Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: My Wine Awards

I drank a lot of wine in South America! So I thought I'd wrap up the trip with a recap of my favorites. It can be tough for me to choose favorites since I believe wine-drinking is very circumstantial, but I tried my hardest to find my top picks. I've paid homage to the signature grapes of each country plus my other favorites in the major color categories. And I've rated my best food pairings and wine experiences in each country.

ARGENTINA
Fave Malbec: Colome Malbec Estate 2007
Fave Torrontes: Miraflor 2009
Fave other Red: Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006 (Tempranillo)
Fave Rose: Melipal Malbec Rose 2009
Fave Dessert wine: San Pedro de Yacochuya Late Harvest Torrontes 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: O. Fournier Urban Uco Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with steak tartar
Fave overall wine experience: Barrel sampling at Los Vencejos

CHILE
Fave Carmenere: J. Bouchon Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007
Fave other Red: Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Vineyard 2006
Fave Rose: J. Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009
Fave White: Casa Marin Gewurztraminer 2009
Fave Dessert wine: Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: Errazuriz Merlot 2007 with pastel de choclo
Fave overall wine experience: J. Bouchon Winery and Mingre Lodge excursion

URUGUAY
Fave Tannat: Bouza Tannat A6 2007
Fave other Red: Alto de la Ballena Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat 2006
Fave Rose: Alto de la Ballena CabFranc-Tannat Rose 2008
Fave White: Stagnari Chardonnay 2009
Fave wine/food pairing: Bouza Chardonnay 2008 with creamy spinach ravioli

Fave overall wine experience: Wine tasting and barrel sampling at Alto de la Ballena

Thanks for following my journey! If anyone ever tries any of the wines I tried please feel free to leave a comment with your impressions.

From deserts to glaciers to dinosaurs

I finished my South American journey by cooling off in Patagonia with the glaciers. In the town of El Calafate in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina, I was awed by glaciers and snowy mountains and enjoyed Patagonian lamb in all its forms. I was pleased to see that Patagonia is also a wine-producing region; I had high hopes for this Pinot Noir, figuring it must be more like the cool-climate Pinots I enjoy. Saurus is so named because when the Familia Schroeder winery was being built they found fossil remains of a Titanosaur, one of the largest species of dinosaurs ever known. Pretty cool! I had the 2007 Pinot with fondue and it was an ok match, but it might have actually paired better with meat since it was a fuller-bodied Pinot with high alcohol - 14.4% - and flavors of white pepper, red berry fruit, and vanilla. I was surprised by the alcohol but then learned that the Neuquen region of Patagonia where the wine is made is just south of the Mendoza province, where Patagonia just begins, so it is still pretty warm and dry there. Plus at this point I know how strong the sun is in these parts so ripening of Pinot would be quick and alcohol levels would tend to be higher. An interesting exercise and a reminder that I probably want to stick with meat for these Argentine reds!

Oh, Fournier

Back in the province of Mendoza we visited the impressive property of Spanish implant O. Fournier, just down the road from Los Vencejos in La Consulta, Uco Valley. The ultra modern facility has 3 levels and is gravity-driven. The grapes are received on the 2nd level and sorted into large tanks that live on the 1st level. The 3rd level has the lab and tasting room, which is equipped with a dentist-style sink around the table for cleaner tastings. The huge cellar doubles as an art gallery, which seems to be a trend down here. There is also, of course, a restaurant. We had our best wine lunch yet at O. Fournier.

First course was some amazing steak tartar, the best I've ever had. The steak was chopped really small with scallions mixed in. This went really well with the Urban Uco Sauvignon Blanc 2009, which had smooth flavors of pineapple and lemon. Next was a delicious corn soup that complemented the Urban Uco Torrontes 2009, which had classic aromas/flavors of orange blossom and musk.

For our main courses Peter got veal ragout with potatoes and truffle oil and I had ginger lemon risotto. The veal was great with O. Fournier's Alpha Crux 2002, a blend of 60%Tempranillo, 35%Malbec and 5%Merlot, which was a heavy, oaky wine with dark fruit, vanilla, and meaty flavors. It got 93 points from Wine Spectator and sells for US$110 a bottle. It was a good wine, no doubt, but heavy.

