Wine review: 2009 Bonarda Colonia las Liebres by Altos las Hormigas

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Cara

One of my big discoveries since coming to Argentina was, believe it or not, a varietal of wine. Yes, I was already accustomed to all the weird meat cuts (Brits love a bit of offal on our plates too), I was well versed in the art of tango through an interminable obsession with sexy dances of the world and I don’t even want to comment on the amount of Argentine Malbec that I have consumed in the past. However, Bonarda, the second most grown red varietal in Argentina, was a new personal unearthing of herculean quantities; I was pretty impressed, to say the least.
So of course, I have made it my mission to attend every possible wine tastings in Buneos Aires and to sample as many Bonarda’s as humanly possible, to see what each winery can bring to the table. I have found winners and losers but where would my latest discovery, 2009, Colonia las Liebres by Altos las Hormigas sit?

Well, on first impression, I was immediately taken with it. Note, I had not even pulled the cork yet, thus I am of course talking about the packaging; the fifth most important reason why wine consumers will select a bottle from the shelves versus another. Colonia la Liebres depicts a charming hare leaping into the wide open fields, which gave me a sweet sensation of nostalgia, although I’m not sure why? Possibly because I was mildly obsessed with the film ‘Watership Down’ when I was a kid? Indeed the name itself does mean ‘Colony of Hares’, while the wineries name translates as ‘Highs of Ants’. So what is this interest in the animal kingdom?

The winery itself is based in the Eastern section of Mendoza, more specifically in Ugarteche in Lujan and Los Campamentos in Rivadavia, an area which is widely known for it’s particularly fertile soils, which create quite a challenge for the winemakers to control yields and is therefore some of the more ‘unpopular’ terriors of Mendoza. It is also known for the varied wildlife habitats, in particular the hares, which find comfort and retreat in the vines of the area. And the ants; well who knows?

The winery is the dream child of Antonio Morescalchi, and his friend Alberto Antonini, who was then the winemaker of the famous Antinori winery in Tuscany, Italy. While visiting Mendoza in 1995, they fell in love with the land as well as its surprising potential and after sipping on an Argentine Malbec with their restaurateur friend Sirius Maccioni, owner of the legendary Le Cirque restaurant in New York, it was decided; they must open their own winery.
Production and harvesting started in 1996 with a total of 200 hectares of land with established 20 year old Bonarda vines, but with growing interest from well-known names in the wine world such as Attilio Pagli, Charles A. Vazquez, Marc de Grazia, Antonio Terni, and Alan Scerbanenko by 2001 the winery was completed with the most modern technologies, machinery, tanks and barrels.

The vintage 2009 of ‘Colonia las Liebres’ was particularly cold in the Eastern areas of Mendoza, meaning that the harvest was delayed for two weeks as the bonarda grapes where not properly ripened, from there they went through stainless steel and 10 days of natural fermentation and is unoaked, something that I find has been rare for an Argentinean Bonarda, evidently to show the true expression and purity of the grape. As the wine slipped into the bottom of the glass the deep but reflective youthful purple colour gave me a trickle of excitement, certainly everything about appearance was doing it right for me. The aroma, was as I expected, youthful, bursting with red berries, raspberries in particular, with a hint of candied strawberries and white pepper. As I started to sip (or gulp) away, I was surprised by Colonia las Liebres’ full body and great persistent length, characteristics which are not common for such a youthful unoaked wine. The silky tannins spread evenly through my entire mouth, giving a sublime velvetine effect which I found incredibly enjoyable and moreish, especially as the young fruit flavours carried through from the nose making the wine seem fresh and very easy drinking. Maybe too easy drinking!

In my opinion Altos la Hormigas have done a great job on a simple, well-rounded and delicious Bonarda. Ok, so it’s not the most complex, interesting wine on the shelves today but it absolutely is great value a wine to share with friend while eating a traditional parrilla platter…or just to share full stop. No food is needed to enjoy this wine and enjoy it I will!

