Paisaje de Barrancas Finca Flichman 2005 Mendoza Argentina

Over the weekend we had a bottle of  Paisaje de Barrancas  2005  from Maipu, Mendoza in Chile, it is a red wine made from 55% Syrah, 35% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, all handpicked then fermented in stainless steel. After fermentation and 12 days maceration to improve the flavour character, the wine was matured in 50:50 American and French oak and then 6 months in bottle. All this leads to a wine that shows that it has been oak aged, the spice and bitter tannins are well integrated, the black and red fruits are mellowing with the 6 years it has aged in bottle, smokey coffee and chocolate play with cedar and ripe fruits, the overall finish is long but with a bitter edge and over extracted flavours, oak plays a big part in this wines makeup - and it does it no favours in this case, the fruit takes second place, the bitter tannins over power the mellowed fruit - shame...... but we still managed to finish the bottle, and enjoy it all the same.
Great with the stir fried spicy duck dish served with noodles, but I think this would be great with steak, pigeon, venison..... rich foods with some fat ! We still have another couple of bottles in the cellar....... I will sacrifice myself.


Finca Flichman is a winery in Barrancas, a part of the Maipu Valley of Mendoza, Argentina. It was named after a Jewish-Polish immigrant, Sami Flichman, a pioneering spirit who first planted grapes along the Mendoza river in 1873. The original winery at the foot of the Andes mountains was established in 1910, in 1998, the Portuguese wine company Sogrape ( of Mateus Rose fame) purchased the business to restore, expand and update it, with an effort to preserve the integrity of the traditional wines.
Score : 85

Cavas de Weinert Gran Vino 2004 Argentina

Founded in 1975, Bodega y Cavas de Weinert is located in Lujan de Cuyo in Argentina. Bernardo C. Weinert, founder and owner was born in a small German colony in southern Brazil and made his money in the international transport business based in South America. 

Cavas de Weinert Gran Vino 2004 is a wine that is a blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon ( a twist on a Bordeaux blend, where Malbec if present is always the minority component) and is only released by Weinert when it is ready for drinking, and this 2004 is the current release.
This wine has aromas and flavours of dark cherry, blackberry/cassis, dried fruits, spice, tobacco and some vegetal tertiary notes, mint also plays its part. This wine is obvious as of New World origin, the tannins are ripe and savoury, silky and sleek in texture with sweet fruits hanging on every grain.
This wine is supplied by The Wine Society at a cost of £11.90, a lovely wine at the money!
Score : 89

Benvenuto de la Serna Trisagio 2006 Argentina

Benvenuto de la  Serna Trisagio 2006 is a wine that comes from the Uco Valley in the Mendoza region of Argentina, it is a cool region due in part to its altitude. There are 3 grapes used in this blend Petit Verdot, Tannat and Malbec  and each plays its part to produce  well structured and deep coloured wine. Red and black berry fruits intermingle with spices, vanilla and cinnamon, dried fruits  and smokey cigar box. The acidity help keep these fruits fresh, concentrated and full bodied while the structure provided by the savoury tannins which are ripe and silky in texture, is complimented by the alcohol which is in itself warming and sweet. This is a heavy hitting wine and one should proceed with caution. :-) This wine won the Argentine Wine Awards 2010 - and is amazing value at a price of £11.50, down from its normal £14.75, so buy now and enjoy at leisure.
Score : 88

Terrazas Afincado Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Aromas 2007 Argentina

Terrazas Afincado Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Aromas 2007 is made by LVMH - the luxury goods company ( Loius Vuitton, Moët Hennessy etc. ) from vineyards on the low slopes of the 980m high Terrazas vineyards, which is from the estate Los Aromos, located in Perdreiel, Luján de Cuyothe, This is a single vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine which is then matured in French oak for 18 months' producing a finely tuned, full bodied concentrated wine with lots of ageing potential. The winemaker is Adrián Meyer and the vines average 25 years in age. The wine is aged in Oak barrels for 18 months and bottled for another 12 months.
On smelling and tasting this wine, one is aware of the quality, it is concentrated, the fruits are fresh and juicy ( this wine is 5 years old ), the tannins obvious but ripe and savoury, there are black berry fruits, ripe red cherries, cedar box, spice, tobacco and an olive twist. The acidity is balanced by the freshness of the fruits and the alcohol is warming but structural and integrated. The length is long and sweet, spice intermingling with fruit and tabacco and a hint of dried fruits to add an extra dimension, lovely complexity and real elegance - one to be savoured!

