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.