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Myths and Facts in the Wine World

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Bradley

The next myth or fact that we are going to explore together is possibly the most common question that I come across during Buenos Aires wine tastings, because no matter if you are a wine rookie, have a fleeting interest or positively fanatical about los vinos, what we all want to know is…

“The best wines are the most expensive.”

The aroma and flavor differences that you can detect from a more ‘econmical’ wine in comparison high end wines and the consequential relationship between different prices are for valid reasons. Each individual person will form their own personal opinions about whether paying a high price is worth it or not but the differences in the characteristics between those levels of wine do exist and contribute to the end pricing of each wine. There is also a part of the price that relates to the image of the wine or the limited availability of a certain brand or particular wines and varietals. While there are consumers who do not and who do value these aspects of wine, there are others, normally those on the fanatical side of the spectrum, who know how to identify opportunities to invest in high-end wines in order to have a better price to quality ratio.

Generally the best wines are more expensive than average but as wine-loving consumers, we are always looking for opportunities, certainly as more and more classic ranges of wines become better quality but remain at a lower affordable prices, meaning that the wineries and producer are bridging the gap between price-quality for the lower ranges too.

Again, as I mentioned in the “the older the wine the better’ episode, the “best” wine is a completely personal opinion. There are wines that are better than others but how do you define that when one person is in love with a ripe plummy Salteno Malbec when the other is gulping back a leathery, chocolate and pepper Medocino Malbec. It is ceratinly a question that depends not only on each consumer’s tastes but also on the occasion. Think about it, if you are going out with friends, ready to get your drink on, it’s not likely that you are going to bring along a $200 bottle of chateauneuf-du-pape just to get your buzz before hitting the clubs. However, if your going to pop the question to your lady (or man) then it might be the right time to pull out a more ‘impressive wine’. One is not better than the other, just more appropriate for the situation. Think about food too; a light lunch is perfect with a light and youthful classic varietal wine rather than a deep concentrated high range wine and vice versa. The key is to identify the right wine for each occasion. Remember too, those expensive limited editions and low production bottles are sometimes used as a sign of power and wealth, for those ‘big shots’ to show off their elevated status to everyone within eye shot….not necessarily because the product is ‘better’ but because money equals power.

So, some of the basic elements that make the price of wine vary could be a number of things. Firstly, in the vineyard; the grapes, for example Pinot Noir is a tricky variety to be grown, it needs cool climates and lots of attention, meaning manpower, which therefore translates as more money that needs to be spent on it, so the grape itself gains more value), if the land on which the vines are grown is expensive due to special terrior, if there limited amount of particular vines making the production low and limited edition, if the vintage was poor it will bring the quality of the grape and price of the wine and if hand harvesting was used, a time-consuming labour and meticulous, making sure only the best grapes go into the wine itself.

Secondly, the making of the wine; the technology, methods, processes that are involved can all vary from winery to winery. Depending on the money that each establishment has to throw around, you can find the most basic to the most high tech machinery to drain and transform the nectar from the grape. Obviously, the more high-tech, the more money you are looking at.

Thirdly, the aging; Time in oak barrels is expensive for two reasons, firstly the oak itself is wildly pricey. For a 225 litre barrel (your average commerical size) you will be looking to spend over $300 for American oak and over $700 for french (the two most widely used oaks, commerically speaking). Once you have spent these astronomical prices then you have to think about the storage of these barrels, how much space they take up, and for how long, how much would you have to pay for this storage? Then, consider the time it takes to age in bottle. Again all the same rules for space apply, adding even more to the final price of your wine.

Finally, special touches/packaging added by a savvy marketing team to make the product appear more desirable and exclusive.

So we can do the basic sum: Cost + image or limited availability = price

Well, after all that I think that I hearby call this…..a nothing. Neither a myth nor a fact. It is purely a question of situations and personal tastes.