This wine is not cheap, but at the price of about £25 it can be found sometimes on special off at Majestic Wine, it does offer value for money - enjoy!
Score : 89

Doña Paula Estate Malbec 2010 Argentina

The Malbec from the Doña Paula Estate in Mendoza , Argentina has got red cherry fruit, plum and cedar box, tobacco aromas, and it is enough to make you want to taste it, and when you do, silky red and black fruits abound with a tinge of marzipan, smokey cedar box enrobes the palate and the acidity is fresh and helps uplift the Malbec grape, supported by the warming but well integrated alcohol and the tannins are ripe, savoury and gently coat the palate with a little grippiness on the finish.
This wine has had some maturation in old Oak barrels and this adds some complexity, a polished wood veil. It is a well managed, well made wine that will continue to improve in bottle for 1-2 years due to the lively acidity, concentrated fruit and structural tannins - at a price of £12.45 - worth ordering some soon.
Score : 84

Los Haroldos Malbec 2011 from the Uco Valley Argentina

Los Haroldos Malbec 2011 is supplied by Loki in Birmingham UK at a cost of £8.99. The grapes are grown on a 3000ha estate in La Consulta, San Carlos, Uco Valley, Mendoza by Familia Falasco at 1100m above sea level. This is a cool region which helps to keep the acidity of this wine freshening - many can tend towards fatness. The Malbec grape is a variety that originally came from the west of France ( Bordeaux and the South West of France), it is a grape that has full on fruity flavours, and often can produce high alcohol wines as the grape if grown to full ripeness has a high sugar content.
This wine was packed full of sweet juicy plums, cherries and some baked fruits, it had a lovely silky mouth texture, acidity that keeps the fruit fresh and the alcohol was 13% which felt bang on. A little oak had been used here, just 5% of the grapes had received 3 months , and this added another dimension to what might have been a simple wine, at the price this wine is a steal! Do have a look at my post that covers a french Malbec by Asda Rigal!
Score : 86

Huarpe Lancatay Bonarda 2011 Argentina

Huarpe Banarda 2011 is a wine supplied by LOKI in Birmingham, UK, Bonarda is a grape of Italian origin (Piedmonte), though it is difficult to find there now and it may be known under some of its other names ( Croatina in Lombardia, Charbono in California, Bonarda Novarese  etc.).
This dry red wine has aromas of red fruits, spices (vanilla and ginger), some black fruits and a smokey oak edge, on the palate there is a feint spritz/carbon dioxide fizz which disappears quickly, the fruits, red and black berries, are slightly 'baked', and there is a nuttiness and  spice which points towards an Italian complexity. The tannins are soft and silky and offer gentle structure to this fruity wine, the alcohol seems well knitted in at 13.5% and the French and American Oak is carefully managed.
The grapes are 40-50 years old and grown at 950m, the winery Huarpe is family run:  oenologist José Hernández Toso makes the wine, while his brother Maximiliano Hernández Toso manages the winery.
Score : 85

Benvenuto de la Serna Mil Piedras Viognier 2010 Argentina

Benvenuto de la Serna Mil Piedras Viognier 2010  made with estate-grown fruit from a single vineyard located in the Valle de Uco at 1100m above sea level in a semi desert climate, long sun hours and little rainfall. Benvenuto de la Serna is a small family winery owned by Silvio Benvenuto who is an Italian immigrant and the winemaker is Angel Mendoza who was at Trapiche for 20+ years. The wine is made from 100% Viognier and has not seen oak, fermented in Stainless steel before bottling.

Floral honeysuckle aromas overlaid with tropical notes including lychee and apricot are echoed on the palate after a definite carbon dioxide 'spritz', this reduced after a few minutes, but felt uncomfortable initially. The alcohol was medium but out of kilter with the wine, Viognier can have a flabbiness to it, but this felt in the wrong place for the wine. The alcohol was as expected, quite high in alcohol and low in acidity but well integrated and the silky texture was pleasant. The wine lacked real fruit promised by the aromas so was a let down, feint flavours of lemon, apricot and grapefruit pith bitterness butlinear in nature, left one wanting more. This is a shame because I often feel that Viognier packs a real punch of aromatics that follow through to the palate, but this had been reined in far too much - a pity!

