Barrel Sampling at Los Vencejos

Peter and I went to check on his wine, which is vinified and aged at Finca La Luz in the Uco Valley, south of the city of Mendoza (but still part of the Mendoza wine region). We barrel-sampled his Malbec and Tempranillo, contrasting oak types and ages and getting a sense for how the flavors are developing.

*Malbec 2009 in French first-use oak: black pepper and dark fruit; layers of complexity forming.
*Malbec 2009 in French second-use oak: more pronounced fruit with more elegant body.
*Tempranillo 2009 in American first-use oak: cherry cola and smooth tannin.
*Tempranillo 2009 in French first-use oak: a hint of clove with red cherry.
*Tempranillo 2008 in Hybrid (French and American) first-use oak: clove and baking spices, like mulled cider; evolved into eucalyptus and blackberry jam; very complex and exciting.

All the wines were very tasty and interesting. We were pretty jazzed about the Tempranillo in general because it is very unique (it's a mainstay grape in Spain but here in Argentina it's Malbec most of the time). In a few days we'll be bottling the Tempranillo 2008 and then it will age in bottle for another 2 years.

The 2009s will stay in barrel for at least another year before bottling. If you can't wait that long, Los Vencejos Tempranillo 2007 and Malbec 2007 are available at www.losvencejos.com.