The risotto was resilient, matching well with the Urban Uco line of wines: the aforementioned Sauvignon Blanc and Torrontes, as well as the Tempranillo 2007, which had really nice red berry fruit. It also went well with the B Crux 2003, a blend of 60%Tempranillo, 20%Malbec, 10%Merlot and 10%Syrah, which was unfiltered and had luscious flavors of red fruit, spice, and dark chocolate. It got 91 points from Wine Spectator and sells for US$55 a bottle. The B Crux was my favorite wine of the tasting.

For dessert, there were 2. First was a melon sorbet that made me wonder why I don't like honeydew more. It was so ripe and refreshing. Second was a somewhat bizarre coffee/chocolate ravioli with ice cream and orange jam. It went great with the Torrontes and the Alpha Crux, but the best part was the translation. In Spanish they called it "Pasta de cafe rellena de chocolate con helado de reduccion de leche y coulis de naranja," which in English was described as "Raviolis of coffee released of chocolate cream and milk reduction ice cream and orange coulis." We are still laughing about this! Released of chocolate...

A delicious, memorable lunch. We enjoyed all the wines and dishes. Felicitaciones, O. Fournier!

Goats and blackouts and floods, oh my

On the drive back to Mendoza from Salta, through red mountains and cactus-lined streams, we stopped overnight in Villa Union, a tiny town in the San Jose valley that produces some wine and sometimes loses electricity.

















As soon as we got into town we noticed this sign in front of a restaurant, and I said, free goat? But it means all-you-can-eat goat. So we knew what we were having for dinner. AC on in the hotel and all electricity apparently working, we went to dinner and ordered the chivito libre with a salad and a bottle of locally made wine called Syros Syrah 2009. The wine was very fruity, young and simple, with plum, raspberry, and light oak. The goat was simple as well but tasted very fresh and just about perfect with a little lemon juice (from that classic green bottle) and salt. The waiter also brought us a glass of the Syros Torrontes 2009, which was surprisingly sweet and lacking acidity, but we imagined it was intended to be like this, juicy with some residual sugar and no acidification, unlike most wines in the area (it's often too hot to hold onto the natural acidity during the grapes' ripening).

After 4 plates of goat the lights went out and the fans went off. You can't imagine such darkness or such heat. The waiter came over and offered us a candle. We weren't quite done eating, but after a Junebug kept diving for my plate I was ready to quit. We had the waiter clear the plates, but then I remembered our goal was 6 plates and we were still hungry after 4, so we decided to continue the effort. We ordered another round and got through it, but the heat got the best of us and we called it a night after the 5th plate. We got flan to go and ate it back at the hotel with a 2007 late harvest Torrontes that we'd picked up in Cafayate at San Pedro de Yacochuya. It was surprisingly Sherry-like, with pronounced alcohol, a nutty creaminess, and sweet vanilla and orange blossom. Not what we expected, but we liked it!

  



San Pedro de Yacochuya's Coquena line of wines is named for the supernatural protector of the vicuñas, animals of the camel family that are native to the Andes and are prized for their fine but rare wool. Coquena is a little man dressed in white who travels at night driving large herds of vicuña. He punishes those who wantonly kill these animals.

Thankfully the electricity was still working at the hotel and the AC was still going. We didn't lose it until the next morning around 8am during a thunderstorm that flooded the town and sent us packing - but not until after visiting 3 gas stations before finding one with enough power to pump gas.

Viva Villa Union!

The future of the Andes

Our last day in Cafayate, we visited a winery right in town called Porvenir de los Andes - the Future of the Andes. We toured and tasted with the winemaker, and while we are concerned that the intense heat and lack of water in the Salta area of Argentina makes the future of winemaking there slightly questionable, he does not anticipate a problem anytime soon. (He really believes in the winery's name!) Unfortunately I didn't take notes during this tasting, and I neglected to write my impressions down afterwards, so I can't be too specific but I do recall that I liked all the wines. The Torrontes was classic and the reds were intense, flavorful, and smooth. I do remember that their spittoons were unlike any I'd seen before - instead of being empty they were filled with oak shavings, so you didn't make a mess when using them, and the scent of the oak was a nice palate refresher in between wines. Also, we confirmed an interesting practice in the making of rose, and I think it probably holds true for other parts of Argentina and Chile as well: many wineries "bleed" off a percentage of their fermenting red grape juice to allow the remaining juice to have maximum contact with the skins during fermentation, resulting in a more intense extraction of color, flavor, and structural components; we suspect that many roses originate from this bleed, or sangria.

