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

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