Another XI Wines
In which I sample another bunch of wines. Just for you, of course.
Let’s start at a tasting of four wines from the province of San Juan. These are wines that were judged the four top wines in a competition in October. I think there were three dozen wines in the original tasting. San Juan is the province just to the north of Mendoza, and produces, I think, about 8-9% of the “fine wine” in Argentina.
The tasting was held in the courtyard of the Casa de San Juan along Sarmiento in San Nicolás. There were about 30 of us there for the tasting, which, as so many things here do, got started almost 40 minutes late. Thankfully, for a change, we didn’t get long winded introductions and talks about irrelevant stuff, except from one of the four winery owners who waxed poetic for a solid 20 minutes about things like the décor in his home, his last vacation, and family history. He got around to the winery and the wine we were about to taste during the last two minutes of his talk. The others were, thankfully, much more focused on the wineries and wines.
Bodegas San Juan de la Frontera “Menin” Gran Reserva 2023, San Juan - 100% Malbec, aging 24 months in French barriques (not yet released). Black fruit, cocoa, green leaf, notedly oaky. Dry, fairly high acidity, full bodied, soft tannins, long finish. Only sold direct by the winery and will supposedly run 90,000 pesos (I believe they’re already selling previous vintages at that price as well). Recommended.
Bodega Merced del Estero “Mil Vientos” Criado en Barrica Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc 2020, La Bebida, San Juan - 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Cabernet Franc, aged in barriques (details not given). Red fruit, graphite, oak, black tea. Dry, high acidity, medium body, astringent tannins, long finish. 21,000 pesos. Recommended - though I admit I couldn’t quite see it being a “top 4” for San Juan. Then again, I don’t know what it was up against.
Xumek “ABISMO” Finca La Ciénaga Malbec 2020, Valle de Zonda, San Juan - 100% Malbec, three day pre-fermentation, then cold fermented; aged one year in new French 400 liter barrels. Blueberry, tobacco, vegetal, hot. Dry, moderate acidity, medium body, dry tannins, medium finish somewhat bitter and alcoholic. Sells for around 40-45000 pesos. Honestly, I don’t get this one at all. It was just all around unpleasant. Not recommended.
Finca las Moras “Sagrado el Pedernal” Malbec 2021, Pedernal Valley - 100% Malbec, aged 17 months in French barrels. Plum and overripe apple, underbrush, eucalyptus, hot. Dry, moderately high acidity, dry tannins, long finish somewhat sour. Runs about 60,000 pesos. A little disappointing. I’m usually a big fan of Finca Las Moras wines, and they have the easy drinking, and somewhat unusual Los Intocables line of wines aged in bourbon and rum barrels that I enjoy with spicier food (one is reviewed down below). This one, I’m on the fence about - the alcohol is out of balance and that sourness on the finish is odd, as it doesn’t show upfront or in mid-palate - it just comes on as the initial hit fades.
On to other wines….
Huentala “Gran Sombrero” Cabernet Franc 2023, Valle de Uco, Mendoza - 100% Cabernet Franc (no details on either website or Instagram). Dark cherry fruit, cocoa, tobacco. Dry, medium body, moderate acidity, dry tannins, long finish. Delicious with pan seared pork loin, pan gravy, and a side of spicy white beans. Bought for 19,600 pesos. Recommended.
El Enemigo Bonarda 2021, Mendoza - 85% Bonarda, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15 day fermentation with wild yeast, 25 day maceration, then aged 15 months in large wooden foudres (vats). Blackberry dominating, but a mix of berry fruits, warm spices - allspice and cinnamon, milk chocolate, and a hint of smoke. Dry, moderate acidity, medium bodied, long finish. Delightful match with pasta alla gricia. Runs just shy of 20,000 pesos. Recommended.
Pyros “Appellation” Chardonnay 2021, Valle de Pedernal, San Juan - 100% Chardonnay, 80% of it fermented in stainless steel, 20% in French oak barrels for three weeks; then respectively the same portions are aged for six months in stainless steel and a mix of 1-4 year old French barriques before final blending and an additional 3 months aging in bottle before release. Green apple and white peach, with hints of floral and honey notes. Dry, moderately high acidity, light to medium bodied, long finish. We served it with a shellfish chowder, and it cut the richness beautifully. 8900 pesos. Recommended.
Susana Balbo “Signature Late Harvest” Malbec 2023, Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza - 100% Malbec, fermented in stainless steel tanks, aged in used French barriques for 14 months. Dark purple, slightly syrupy. Beautiful notes of plum, prune, dark chocolate, and a hint of toasted almond. Sweet, moderate acidity, medium bodied, long finish. A fantastic pairing with a black cherry cheesecake. 18500 pesos retail.
Altos las Hormigas “Colonia las Liebres” Bonarda Orgánico 2021, 100% organic Bonarda from Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged in concrete cubes. Ruby red. Somewhat odd notes of tomato, licorice, and a hint of smoke. Dry, lighter bodied, moderate acidity, soft tannins, medium finish. On its own, not a great wine to drink, but it really paired well with a dish of spicy grilled chicken over pasta with a mild pesto, and topped with sautéed cherry tomatoes and green onions. 7100 pesos.
Finca Las Moras “Los Intocables” Bourbon Barrel Blend 2022 -Syrah, Bonarda, and Merlot blend from San Juan, Argentina, aged for one year in used 200 liter Bourbon casks. Beautiful blend of ripe red and black fruits with notes of balsamic, caramel, tobacco, vanilla, and smoke picked up from the Bourbon barrel aging. Maybe just a hint off-dry, medium to full bodied, moderate acidity, fruit forward, soft, almost sweet tannins, and a long finish. Served up with herb and chili braised pork. 11,750 pesos retail. Highly recommended.
Lagarde “Guarda” Malbec D.O.C. 2020, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza - 100% Malbec from 75-80 year old vines located in a single parcel, Finca Drummond, slow, six-month cold fermentation, then aged one year in new French barriques, followed by another year in bottle before release. Black plum, black tea, lightly charred wood, hint of bitter chocolate. The wine is still young, and a bit closed. It’s dry, medium bodied, dry tannins, moderately high acidity, and a long finish. I’d say this wine needs another year or two before it’s really ready to drink. Tasted at a professional tasting. Online search yields local prices from 17,550-29,000 pesos, quite a range, my sense is that it generally runs closer to the high end of that. Recommended, but let it sit another year.