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Argentine Wine Review: Clos de Andes by Bodega Poesia

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Cara

At the moment I am at the stage of my life where I am trying to better myself by learning more to move forward with my career. It is a strange sensation, this aging trauma; I am still in my twenties (just!) but I am starting to panic about what I have and more importantly, have not achieved and even though I was never a fan of the educational system in my teenage youth, I appear to be now!
So, for the past two months I have been attending Escuela Argentina de Vinos (Argentina School of Wines), a lovely little establishment based in the swanky neighbourhood of Las Canitas. Every Wednesday evening, I trot off to class to learn about the world of marketing in the wine industry, mainly relating to that of Argentina. I say learn but to be perfectly honest my level of Spanish is, let’s say, lacking so most of the time I tend to just sit in a mist of perplexity as my awesome teacher (who has a seriously impressive resume!) speaks at a pace that makes my head spin. So, of course, I relish the one moment of class that I always understand…the Argentina wine tasting section!

Normally, we will have a blind tasting with a selection of three wines, that relate the theme of the class. I have to admit I have discovered some great stuff during that time but none as exciting as what lay in my glass the Wednesday just past. It was deep ruby wine, that had some mighty legs and a touch of sediment denoting an unfiltered wine. Immediately my interests picked up. I haven’t come across many unfiltered wines in my time in Argentina as most large, mass producing Argentine wineries would prefer there wines to appear ‘clean’ and finished. As I swirled the glass and brought it to my nose there was an astounding level of intense complexities, none overpowering the other, balanced to perfection; red fresh fruits of plum and cranberries, black cherries, coconuts and walnuts, perfumed roses, white pepper and balsamic notes. This was a wine to reckoned with. I had everything crossed, after such an wide bouquet of mouthwateringly delicious elements I couldn’t bear to be disappointed with a weak, flabby taste. I wasn’t. The sweet entrance gave way to a burst of fruits and with what I could only describe as a refreshing, almost menthol finish. The mouth feel and the length where the true stars of this wine though, as the silky full-bodied roundness coated every section of my greedy mouth and as I gulped it back I could still taste it for over a minute once it had disappeared down my throat but trust me, I wasn’t waiting the full minute before taking another sip to grasp more of it subtleties.

So what was this wine?? Well, with such overwhelming roundness and red fruits it could have only been a Malbec, but from what winery? I’m sure that I have mentioned on a couple of occasions that I have become, well, bored of the wildly popular Malbecs recently, so when I find a wine as individual as this I am immediately fascinated by the producers themselves.
The label was revealed. Clos de Ande Malbec Reserva by Bodega Poesia based in Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. 2006 (wonderfully fruit still for a 5 year old!!), 16 months in French oak and 14% alcohol….oh yes, my cheeks were rosey…for $140ARS per bottle, a price well worth the quality in my opinion. So who are this producers of frightfully good wine that go by the name of Bodega Poesia. First things first, this is a winery that is part of the French wine giants Vignobles Garcin, owners of exceptional wineries such as Chateau Branon, Chateau Haut Bergery and Chateau Barde-Haut, properties which automatically gives us an insight in to why this wine is so exceptional….ahem, spending power!

Helene Garcin, a french native, first visited Argentina more than 10 years ago and from the love she felt in her heart (and a bunch of cash in her pocket!) she created boutique Bodega Poesia a winery and vineyard based in the heart of the traditional Argentine wine production region of Lujan de Cuyo, with 13 hectares of land and the majority of plantings in Cabernet Sauvginon and Malbec of vines from the year 1935. The vineyards work is 100% natural with no herbicides or pesticides and whose goals are to produce high end limited edition wines that are individual and stand out from the mass produced Argentine wines that currently saturate the market. Clos de Andes is one of the 4 wines that Helen and the winemaker Patrice Lévèque produce that they say ‘capture the true tradition and identity of Argentinean wines’. It is in production of 40,000 bottles a year and I am hoping to buy at least 100 of them!

In my opinion, this is a wine to go out of your way to find and splash the cash for; save it for those special occasions, or when you want to pull out all the stops and impress the heck out of your company. With the potential to age up to 15 years it could also be a great investment and one that with certainly earn some mileage due it’s limited production….wow, some of that marketing stuff really did stick!

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Tasting Wine From Argentina – Malbec Blends

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Bradley

Malbec has been the leader in wine from Argentina since… well… forever at this point. (Considering that forever means since about 1991 when Argentina first started exporting wine). A wine journalist asked me last night at a wine tasting in Buenos Aires why Malbec was so popular. To me it was quite simple: value, timing and flavor profile.

