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

Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Margaret River Australia

Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from the gravelly slopes of their Stevens Valley vineyard in Margaret River, Western Australia. This Bordeaux blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot has spent 24 months in oak,  50% new, 50% in 1yr old barrels.

 

This deep ruby wine with a mere hint of garnet has fresh elegant aromas of blackberry cassis, sweet spices, cedar which all follow through to the palate, here there are additional savoury notes all kept fresh by the edgy acidity which also helps to balance the alcohol ( 14%) which feels well integrated. The tannins are fine and silky with a good structure and a savouriness and agin well integrated. Great length with cassis all the way through. This is a well made beautifully matured wine with lots of character and interest and tasted balanced and left me wanting more after each mouthful - the sign of a good wine in my book.
This is a wine that will improve in bottle for 3-5 years and would be lovely with a hearty meal! It is available from Justerini & Brooks at a cost of £29.17 .
Score : 90



Margaret River

Located approximately three hours' drive south of Perth, the region was ‘discovered’ in the early 1970s after various pieces of research from Professor Harold Olmo and Dr John Gladstones identified it as a potentially great grape growing region. The Margaret River area includes the rolling hills of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, extending 90 kilometres north-south between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, and is bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean. Highly regarded as a producer of powerful yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, the region has also forged a great reputation for its white wines notably Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends. However, it is capable of producing all the classic varietal wines.

Margaret River wine region first saw European settlement as late as the 1830’s and has evolved from pioneer ‘outstation’, forestry, dairy, alternative life stylers who enjoyed the unique coast and its surfing, to an area dedicated to the pursuit of great vines and fine wine.

The climate is strongly maritime-influenced, as might be expected in a region surrounded by the ocean on three sides. With a mean annual temperature range of only 7.6°C (45.68°F), it has less than 25% of its annual rain falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. While spring frosts are very rare and highly localised, the lack of winter dormancy for the vines can cause problems that are unique to this region.

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Margaret River Australia

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was made by winemaker Paul Atwood and only released recently when ready to drink. This wine from Margaret River has all the pedigree one would expect from this part of the world, deep blackberry aromas marry with a touch of mint blended with sweet spices. On the mouth there is a sort of saltiness which amplifies the black and red fruit flavours mixed up with spice and cedar box smokiness. The blend contains 13% Malbec and this shows in the sweetness of the fruit. The wine has a good acidic backbone with a slightly warming finish which is long and fruity, the overall feel of this wine is lean and fruity, not fat or flaccid, the strength of flavour runs through its heart. The tannins are fine and savoury and well integrated. Great for sitting on a cool Sunday afternoon next to an open fire - the bottle will not last long!
A great wine for food, enjoy with duck, beef and many savoury well seasoned foods. It is available at a cost of £27 from Four Wall Wines.
Score : 90


Margaret River

Located approximately three hours' drive south of Perth, the region was ‘discovered’ in the early 1970s after various pieces of research from Professor Harold Olmo and Dr John Gladstones identified it as a potentially great grape growing region. The Margaret River area includes the rolling hills of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, extending 90 kilometres north-south between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, and is bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean. Highly regarded as a producer of powerful yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, the region has also forged a great reputation for its white wines notably Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends. However, it is capable of producing all the classic varietal wines. The region is a vibrant and popular wine destination for visitors from around the world.

Margaret River wine region first saw European settlement as late as the 1830’s and has evolved from pioneer ‘outstation’, forestry, dairy, alternative life stylers who enjoyed the unique coast and its surfing to an area dedicated to the pursuit of great vines and fine wine.

The climate is strongly maritime-influenced, as might be expected in a region surrounded by the ocean on three sides. With a mean annual temperature range of only 7.6°C (45.68°F), it has less than 25% of its annual rain falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. While spring frosts are very rare and highly localised, the lack of winter dormancy for the vines can cause problems that are unique to this region.

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

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

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.

Rigal The Original Malbec from Asda Cote du Lot 2011

Rigal Malbec from the Cote du Lot 2011 IGP was on the shelves in Asda - a place that surprises on the few occasions I shop there, it was a mere £5 so worth a shot!

We opened it that night and on pouring it - its youthfulness was obvious, it was a deep purple with a wide purple rim and aromas of young black fruits burst from the glass, the fruits smelt a little baked as if they came from a hot vintage or at least a hot area of France, and on investigation it turns out that the Cote du Lot (of the Lot valley) is a newly formed area for an IGP in the Cahors region and with it goes alot of vine/wine rules that they must adhere to so as to maintain a certain quality..... anyway back to the wine.

The aromas were not particularly inviting, but on the mouth I was pleasantly surprised, the black fruits were the predominant flavour as expected ( black cherries especially, but also blackberries and blackcurrants), there was good acidity and  body, the alcohol I had expected to be high ( hot baked fruit - high sugar content which translates into high alcohol) but it was not out of balance. There were some spicey tones though the oak influence was clumsy and chunky I felt and these had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but there was a sweet long finish and a green herbal leaf edge. The tannins were ripe but slightly chalky and made me feel that this was not a wine to be kept. The winemaker is Matthieu Ressiot of  Rigal, part of the JeanJean group.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised, this Malbec, a grape that is found alot in New World Argentina, having come from France originally, was fresh, fruity and easy drinking. The alcohol level was lower than expected ( 12.5% vs 14-15% for many Argentinian Malbecs), but the aromas of over baked fruits were not a pleasant start, maybe when we have a glass of what was left it will be better..... worth a try!
To update - aromas improved within about 45-60 mins - and we enjoyed the rest of the bottle!

Chateau Taillan Lagrave 2009

Chateau Taillan Lagrave 2009 Cotes de Bordeaux
A 'petite chateau' negociant wine from Maison Sichel,  a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the remainder is Malbec and is a simple claret with no oak contact. Pale ruby with wide pale rim and purple tints indicate a young wine, aromas of simple red and black fruits ( plums, blackcurrants ) which are echoed on the palate, juicy and fruity, some tannins are present but unitegrated and raw, the wine has high acidity and is thin bodied. The lack of spices and vanilla reinforces the belief that no oak has been used, It is simple, clean and easy, but at £7-8 per bottle what can you expect from a Bordeaux . 2009 is a good year for red wines in Bordeaux as were 2005 and 2010 and this wine is fresh, light and good value.