Road less traveled to Colome

In the Salta province of Argentina, we set out to visit Bodega Colome, launching from Cafayate, the charming town where we were staying. We were about halfway there, enjoying the scenic route up through the mountains alongside the cacti, when we were faced with a choice of 2 directions to take. We opted for the "shorter" way because we were running late, but it was perhaps not the best choice. It was clearly the road less traveled, and for good reason - very narrow, rocky, sandy roads with no pavement in sight. At one point we almost got stuck in a sand ditch and had to build a rock path to drive over. We gathered rocks and Peter arranged them just so, building up the sand with 2 lanes of rocks so he could drive over the ditch. Once we built our bridge I directed him to ensure he stayed on the rock path, and after just 2 tries Peter got us out! We were so relieved. The next obstacle was a bit of mud and marsh, and again, 2 possible directions, but Peter assessed the situation and determined the best path, concluding that the mud was solid enough that we wouldn't get stuck. From here we could almost see Colome up in the hills. Then finally we made it there, 2200 meters above sea level, a mere 1 hour late for our appointment.

Thankfully, it was worth it! I really liked the wines here. The whites were flavorful and crisp. The reds were super concentrated but had really good flavors and complexity. All the wines here had a chalky minerality that we hadn't noticed in wines from Mendoza. This could be attributed to the rocky mountain soil. Colome has 2 additional vineyard sites besides the 2200m one we visited with the winery, and one of them is 3015 meters above sea level - the highest vineyard in the world, they say. The altitude helps cool things down in this very hot region of Argentina.

The wines:

*Mystery white: a mystery because the vines are so old and have morphed a few times from cloning, so they don't know exactly what they are. To me it tasted like Sauvignon Blanc, with gooseberry, asparagus, and jalapeno pepper.

*Torrontes 2009: at first vanilla and banana candy, then classic orange blossom as it warmed up in the glass. Different from the Torrontes we'd had so far, but interesting, and smooth with good acid.

*Amalaya 2007: a blend of mostly Malbec with some Cab Sauv and a little bit of something I can't remember. Cranberry and spice, good body and smooth tannin, my favorite of the tasting.
*Malbec Estate 2007: 85%Malbec, 8%Tannat, 5%Cab Sauv, 2%Syrah. Pure blackberry fruit, bright with firm tannin.
*Syrah 2007: a wine only available at the winery and served in their hotel's restaurant, it was pretty special with cassis, blackberry jam and a hint of cured meat. Firm tannin and almost 16% alcohol! A wine that should come with a 1-glass max. warning.

Colome is biodynamic and produces 900,000 liters of wine per year from 150 hectares of planted vines. All their supplies and equipment come from Mendoza, so everything makes that rocky, uphill climb through the Andes. There is a beautiful hotel on the property, and we now realize why. After all those bumps and jumps you totally want to take a nice long siesta. But our trip was just 3 hours, so we about-faced and took the road more traveled with no snafus. Muchas gracias to Peter for getting us there and back, no worse for the wear!

Jugo de Torrontes

In Chilecito, after that goat dinner and a recoop in the Automobile Club de Argentina (a hotel that I am convinced used to be either a school or a hospital), we visited the Riojana wine cooperative in town. During our tour we witnessed the massive dumping of Merlot grapes directly from a large truck into a large de-stemmer, as 2 guys stood in the truck with the grapes, pushing them into the machine with large pitchforks. It was quite a sight, and it may make you think twice about buying wine that comes in a jug or box...

There we tasted some interesting bubbly made from Torrontes - one dry, simple style and one more sweet one that better expressed the grape. But what we enjoyed most was a fresh, pure juice made from the Torrontes grape. Like peaches and honey with a flowery aroma, it tasted just like some Torrontes grapes we had sampled at a vineyard in Mendoza. Peter got 3 cartons of the juice and bought me this hat, which came in handy during the roadtrips that followed in the blazing sun of 40+ degree-celsius temperatures (that's over 100 degrees fahrenheit, every day!).