When Argentina’s currency devalued in 2002, exports became cheap. This enabled Argentina to produce wine at a much lower cost. Then in 2008, the worldwide financial crisis hit and everybody stopped spending money. All categories of imported wine to the United States got worse in both dollar value and volume except for Argentina, which improved in both. Why? They had a high value product at the right time.

Why will Malbec endure? Malbec from Argentina has typical flavor and texture characteristics that make it appeal to a wide audience. The ripe dark fruit flavors of Malbec wine along with the soft tannins make it easy for young drinkers to like, and easy to pair with food.

But what is the next step for Malbec? The answer is blends.

Malbec is great on its own, but I have said for a long time that it does even better with a touch of some more study wine in it, specifically Cabernet. Why? Malbec, as I mentioned above, has a naturally soft tannin structure, making its finish a very suave one. One thing to do is add 10 to 30% of other wine to Malbec to round out its profile. What does Malbec need?

It could definitely use the stronger tannin found in Cabernet. This also gives a slightly savory element and adds to the age worthiness of wine.

Bonarda… wow… here is the biggest possibility. Now Bonarda does not have a huge structure either, but Bonarda tends to be heavier than Malbec and adds complexity to the flavor profile, especially a leathery aroma and a charcoal characteristic in the mouth.

So who is going to do a Malbec/Cabernet/Bonarda blend? I hope MANY Argentine wineries are considering this!

One great example of a great blend of Malbec is the Carinae Malbec/Cabernet blend. It is 72% Malbec and 28% Cabernet. The nose pops with dark fruit and a slight clove aroma and the mouth is luscious and rich. This is becoming much more popular at our wine tastings in Buenos Aires.

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Argentine Restaurant Review – Ox Restaurant Portland

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Bradley

It is nice to see that Argentine food is making its way into the United States slowly but surely. A few nights ago I had the pleasure of going to the Ox restaurant in Northeast Portland, Oregon to see what the Portland take on Argentine cuisine would be.

For the most part I was pleasantly surprised.

The only turn off about the place, really, was the fact that they had very little Argentine wine, and the wine from Argentina that they did have was very uninteresting. I was truly surprised that the list was about 95% European and Oregon wine, with only about 5 labels from Argentina, and no Argentine wine by the glass.

The parrilla, which is the quintessential ingredient to any truly Argentine restaurant, was indeed well made, and well operated. The gentlemen operating the parrilla had shovels, cooked with “brasa” (lit coals), and had a separate wood fire from where they would move coal to control the temperature. The parrilla also could be raised and lowered on chains as needed to control temperature.

On the menu, several authentically Argentine foods were also there, much to my happy surprise. Sweetbreads (molleja) and blood sausage (morcilla) were two that added authenticity and the only real absent ones were chitlins (“chinculines” – the intestine of the cow) and kidney (rinon). Neither of the latter I would miss, by the way.

They also had the equivalent of a parrillada completa, which had several different cuts of meat and several organ meats (offal or “achuras” in Spanish)… which I was super happy about.

Ox advertises itself as Argentine inspired Portland food, which is why they have an array of things on their menu that would never be found in Argentina, but are all lovely foods and add to the fusion cuisine element of this dining experience.

The design and layout of the space are nice and the service was excellent. All in all it is a recommendable place to go!

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Myths and Facts about Wine

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Bradley

This is an oldy but a goody and I have to admit, one that my father tends to subscribe to often:

“You have to uncork the wine one hour before drinking to let it breathe and oxygenate . ”

To fully describe the answer to this one I’m going to have to ask you to go into the deepest darkest realms of your imagination. I want you to imagine yourself at a wonderful Argentina wine tasting swigging back bountiful amounts of Malbec, Bonarda and Cabernet Sauvignon. What a lovely image, but more importantly in front of you is a full uncorked wine bottle, a full red wine glass and a full decanter of wine. Now, you are going to lean over these three objects to have a full bird-eye view of each. What would you see? Well, you would notice the top of each of these wine vessels have different circular sizes, with the smallest being the bottle, the middle size being the the glass and the largest would be the decanter.

