2019 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argnetina

2019 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argnetina

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtProprietary Red

Enzo Bianchi

Gran Corte 2019
Mendoza, Argentina

2019 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argnetina

Deep in the heart of Mendoza’s storied wine country, Bodegas Bianchi stands as a testament to Argentina’s rich viticultural heritage. Founded in 1928 by the visionary Valentin Bianchi, this winery was born from a dream. His love for wine ignited a passion that led him to plant prized vines in the rugged, high-altitude landscapes of the Andes. Here, under the intense Andean sun, the vines flourished in rocky soils and pure mountain water, giving birth to wines of extraordinary character and depth.

The 2019 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte honors Valentin’s son, Enzo, a pioneer who dedicated over half a century to crafting wines that balanced tradition with innovation. Enzo’s influence shaped the winery, elevating Argentine wine to new heights through his masterful blending and refinement of grapes.

This bold, expressive blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot captures the essence of San Rafael’s distinctive terroir. The 2019 vintage offers layers of dark fruit, velvety tannins, and subtle spice notes, a harmonious reflection of Mendoza’s diverse vineyards.

Enzo Bianchi
Gran Corte 2019
Mendoza, Argentina
Retails at: $70

Your Price: $49.99

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“The 2019 Gran Corte Enzo Bianchi is a blend of 41% Malbec, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot from Las Paredes aged in 40% new French barrels. This vintage marks the wine’s 25th anniversary. Dark purple in hue. The complex nose presents balsamic notes of thyme and oregano with hints of dark and red fruit in which the plum sets the tone supported by hints of blackcurrant. The 2019 is relaxed on the palate with fairly grippy tannins and a juicy core that sustains volume while keeping the flow nimble. This is a rewarding wine with a long-lasting finish. Drink 2024 – 2034”

94 Points

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecUco Valley

TAPIZ

BLACK TEARS MALBEC
MENDOZA 2018

2018 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza
The state-of-the-art Tapiz Winery sits in a prime region of Mendoza’s Uco Valley at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, where their vineyards are some of the highest in the world. Their estate vines are carved into slopes as high as 4,600 feet elevation, producing some of the region’s most stunning wines due to the altitude and intense sunlight, ensuring fresh acidity and deep color.
 
Jean Claude Berrouet produced 44 historical vintages at Petrus and today works with Fabian Valenzuela, who has over 20 years of winemaking experience in Mendoza, creating wines that are an intricate tapestry (tapiz) of the Uco Valley terroir. The 2018 Black Tears Malbec comes from 20-year-old estate vines that were hand-harvested and aged 24 months in new French oak, giving a refined integration of oak spice with delicious ripe fruit flavors of the country’s most prized variety.
 
TAPIZ
BLACK TEARS MALBEC
MENDOZA 2018
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Deep blue and black fruit here, with floral, spicy and balsamic accents. Brooding and complex. You have to fathom the power of tannin on the palate, as the texture is so ultra-fine and polished. But don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of tannins here, only so seamless that they make it taste so effortless. Naturally concentrated, juicy and long. Delicious now, but you can hold for added complexity.”
96 Points
2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

ANIELLO

2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate
Vines have been growing in Patagonia for over 100 years, and today a large number of low-yielding, old vines are thriving and producing some of the most exciting wines in Argentina. The latitude in Patagonia ranges from 38 to 42 degrees South, providing one more hour of sunshine each day and lower temperatures during the vegetative cycle, slowly ripening the grapes and resulting in complex, elegant flavors, and profound aromatic intensity.
 
The grapes retain their natural acidity due to the wide diurnal temperature range in the region, and the windy, desert climate forces the development of thick skins that give more tannic structure, deeper colors, and more concentrated flavors. Destined to become a new favorite, Bodega Aniello’s 006 Malbec has intriguing aromas, juicy fruit, spicy undertones, and a refined finish that vastly over-delivers at its modest $20 price.
 