Score : 75

Doña Paula Chardonnay 2010 Argentina

Doña Paula Chardonnay 2010 comes from the 800ha estate Finca Alluvia at 1,350 meters above sea level in Tupungato of the Uco Valley just south of Mendoza in Argentina where there are warm days and cool nights. The grapevines are espalier trained and drip irrigation with melt water is used, and managed using sustainable agriculture practices where possible.  The vineyard is owned by Santa Rita, a Chilean producer in the Maipo valley The grapes were pressed and then fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. 50% of the must was fermented  in new French oak barriques then aged partly in new French oak barriques for a period of 6 to 8 months. And you get all of this for £10.99.
Aromas of peach, apricot and a sprinkling of spice with a floral edge, it tempts you in. In the mouth, nectarine and green apple join the flavours and a chalky minerality enrobes the bunch! Great acidity, well integrated alcohol at 14% and a silky mouth feel all support this great fresh and fruity wine, it has an elegance that is often not found in Chardonnays. The length is good and linear, lemony to the end with a sharp acidity, this feels slightly out of kilter with the rest of the wine and may indicate some acidification that has not quite knitted in as yet, but the oak treatment has been sympathetic and stylish, a good wine at the money!
Score : 82

Mendel Semillon 2010 from the Uco Valley, Argentina

Mendel Semillon 2010 from the Altamira in the Uco Valley, Argentina is a wine made from the Semillon grape and supplied by the Wine Society at £9.75. The Semillon grape is normally associated primarily with Bordeaux Whites in France, it is often paired with Sauvignon Blanc which provides extra acidity to keep it fresh, it now has also found a quality home in Australia ( Hunter Valley and Margaret River). This particular grape comes from the Uco Valley at a height of 3600 feet  which is just south of Mendoza, and the vines are on average 60 years old.
The wine had a slightly green tinge indicating a young wine in some cases, aromas of white flowers, apricots and peapods were obvious on the nose, once in the mouth the silky texture and fresh fruit were a delight, lemons, limes with a pithy edge, a touch of green apple and a great fresh citric, a light wine with zippy attack and lovely mouth feel - a great wine to enjoy on its own or with a meal. There was a little oak apparent on the palate in the way of a nuttiness, and on investigation it is found that 15% was aged for 8 months in new American oak barrels, this aids its food pairing possibilities. Review by Jancis Robinson.
Score : 82

Terrazes Torrontés Selection 2010 from Salta, Argentina

A wine from the northerly Salta region in Argentina Terrazes Torrontés Selection 2010 is grown at high altitude, 2000m+ in actual fact, which is how the acidity and freshness are maintained in such a relatively hot latitude in the world. The Torrontés grape is the white 'signature' grape for Argentina and is now exported all over the world. There are in fact actually 3 varietals, Torrontés Riojano, the most common and also the higher quality variety that is used for most of Argentinian Torrontés, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino. Torrontés Riojano can now also be found in Chile, though it is not normally made into a white varietal wine, but into Pisco or Brandy.
This dry wine was characteristically aromatic with exotic fruits and florality exhibited on both nose and palate, limes, apricot, spice and lychee along with a twang of grapefruit pith - the acidity is slightly astringent ( but not out of balance) and fresh, and the length is good and long with a pithy finish. At around £10 - this is a lovely easy drinking wine with a fruity finish - enjoy!
Score : 83

Finca Flichman Malbec 2002 Argentina

Finca Flichman Caballero de la Cepa Malbec 2002

Finca Flichman under the So Grape canapy ( Port wine makers and also the makers of Mateus Rose) is an Argentinian brand producing wines often seen in the 'on trade' ie Restaurants, though with a production of 24 million litres - it must be seen in alot of places.

This 10 year old ruby red wine has a garnet rim, which shows its age. The rich aromas of black berry fruits, kirsch, spice escape the glass in abundance. Tasting it reinforces the fruit driven Malbec, Argentinas for most grape, black fruits, smokey spices and kirsch. The acidity is more than medium and the alcohol is high - out of balance with the fruit, it more than supports it, it is a dominant factor. The tannins are structural and chalky and add substance to this full bodied  wine.
The finish is long and spicy with good structure throughout. The wood feels slightly chunky and overpowering, maybe this is due to the fading power of the fruit due to the wines age......
A lovely wine but maybe fading now - so if you have this on your rack - drink quick.