This ‘mind illustration’ gives you an idea of the size of the surface area of wine that comes in contact with air. The clear role of the decanter is to allow a larger amount of the wine to be exposed to air therefore allowing it to fully to oxygenate, letting it ‘breathe’ so as to release and evolve the aromas and flavors of the wine and soften any gripping tannins. However the wine bottle is not so generous. The amount of wine coming into contact with air in an uncorked bottle is minimal and therefore does not function in the way most people intend it to when they pull the cork an hour before drinking the delicious nectar that is encased inside. In fact, it allows for barely anything in the way of oxygenation and is therefore, basically, pointless.

And so the answer is…a myth!!

If you really want your wine to ‘open up’ in order to show more of it’s complexities and characteristics and you don’t have a decanter, you are best to at least pour it into a glass rather than leave the bottle open. Or if your life is fast and furious like most of us and you just don’t have the time to wait around for the effects of oxygen to take hold of your wine then it might be time to start thinking about investing in a aerator, an contraption which you pour your wine through before it enters the glass/decanter. Its apparent purpose is to expand the surface area of wine, which allows the air to mingle with it giving an end result of a wine with an expanded aromatic profile and/or softer tannins. Something to investigate I think!

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The Bonarda Varietal and 100% Bonarda Wine

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Bradley

Some wine experts, vintners, importers and wine makers are sure about the origin of the Bonarda coming from Argentina. Others are not. It depends on the article you read and the expert you talk to. Gabriel Blanco of Familia Blanco Wines in Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza tells me that his Bonarda is not Bonarda Piedmontese nor Bonarda Novarese (which are both from the Piedmont region in Italy). His Bonarda grapes, which make the lovely and tremendously successful Mairena Bonarda, are “Bonarda Argentino”, or Argentine Bonarda.

It is also thought by some that Argentine Bonardas are the same grape as the Charbono grape from California. The more winemakers and vintners I ask the more confused I get… so let me just focus on the wine.

The great thing about Bonarda, when it comes from the right region is that it can be the best of all worlds. In the case of Mairena Bonarda, it has great qualities in all of the areas where you evaluate wine. The color is a deep purple violet. The nose, when first opening has a leather, cherry and dark fruit characteristics. But the mouth is where everyone falls in love, which has made Bonarda one of the most successful wines we sell.

Bonarda has the weight of bigger red wines like Cabernet but without being tannic. Bonarda is not that tannic or acidic but has a rich full mouthfeel without being aggressive, tannic or harsh. So big red drinkers appreciate this. At the same time, lighter red drinkers, those who reach for Pinot Noir more often, like Bonarda because even though it has a more rich mouthfeel and lots of dark fruit, Bonarda is quite soft on the palate. So Bonarda can be thought of as a grape variety, when done well and when grown correctly, to be the best of both worlds. This variety may just be the next big wine coming out of Argentina.

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Argentine Wine Review – Alamos Torrontes, Wines of Catena

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Bradley

Torrontes is a varietal that is still coming on the scene and is still not well understood. I feel like most buyers in the professional world who are making wine lists at restaurants, buying for cruise lines or theme parks or chain stores will simply give in to the biggest brand out there without making a true comparison of the quality and price of a wine. This is why we do wine tastings! (Not just wine tastings in Buenos Aires but wine tastings in other parts of the world as well).
Recently I was with a buyer in Oregon who runs a high end Mexican restaurant and was looking for other wines from Latin America to put on his menu. When we brought him the Mairena Torrontes for his consideration he thought it was a good wine but immediately asked if he could compare it to the Alamos Torrontes, which he already had on his list.
The Alamos Torrontes is made by the Catena Zapata winery… the biggest winery in Argentina which makes around 40 million liters of wine per year. The Alamos brand is the most widely imported and distributed brand of Argentine wine in the United States at well over 1 million cases per year, and has the highest grossing sales worldwide at about u$s 12.7MM.
So, while I understand perfectly the need for wines like this on supermarket shelves at Safeway, Vons, Ralph’s and others, I was astounded that a Food and Beverage Manager at a high end Hispanic restaurant in a wealthy suburb would pick this wine.
Fortunately, he asked to compare them side by side. The Alamos has a very light color and could be mistaken for water at first glance or if not in good lighting. The nose is very subdued and muted, with a little hint of floral soap. In the mouth, this was a very light wine with a bit of lemon rind and grapefruit flavor. You should be able to find this Torrontes on many supermarket shelves for between 7 and 9 dollars depending on where you are in the world.