ANIELLO
2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“A rich, ripe wine that shows dried berries and hints of figs and spice. Medium body, medium-chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Juicy blackberry finish that’s really fresh and zesty.”
92 Points
 
“Grown at an estate vineyard in Mainque, this malbec fermented in concrete tanks and a third of it aged for 12 months in oak barrels. It needs air to settle down, the cinnamon spice taking a backseat to an orange zest volatility. Wild and meaty. Best Buy” 
91 Points
2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend

2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

D.V. CATENA 

TINTO HISTORICO RED
2017 MALBEC BLEND

2017 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico Red Malbec Blend
The DV Catena wines are inspired by Nicolas Catena’s father’s legacy as a master of assemblage. They resulted from years of research identifying Argentina’s top terroir that would offer the greatest concentration of aroma and flavors. The Tinto Historico Red marries several of the winery’s historic high-elevation vineyards and does so with natural balance, concentration, and a distinct identity. At around $20, it’s as James Suckling writes, “A stunning wine for this price point.”
 
Arising from the family’s historic vineyards in the Valle de Ugo, which range 3 to 4 thousand feet elevation, the 2017 release is both concentrated, clean, and firmly balanced. 
 
Winemaker Alejandro Vigil believes that “Winemaking revolves around contact with nature, and you need to breathe the same air as the vine, suffer the cold and the heat, and feel a sense of belonging to that place.” You can feel that connection in the wine, and at $22, a single case may not be enough. 
 
D.V. CATENA 
TINTO HISTORICO RED
2017 MALBEC BLEND
 
Your Price: $22
 
 
“A stunning wine for this price point! Plenty of malbec violet character, but also delicate spices and great freshness. A wealth of drive and ripeness. The finish is long and polished. Drink or hold.” 
94 Points
 
“Bright ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, cassis and tobacco leaf are lifted by a violet topnote; higher-pitched and more pristine than the 2016 example. Then juicy and rather refined on the palate, showing a restrained sweetness and good energy to its purple fruit, violet and licorice flavors. Finishes firm and long, with substantial broad, dusty tannins. Perhaps the best vintage yet for this bottling, which was launched in 2014…”
91 Points
2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecProprietary Red

ENZO BIANCHI 

2017 GRAN CORTE
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte Mendoza Argentina

 
Valentine Bianchi’s top wine Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte might be minuscule in production, but it’s absolutely massive in body and extract. They only produce this wine in exceptional years, and it comes from an incredible, high-elevation vineyard in Las Paredes. There, Valentine’s son Enzo has sourced Cabernet and Malbec for 50 years. They achieve a quality level that is extraordinarily high in every vintage produced, and the 2017 version is no exception. 
 
The winery gains concentration from cold maceration, a technique where they soak the grape juice with the skins at cold temps, extracting deeper color and bold flavors before the fermentation. Next, the wine spends 14 months developing in Oak barrels, and a full year in the bottle before release. 
 
It emerges from a vineyard perched at 2400 feet in elevation, where the vines were planted in alluvial soils with excellent drainage. The 2017 vintage has an intriguing minerality induced by layers of medium-sized rocks coated with light calcareous that blankets the site. If you love deep, full-bodied, layered reds, this wine should top your list. 
 
ENZO BIANCHI 
2017 GRAN CORTE
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
 
“An intense blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot that offers rich, brambly aromas of red berries, mulberries and plums. Drink now.”  90 Points
 
 
 
“The Bordeaux-blend 2017 Enzo Bianchi is 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec, 15% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot from San Rafael. It was produced in a traditional way with an élevage in new French barriques that has added a patina of aromas reminiscent of cocoa, roasted coffee and smoke intermixed with the herbal and ripe fruit notes. The palate is full-bodied, soft and polished with moderate acidity…” 90 Points
2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Argentina Malbec

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecSouth America

MATIAS RICCITELLI  2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

 
Every great winemaker has at least one mentor that helped guide them in their career.  When  your father is the head-winemaker at Bodegas Norton, and the first South American to ever be named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine, it can come with a few advantages… Matias Riccitelli had both the connections and the drive to spend a decade working 2 harvests each year, one in Argentina, and the others in New Zealand, Napa Valley, Europe and Australia.  During that time he soaked up every bit of winemaking knowledge in order to achieve his goal of creating a brand of that could express the full potential of Argentine terroir.
 
