More Mendoza Tasting Group!

Three Mondays, three great tastings, lots of interesting new people! Last night marked the third meeting of my Mendoza Tasting Group project-baby.  I missed the update last Monday due to a crazier-than-usual week so I'll sum up the happenings of the last two weeks in this post!

Last week was the Blind Sauv Blanc Chile vs Argentina Challenge! Patancha Restaurant was awesome enough to host and Mendoza Wine Camp supplied a very generous amount of glassware and tasting mats.  A huge thanks to both! Six bottles of Sauvignon Blanc were expertly disguised using a very advanced paper-and-glue technique. Highly complicated logistical planning ensured that even the preparers of the blind tasting would be able to participate! 

Tasting blind allowed us to really focus on what was in the glass and note the more subtle differences between the wines as we tried to determine which was Chilean and which was Argentine.  While Chile has a notable reputation for super-fresh Sauv Blanc, we might have expected the Argentine wines to be more mellow in aroma with less grassy, green characteristics. But naming the region turned out to be a real challenge, especially as some of the wines opened and evolved in the glass. 

What an interesting exploration of the character of the grape in this region! While the first wine burst out of the glass with intense aromas of white flower, lime, and grapefruit, #2 teased us with slowly unveiling layers of chamomile tea, candle wax, and green apple. #3 was all fresh cut grass while #4 was all jalapeño pepper and tropical fruit. The creative descriptors came out with #5 as I think we all agreed it reminded us of Downy fabric softener and #6 was toast and citrus.

When the bottles were at last uncovered, we found a few surprises and a few expectations met. Though we all might have expected to prefer the Chilean wines, the 2009 Norton seems to have been the group favorite (that's the one that kept opening and changing in the glass).  Overall, the Chilean wines did have much more marked green grass and pepper characteristics and the Argentine wines displayed a wider range of other types of aromas like tropical fruit, floral tea, and toast. 

Blind tasting is always a useful tool and fun challenge and this exercise was a great way to study the character of Sauv Blanc in both regions.

What we tasted:

#1:  2010 Dona Paula Estate (AR)

#2: 2009 Norton (AR)

#3: 2010 Morande Terrarum Reserva (CH)

#4: 2010 Gran Tarapaca Reserva (CH)

#5: 2010 Rutini Roble (AR)

#6: 2010 Salentein El Portillo (AR)

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Last night was dedicated to Cabernet Franc, my favorite red varietal! Still new to Argentina, Cab Franc has been getting more attention from local winemakers in the past couple of years. French Cab Franc from the Loire Valley is my true love, and Washington State has done some lovely, interesting things with the grape as well, but after the tasting last night I have to say Argentina is on the right track.  Surprisingly, the majority of the wines we tasted were not typical green-peppery Cab Francs, though sour cherry aromas, a medium body, and medium tannins were prevalent. 

The 2008 La Madrid Single Vineyard Reserva from Hector Durigutti represented the budget Cab Franc at $66 pesos a bottle.  With not much complexity and straight-forward aromas of cherry, toast and pepper, the wine was perfectly pleasant and easy-drinking, but not particularly Cab-Francy or intriguing.

Ricomenciare's 2006 Altisimo was a bit earthy and funky on the nose with herbs and dark chocolate. The fresh cherry fruit and minerality came through on the palate with a smoky finish. Again, not particularly typical of the varietal, but interesting and lush, nonetheless. Side note: this project is run by Nicolas Catena's grandson, Jorge. Yet another Catena offspring venture.

Things started to get interesting with 2004 Angelica Zapata. Gorgeous aromas of rose, blackberry jam, olive and black pepper impressed right away. I definitely spent more time sniffing at the wine than swirling it in my mouth. Marked black pepper, more blackberry and mint on the palate, juicy, but structured with a toasty finish. A bit sweet mid-palate, perhaps a result of the 15% American oak. Still atypical, but completely lovely.

Thank you 2008 Pulenta Estate XI Gran Reserva for being everything I wished for and more! Earthy, green pepper and barnyard up front on the nose, backed by black cherries and graphite, cocoa on the palate with persistent spices running all the way through. Concentrated and peppery but integrated with a fresh mouthfeel and firm tannins. Loire earthiness with Argentine fruit concentration. Luscious and interesting.

While I still believe that no other Cab Franc will ever truly compete with my special love for Chinon and Saumur-Champigny, Pulenta has come close this time. Looking forward to see where they take this wine in years to come.

Next week: Bind tasting Malbec!! Stay tuned...