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Argentine Wine Review – La Madrid Single Vineyard Reserve Bonarda

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Bradley

I love the Bonarda grape. Especially when it is done well. The Bonarda grape I am finding combines the best of several worlds (assuming it comes from a high enough altitude with enough sun exposure to create a low enough yield for good concentration and that it was harvested ripe enough to give good fruit characteristics). So what are these great characteristics:

1. Deep purple color. One sommelier actually said that the Mairena Bonarda “tasted like puple”. :)
2. Fantastic aromas normally of leather, sour cherry and a hint of spice.
3. Soft, round mouthfeel, but at the same time very good weight. So while Pinot Noir tends to be softer and rounder with a lighter body, and Cabernet tends to be more tannic with a lot of weight, Bonarda combines the weight of Cabernet with the softness of Pinot Noir. People are loving this in our Buenos Aires wine tastings.
4. Big fruit plus complexity: blackberry, blueberry on the front, with a great mid-palate, and a finish of espresso and cocoa, this wine can be delightfully tasty.

The La Madrid winery has become a powerhouse of late with a lot of presence in the market. They always get great scores from the usual suspects in the wine press: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and others. I was surprised when I was a bit disappointed by the La Madrid Single Vineyard Reserve Bonarda, which has scored 90 points and over, when it was green tasting. I am normally a fan of Hector Durigutti’s wines as well, even his own Durigutti Bonarda which I have reviewed several times and worked with a lot, in addition to his Aguijon de Abeja Bonarda. This seems to me a case where the fruit just didn’t get ripe enough to make a well balanced wine. All the other aspects of the wine were well done, I just wanted more fruit there.

Fortunately, this is not the case with all of La Madrid’s wines, especially their Cabernet which is quite tasty.

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Argentine Wine Tasting – Trapiche Oak Cask Cabernet 1997

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Bradley

Yeah, that’s right, 1997 vintage Trapiche Oak Cask Cabernet Sauvignon. At an Argentine wine tasting last night we got to try this along with many other wines from Mendoza… How was it? Disappointing. You always think that wine is meant to age indefinitely. But that is actually not the case. White wine especially is meant to be drunk young. It depends of course on where that white wine is from and how it was made. Argentine wine in general is a wine that is much more accessible when it is young because of the terroir of the Argentine wine regions.

Argentina is the only major wine producing country in the world to have a continental weather system. This would be opposed to a coastal weather system. California, Oregon, Washington, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Spain, Italy and France all have coastal weather systems because there is nothing that creates a barrier between the vineyards and the ocean. This allows the weather systems that form over the ocean (rain and storms mostly) to have a much greater effect on grape productions. This is why the concept of vintage and terroir was formed. If one year you have tons of rain and little sunshine, that will have a certain effect on the harvest. If another year you have very little rain, that will have a different effect.

In Argentina you have an enormous physical barrier between the wine regions and the ocean. It is called the Andes Mountains. The Andes are the second highest mountain range in the world and thus block the majority of the pacific weather patterns coming in from the west, from affecting the grape harvest. This also creates a very dry region, with over 300 days of sun per year. This is ideal for Malbec, especially, since Malbec has thin skins and is highly susceptible to rot and disease.

This dryness and abundant sunshine also create wines that have favorable and soft tannins at a very young age. Therefore Argentine wines are more drinkable, early in their lives and do not require as much aging. Higher end wines from Argentina, that come from very low yield vineyards, that have enough tannin and acid to make them age worthy certainly do exist, but the Trapiche Oak Cask line is not one of them, which is why it came out tired and without much expression.

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