Cheval des Andes Mendoza Malbec Blend

Black currant, cocoa. Needs another 10 years. Really really good.

JV btw Ch Cheval Blanc & Terrazas De Los Andes, blend of Bordeaux "First Growth" winemaking in ARG. ‘14 has a higher % of Malbec (83%) & more Petite Verdot (9%) than Cab Sauv,(8%), due to a rainy season that was challenging for Cab. Aged 15 months in oak (15% new), med Ruby, aromas of berry fruits & floral spice nose. Palate flavors of blueberry and juicy blackberry fruit with herb, cacao & smoky oak. Fine soft tannins, well balanced, good acidity, long finish ending with fruit & oak. Will continue to age.

Reggie in the background!
Happy thanksgiving, peeps. Wifey’s donut holes are great.
Suckling rated this 100pts, we are not aligned at all.

The seventeenth vintage of Cheval des Andes, a wine that has undergone a model transformation. I recently tried the 2007, and it’s fascinating to trace the different stages of its evolution, all of which say something about the contemporary history of Argentine wine. To sum up, it started out with a French love of concentration and ripeness and ended up with an equally French love of equilibrium and local terroir. The 2017 is a new beginning in itself. A blend of Malbec with 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, it presents a bold nose of fresh fruit such as sweet and sour cherry with fleshy aromas and a touch of white pepper over a bold, woody backdrop. A fluid wine, slightly taut on the palate with medium structure, a delicate feel and active tannins well integrated into the terse texture, overall it is nuanced and full of flavor. Possesses a balance that respects the concentration of the vintage without ever letting it get out of hand. An Argentine wine made with more than a nod to French expertise. (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, October 2020)

Dusty left bank aromatics. Strong at 15 years - a medium to full bodied palate still vibrant and alive. A word on Drinking Windows - A UK source I respect greatly said 2016-2018 for this wine but this tasting showed there was a lot of life left - maybe another 4 to 5 years I would say. To be fair it is an inexact science. This the Argentinian venture of Right Bank Icon, Chateau Cheval Blanc. 55% Malbec, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. There is no doubt you could mistake this as Bordeaux. An excellent Wine singing at 15 years.

Still awesome.

A go to when buying off a restaurant wine list.

(14.6% alcohol; just 15% new oak; 100% from estate vines, about three-quarters from the rockiest portion of the company's Las Compuertas vineyard and the rest from Altamira): Bright ruby-red. Very fresh black and blue fruits, menthol, spices and licorice on the nose and palate, complicated by mint, minerals and medicinal herbs (the Cabernet Sauvignon is apparent here). Still a baby but already displays a Malbec juiciness and firm underlying structure. Suave in texture, offering noteworthy delicacy and clarity. Winemaker Lorenzo Pasquini cut back substantially on new oak in 2014 (he normally uses 30% to 50%) and used only French barrels. Not a large-scaled wine but refreshing, suave, complex and intense, with lovely cut. Finishes with excellent spicy length, round tannins and hints of licorice and black olive. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2018)

This is their flagship wine. The 2013 is a blend of 70% Malbec, 25% Cabernet & 5% Petite Verdot.

On the nose, beautiful, elegant, ruby dark currants. The are fruits; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries with cherries on the glass edge. Sweet tarry notes, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, dark rich soil, dark medium spice, loamy soil, dry clay, soft leather with dark red florals and dark fields of violets.

On the palate, the body is round, lush and full. The tannins are; dark, rounded, the lighter side of meaty and velvety. The ruby, elegant, lush fruits are; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries & cherries. Sweet tarry notes, used dark roast expresso grounds, black licorice, dark fruit cola, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, dark rich soil, dark medium spice, loamy soil, dry clay, dry crushed rocks, soft leather with dark red florals and bright dark violets. The; structure, length, tension and balance have a ways to go but show great promise. The long, beautiful, rich, ripe, ruby, elegant, well balanced goes on & on for minutes. Great wine that will continue to improve and should slumber for 8-10 years before opening.

Photos of, Terrazas de Los Andes. The bank style vault door that is made from stainless steel tanks that leads into their tasting room. Bar stools again made out of stainless steel tanks and our host for our tasting behind their tasting bar.

A go to wine when you have an overpriced wine list at a restaurant. This bottle had a tremendous amount a brett...first time with this producer.