Carved from exceptional vines ranging 20-80 years in age and grown in Perdriel and Vistalba in the Lujan de Cuyo and El Cepillo in La Consulta,  Riccitelli’s 2013 Vineyard Selection Malbec is stunningly complex and loaded with hedonistic aromas of dark black fruits, scorched earth, blue violets, licorice and hints of wild game.  Many of you tasted and loved Riccitelli’s The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree Malbec that we introduced last year, and with the Vineyard Selection Malbec, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours…
 
MATIAS RICCITELLI
2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at: $55/btl
 
 
From Vinous: “(made from three small vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley): Bright medium ruby. Showing more balsamic cedar and herbs on the nose than the 2014 The Apple . . . Malbec; plenty ripe but less dark-fruity and chocolatey and more minty and herbal… this intensely flavored wine is much less sweet than The Apple, with its currant and blackberry flavors complemented by a saline quality and nicely framed by healthy acidity. A bit less forthcoming, drier and more classic on the end, showing suaver tannins.“
2014 Luca Paraje Altamira Malbec

2014 Luca Malbec Paraje Altamira

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaMalbecSouth AmericaUco Valley

LUCA 2014 Luca Paraje Altamira Malbec

2014 MALBEC
PARAJE ALTAMIRA

A winemakers vision can sometimes transform a category of wines for an entire region and propel them to an even higher level.  Laura Catena did just that and it began with a vision to create a new breed of Argentine wines that would express individual terroirs from low-yielding, high-elevation vineyards in some of Argentina’s best wine growing regions.  It didn’t take long for consumers and critics to catch on… Their wines have had a string of stellar reviews and her 2012 Malbec was featured as the #19 wine on the Wine Spectator top 100 list in 2014.  Luca offers a truly vivid interpretation of high-elevation Malbec that’s expressive, profound and hedonistic, yet manages to do so while staying true to the varietal and region from which it was hewn.
 
Paraje Altamira is a small sub-appellation within the renowned Uco Valley, which is an area that has likely produced more 95 – 100 Point wines than any other region of Argentina. The fruit was grown at 3,600 feet in elevation and in rocky, alluvial soils and offers stunning power, depth and superior focus.  When tasting this wine it’s almost hard to believe the realistic price level…
 
LUCA
2014 MALBEC
PARAJE ALTAMIRA
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

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From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “There is a big jump in quality from the 2013 to the 2014 Malbec Paraje Altamira that matured in 500-liter oak barrels for eight months. There is much more freshness here, the fruit is a mixture of red and black and there are violets and some spices. The palate is juicy and soft with clean flavors that are easy to drink. The nose grows in the glass to become more floral. Delicious Malbec...” 91 Points

 
Customers who enjoy Luca Malbec may also enjoy these two terrific Argentine Reds…
2016 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Catena Cabernet Franc
FAMIGLIA BIANCHI 
2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
 
Your Price: $19.99/btl 

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Famiglia Bianchi is our number one selling International brand of all time, by far… So much so, that it may never be surpassed. When you taste them, each wine in the brand offers a palpable sense of value that’s absolutely unmistakable, and we were recently reminded of that in a glass of their new 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine offers luscious dark fruits, followed by a cavalcade of dark spices, black chocolates, slate and minerals that unwind methodically across your palate. 
CATENA
2014 CABERNET FRANC
SAN CARLOS
APPELLATION SERIES
Retails at:  $30.00/btl
 
Your Price: $22.99/btl 

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From Vinous: “Enticing aromatic lift to the aromas of purple fruits, violet and brown spices. Suaver than the Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon, offering exhilarating cut and penetration and an ideal balance between sweetness and suppleness of fruit and acidity. Savory, plush and ripe for all its energy. Finishes with big but thoroughly ripe, dusty tannins and excellent breadth and length. Terrific berry intensity here.”  91 Points
0216 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina

2016 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza, Argentina

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaCabernet SauvignonKevin Vogt

