as one might expect from a New World wine, but still managing to keep some elegance and finesse.

Full-bodied in the mouth, the center stage belongs to ripe, sweet red fruit (cherries and berries again). Always backed by a very good structure and some cocoa/chocolate impressions in the palate. Long persistence, a really nice example of an intense, full-bodied and very interesting new world wine.

Tasted on 2010-12-11

Crios Syrah +Bonarda 2008

16.0 / 20

Producer: Dominio Del Plata

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

An unknown grape type (for me), Bonarda is apparently the second most widely planted grape in Argentina (lost first place recently to Malbec).

Showing a dark red / purple color, the nose brings to mind red, acid plums backed up by some spices coming from the oak, in an intense and pleasing combination.

With some tannins still very much in the foreground, making the wine somewhat astringent, and a beautiful acidity accompanying the whole taste, the wine is definitely marked by the oak, but provides a finely tuned, ready to drink and pleasant taste. Finale is long and scented finishing up a good taste.

Tasted on 2010-10-17

Crios Malbec 2008

16.0 / 20

Producer: Dominio Del Plata

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

A full blown New World wine, this Malbec from Argentina starts with an intense red fruit (cherries) aroma backed up by a toasty, smoky, woody impression. Further back, I think I can still sense some chocolate or cocoa notes. Still, an unashamedly fruit driven, intense bouquet.

The taste carries on the intense fruit approach, showing some fine, well balanced tannins, a hint of spices and toast in the background, in a complex and structured whole. It shows an average persistence, with the cherries still lingering for some time in the back of the mouth.

It's a good, solid Malbec with a good price/quality ratio that makes it worthwhile to track down.

Tasted on 2010-08-30

Dos ochos Viognier 2008

15.0 / 20

Producer: Dos ochos

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

The Viogniers I had tasted before this wine tended to be structured, complex, staged in oak, the kind of white you drink on winter nights.

So, this Viognier from Argentina surprised me, since it seems to be much more fruit-forward. The aromas reminded of sweet fruit - lots of apples and pears - first and then grass and other vegetable notes.

In the mouth, it appears as a delicate, slim bodied wine.

It has a very fruity - green apples again, mildly sweet taste balanced by a nice acidity and the finish is medium, the apples persisting in the mouth for a decent amount of time.

Maybe due to my preconceptions and my previous experiences with Viognier, I felt the wine lacked some structure and complexity, going for a more fruit-based approach that failed to engage me - although it is not, by all means, a badly produced wine.

Tasted on 2010-08-02

Don Arturo Malbec Roble Proprietor's Selection 2003

16.0 / 20

Producer: Cavas de Don Arturo

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

A seven year old Malbec from Argentina, this wine bouquet is composed at first by vanilla and some toasted, smoky notes. Later on, it opens up to some discreet and elegant red berries. But mostly, the aromas tend towards the spicey, oaked end of the spectrum. The taste is elegant and smooth. The whole set is well balanced and supported by some decent acidity, although it has already lost some of the fruit notes. Those notes appear only in the nice, long finish, along with some chocolate impressions. It certainly develops new complexities and subtleties after some time in the glass, changing again when enjoyed during the meal. A good Malbec that maybe lost some points by being drunk this late - I have a feeling this would be a great wine two years ago. I would certainly love to try a later vintage.

Tasted on 2010-07-24