Goats do roam

Peter and I arrived in Chilecito last night, a city in the La Rioja region of Argentina, north of Mendoza and south of Salta. We got in just in time for dinner, and goats were on the menu. A specialty in this country, I had gotten my first taste in La Consulta and liked it. So we ordered a bottle of Torrontes and goat prepared 2 ways - 1 grilled and 1 stewed in Torrontes.

First - the wine: this Santa Florentina Torrontes from La Rioja was a tough one. Different from the ones we've had so far, it changed every time we tried it and had marked acidity. At first we likened it to a Pinot Grigio, but then those orangey notes started showing up in the form of a creamsicle. The acidity was more pronounced than in the other Torrontes we've had so far, but it seemed out of balance and/or artificial. Very interesting.

Now for the goats: the grilled goat was goatier than we would have liked. Peter suspects it was an older goat. The goat stewed in Torrontes was more tasty and delicious. However, the actual Torrontes couldn't hold up to its goaty cooked self. After a bit of stew the wine tasted like orange juice... from concentrate. Not good. It was more enjoyable before we started eating. Oh well - the whole thing was an experience I'm still laughing about.

Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006 World Premiere

Introducing Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006: you saw it here first! This wine will be released for sale in the U.S. in the spring (for $22.50 a bottle at http://www.losvencejos.com/) after 2 years in French oak and 2 years in bottle. It is 100% Tempranillo, and Aleteo means 'wingbeat.' Luscious and juicy, full of ripe cherry on the nose, the palate gives way to a complex melange of chocolate, cherry and clove spice. The finish: lingering and long, it begs for another sip. I love this wine.

A day after opening, the Aleteo had an intoxicating aroma of fresh cinnamon buns with chocolate raspberry on the palate. Full and balanced, this wine could be held another several years thanks to the lively fruit and smooth tannin.

Well done, Peter!

Another ridiculously good looking lunch

The Park Hyatt Mendoza looks like it should be a fancy government building, and it has a great terrace overlooking the main town square. Peter and I had lunch there when we got back from BA and it was another ridiculously good looking lunch. We got the 12-sampler tasting menu with a glass of wine each; Peter got the Alta Vista Torrontes 2009 and I got the Melipal Malbec Rose 2009.

The Torrontes was classic with musk and orange blossom. The producer has property right behind Peter in La Consulta, but the Torrontes comes from Salta. We've been trying to figure out why Torrontes isn't more popular and I thought maybe it is difficult to match with food. But it went well with many of the dishes we had, including sweetbreads, blue cheese w. honey, parmesan w. paprika, and fried calamari.

The Malbec rose had a smoky nose of cured meat and red berry. It was more fuller bodied and deeper in color than most roses I've had. It had good acidity and went with a lot of the dishes, most notably the grilled shrimp, salmon carpaccio and beef carpaccio.

Another day in Mendoza, another slothful lunch... or so I don't feel so guilty about it... another exercise in wine and food pairing.

Gewurz in a tree on Los Vencejos

I brought a bottle of Hermann J. Wiemer Gewurztraminer 2006 to Argentina to drink with Peter. This wine is beautiful - very delicate with honeysuckle on the nose and soft fruit on the palate - pineapple, apricot, and a little bitter orange or citrus zest on the finish.

Peter has this great tree in front of his house that I was just dying to climb. So after half a glass of wine I climbed it and then finished the glass in the tree while watching the sunset.

Wine in BsAs

We drank some great wine in Buenos Aires last week. Most notable was the 1998 Montchenot from Bodegas Lopez in Mendoza. It was a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Malbec. The alcohol was only 12.5%, which is low for this area (and nice to see). This wine was beautiful and elegant. Because of the age it was well-developed and super smooth, with a pretty strawberry pie character. Peter knows this wine and he said it spends a long time in big vats and is not released for several years; it's a traditional Argentine, slightly oxidized style.

Another interesting wine was a Cab Franc from Angelica Zapata (a line from Bodega Catena Zapata). It was fresh and smooth with typical character - green pepper, red fruit - but we realized an even more perfect descriptor as we drank it: beets! As soon as I said it we knew it worked. I'm looking forward to finding this characteristic in future Cab Francs.

Finally we had the 2009 Miraflor Torrontes by Michel Rolland from the Salta region, where we will soon be going. We found it to be very elegant and showing good typicity of the grape. It was very fragrant with pronounced orange blossom. We loved it, and it made us look forward to our pending trip up there!