FAMIGLIA BIANCHI  0216 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina

2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA 

 
Famiglia Bianchi is our number one selling International brand of all time, by far… So much so, that it may never be surpassed. When you taste them, each wine in the brand offers a palpable sense of value that’s absolutely unmistakable, and we were recently reminded of that in a glass of their new 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine offers luscious dark fruits, followed by a cavalcade of dark spices, black chocolates, slate and minerals that unwind methodically across your palate.  The winery burst into the spotlight when their 2012 Malbec won the Grand Trophee, for the “World’s Best Red Wine” at the prestigious 2014 Vinalies Internationales Wine Competition in Paris, France, where it outperformed 3,500 wines from 41 countries.  Our love for this brand continues to blossom, and at under twenty per bottle, their 2016 Cabernet will put a smile on anyones face… 
 
Transpiring from two very distinct cool-climate vineyards located in Rama Caída in the San Rafael province, Famiglia’s 2016 Cabernet spends a full year in oak barrels, and now with more than a year developing in the bottle the wine reveals wonderful complexity, definition and length.  If you’re looking for a terrific value in Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll want at least a case of this before it’s too late.  
 
FAMIGLIA BIANCHI 
2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
 
Your Price: $19.99/btl 

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Winery Notes: “A classic Cabernet Sauvignon that can compete with the best from around the world, this wine displays a deep ruby color and great “legs.” Spicy and complex aromas of black pepper, licorice, toasty coffee grinds and hints of fresh mint mingle with cassis and wild berries. Ample and persistent in the mouth, with a harmonious structure that highlights its personality and pedigree.“
 
Customers who enjoy Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon may also enjoy these two stunning Reds…
2016 Skryne Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2015 Katherine Goldschmidt Crazy Creek Cabernet Sauvingnon
SKRYNE ROAD
PROPRIETARY RED
2016 NAPA VALLEY 
Retails at:  $62/btl
 
 
Winery Notes: “Our 2016 Blend is bright with flavors of bramble-berry and black cherry combined with vanilla bean. The palate is round and supple, with fruity characteristics of raspberry jam and soft, silky tannins. Culminating with hints of peppercorn and baking spices” 
KATHERINE GOLDSCHMIDT 
2015 CRAZY CREEK
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
ALEXANDER VALLEY 
 
Your Price: $19.99/btl 

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From The Tasting Panel: “Named for Goldschmidt’s middle daughter, the wine’s grapes hail from Crazy Creek, a vineyard known to produce some iconic wines. Big, bright, blue fruit notes on the nose are meaty, with a chocolate espresso twist and dry tannins showing on the palate.  It’s a little masterpiece with a dark chocolate finish that way over delivers on price-to-quality.”  94 Points
2014 Catena San Carlos Cabernet Franc

2014 Catena ‘San Carlos’ Cabernet Franc

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaCabernet FrancKevin Vogt

CATENA

2014 CABERNET FRANC
SAN CARLOS, APPELLATION SERIES 

2014 Catena San Carlos Cabernet Franc
We recently had a discussion about the most influential and iconic winemakers in each Country… In the US, Robert Mondavi  and Andre Tchelistcheff highlight the conversation, and in Italy, Angelo Gaja reigns supreme.  In Argentina the exchange was centered around Nicolás Catena Zapata.  The largest commonalty between each of these paragons is that they’ve inspired an entire wine region and the people surrounding it.  Catena Zapata pioneered high-altitude farming in Argentina and some would compare their top vineyards to the best Vineyards of Bordeaux.  Their wines always conjure up emotion, inspiration and passion. You can actually taste palpable levels of these rare qualities in their wines.  It sounds expensive right? At less than thirty per bottle, wines that exude this much class are rare…
 
Arising from the family’s historic vineyards in San Carlos, this pure expression of high-elevation Cabernet Franc was sourced from around 3,500 feet.  The soils there are Alluvial sandy loam with thick calcareous layers that provide excellent drainage and gives the fruit a clear expression of it’s origins.  The 2014 was cellared for around 12 months in barrel and now with ample time in the bottle, this wine provides the perfect mix of deep, supple flavors, supporting layers of dark fruits, clay and minerals with hints of eucalyptus and black cherry…
 
CATENA
2014 CABERNET FRANC
SAN CARLOS, APPELLATION SERIES
Retails at:  $30.00/btl
 
Your Price: $22.99/btl 
YOU SAVE 23%
 
From Vinous: “Enticing aromatic lift to the aromas of purple fruits, violet and brown spices. Suaver than the Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon, offering exhilarating cut and penetration and an ideal balance between sweetness and suppleness of fruit and acidity. Savory, plush and ripe for all its energy. Finishes with big but thoroughly ripe, dusty tannins and excellent breadth and length. Terrific berry intensity here.”  91 Points
 
