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

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.