| Four Argentinian wines among Wine Spectator’s Top 100 |
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| miércoles, 26 noviembre 2008 | ||||||||
 Wine Spectator top 100 Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines they have reviewed throughout the year and select the most exciting of them to create the Top 100 list. In 2008, they reviewed over 19,500 wines from around the world in blind tastings. More than 5,300 of them obtained outstanding scores (90 points or higher over 100). Then, these wines were narrowed down based on four criteria: quality (corresponding to score); value (corresponding to release price); availability (measured by case production or cases imported); and an X-factor that accounts for the excitement produced by the wine. Four Argentinian wines earned a place in the ranking as to they fared well in these criteria. bodega Colomé Malbec 2006 from the CalchaquÃes Valleys, with a score of 92, a suggested price of u$s 25, was featured in the 38th position; Achával-Ferrer Malbec 2006, Mendoza Finca Altamira, 96 points, u$s 112 suggested price held the 64th position; Altocedro Malbec Reserva 2006, La Consulta, 92 points, u$s 30 suggested price, was placed on the 66th position; and Luca Malbec 2007, Uco Valley, 92 points, u$s 35 suggested price, featured in the 82th place. These are good news, considering that in 2007 only two Argentinian wines made it to the list: Catena Zapata Alta Malbec 2004 and Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Reserva 2005, both from Mendoza, with 92 and 93 points respectively. Argentinian wines in the spotlight The best positioned Argentinian wine is Colomé Malbec 2006, from the CalchaquÃes Valleys, in Salta province. This wine, located in the range around u$s 25 is sourced from old vineyards (90 to 150 years old) as well as from younger grapes located in Cafayate, Colomé and El Arenal, at considerable altitudes. Colomé Estate Malbec is a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat. Its first vintage, 2004, was launched in 2006 and chosen among the year's best 100 wines by Jancis Robinson and Wine Spectator. The 2005 vintage earned a gold medal at the Hyatt Wine Awards, in Mendoza. Félix Schweizer, the winery's PR Manager and Marketing Manager commented that they are very proud of this award. "This is the first time we get this high, although it is not the first time we can count ourselves among the top 100. Moreover, the 2006 vintage was very successful for us. Our Amalaya (350,000 bottles) scored 90 points in the last edition. In terms of the awarded wine, we produce 170,000 bottles and send it to 20 countries. The largest market is Argentina but we are now growing by 30% in the United States." The Finca Altamira 2006, of Achával - Ferrer, ranked 64th in the list. It is sourced from a relatively old six-hectare vineyard area of low production -2000 kilos per hectares. Its winemaker, Santiago Achával, comments that they like the "territorial identity of this wine, its loyalty to its own distinctiveness. One can taste every year and see the terroir expressed coherently in it. We do not seek a typical Malbec but a typical Finca Altamira." The production of this wine comprises 9,500 bottles in its outstanding vintages, sometimes it may be less. Its main export destination is the United States, where the real price is below 110 dollars, something around 85 dollars a bottle. It is a wine to be collected. Last year, Jay Miller, of Wine Advocate, claimed it can be kept for as long as 2035. The next one in the list is Altocedro Malbec Reserva 2006 from La Consulta. The company's winemaker, Karim Mussi, explains this is wine is mainly Malbec, with 10% Tempranillo. All grapes were sourced from 69 year-old La Consulta vineyards whose yield is 65 hundred kilos per hectare. This wine was aged in Frenck oak barrels for 12 months and spent 8 months aging in bottle. It was made through the traditional method, with clusters directly received in selection belt, destemming and grape quality control. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts at 28 degrees and it undergoes 15 days of post fermentation maceration. "It is a wine with its own personality. We work with single-location grapes, which grant a pure terroir identity. The use of indigenous yeasts helps us preserve the terroir's identity and I would say that barrel selection contributes as well. This oak has toasted notes that go really well with Tempranillo and Malbec. The other reason accounting for the wine's character is that we keep a close eye on production," Mussi points out. The production comprises 13,000 bottles a year, 90% of which are sold in the United States. The winery produces a total of 100 thousand liters and has 5 wine lines, 80% of Malbec and 20% Tempranillo. Its classical line is called Alto cedro Año Cero (60,000 bottles). Finally, the list included Luca Malbec 2004, by Luca Wines (a brand owned by the Catena group). Its Syrah earned 91 points in Wine Spectator in June 2006 and the same score was achieved by the 2003 edition in October 2005. Luca Chardonnay 2003 obtained 89 points in the same issue of the magazine. Alejandro Vigil commented that Luca Malbec is a wine selected by Laura Catena, whose production is quite limited but its quality is really high. The grapes are sourced from old vineyards owned by small producers in the Uco Valley. Fermentation is carried out in 500-liter tanks, grapes are doubly selected and the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Its total production comprises 7,000 cases. This wine is sold in the United States, Argentina and it is beginning to enter other markets. "It is a wine for aging, whose fresh fruit can easily last for 8 years," Vigil claims. He adds that being part of this Top 100 list implies that the investment and research efforts conducted are on a good track. Low production All the Argentinian wines included in the list are wines of great quality but low production and hence they held relatively low places in the top 100. On the other hand, Chile achieved the first place with Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta, a winery of large volumes located in the Colchagua Valley. Some Argentinian wineries were disappointed by not being able to compete among lines of large volumes, whereas Chile was the major South American winner this year. The most diverse list Fourteen countries are represented in the 2008 list, which makes it the most diverse group in the history of the Top 100, which made its debut twenty years ago. According to the magazine, "quality remains high, with an average score of 93 points, consistent with the past two years." However, "with the dollar weak early in the year, however, prices increased, pushing this year's average to $52 per bottle." Anyways, the editors encourage consumers to "enjoy this list of exciting values, emerging stars and classic wines and that our Top 100 of 2008 leads you to more deeply explore the world of wine." Click here to see the full list
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