Customers who enjoy Catena’s San Carlos Cabernet Franc may also enjoy these two terrific wines…
 

2015 Vian Cobos Cocodrilo Proprietary Red2012 Vik Milla Calla Proprietary Red

 
VINA COBOS
COCODRILO CORTE
2015 PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $27.99/btl 

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Winery Notes: “Great freshness to the nose, where we find morello cherry, cassis, pomegranate and black cherry. Spice notes -from the cabernet component- touch on black peppercorn, clove and paprika, are complemented by floral, herbal and balsam notes.  The pliable sweet tannins alternate with the fruit and spice notes through the long finish.” 91 Points – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
VIK
2012 MILLA CALA
PROPRIETARY RED
MILLAHUE VALLEY, CHILE
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl 

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From The Wine Spectator, “Rich and refined, delivering unctuous dark fruit and spice flavors that offer a creamy svelteness. Slate and mineral accents linger on the complex finish, with dark chocolate and olive notes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot. Drink now through 2022…”  94 Points
Wagner Family Red Schooner Malbac Voyage 5

Wagner Family Red Schooner Malbac Voyage 5

with No Comment $40-$50ArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

WAGNER FAMILY

RED SCHOONER
MALBEC, VOYAGE 5

Wagner Family Red Schooner Malbac Voyage 5
It is exciting for me when a wine generates a consistent flow of re-orders because it always indicates that the wine is showing remarkably well.  In nearly every case, it also marks the beginning of the end of the vintage, because you can’t hide a wine that’s performing at it’s best. Red Schooner’s Voyage 5 has reached that point, made obvious by the extravagant flavors and hauntingly vivid perfume of crushed mulberries, freshly picked blackberries, dried violets and sweet spices…
With premium Malbec grapes sourced from the base of the Andes Mountains of Argentina, after harvest, the fruit is super-chilled and held at low temperatures just above freezing while making the ocean voyage to Caymus winery in Napa Valley, where it’s pressed in their state-of-the-art winemaking facility.  Kept for 15 months in French oak, this rich and expressive Malbec embodies the Caymus signature style, and will remain an absolute favorite for those already in-the-know and set the high water mark for those new to this journey… 
 
WAGNER FAMILY
RED SCHOONER
MALBEC, VOYAGE 5
Your Price: $49.99/btl  
 
 
Winery Notes: “This Malbec is made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains, shipped chilled to Napa Valley and produced with the same techniques as our Caymus Cabernet. Falling outside standard labeling rules, it does not include a vintage date but is known by the voyage from which it was produced (Voyage 5 is the 2014 vintage). Offering scents of ripe plums and cherries, this wine is powerful and supple, with flavors of French oak and soft tannins.”

 

Customers who enjoy Wagner Family’s Red Schooner Malbec may also enjoy these two terrific Reds…
2014 La Sirena Pirate TreasRed Proprietary Red 2014 Steps Winemaker's Reserve Proprietary Blend
LA SIRENA
PIRATE TREASURED
2014 PROPRIETARY BLEND
Your Price: $64.99/btl 
Wine doesn’t always have to be serious to be great… This wine is both fun and great at the same time, and it was authored by the ever Iconic winemaker Heidi Barrett. Heidi’s list of past and present clients includes Amuse Bouche, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Revana, David Arthur and  Barbour. In 2000 Heidi made history at the Napa Valley Wine Auction when a single 6L bottle of ’92 Screaming Eagle sold for a record $500,000. 
STEPS 
WINEMAKER’S RESERVE 
2014 PROPRIETARY BLEND
Your Price: $49.99/btl
 
The 6 barrel production  Winemaker’s Reserve is heavily based in Atlas Peak, and made transparent by its striking crushed rock minerality and dusty tannins that make the area so desired.  The final blend has a solid core of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak, magnified by 14% Cabernet Franc from Kenefick Palisades Vineyard, 9% Malbec from Oakville and 5% Petit Verdot from Coombsville.