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Argentina: Odd Bottles

Argentina has lots to offer. Chile seems ahead in terms of quality and price, although there is always talk of Argentina's potential. But so far the revolution doesn't seem to have happened. Click to locate stockists.

La Agricola Santa Julia Bonarda Sangiovese Reserve 1998: A juicy red colour, with a good nose - cherries, coffee and crispy bacon. On the palate a light to medium body, with soft tannins and sensible acidity. Rounded black fruits and vanillin (probably American) oak. Finishes well. Overall a nice wine. 15/20 (June 2000) Retaste: Nose of blackberries, cherries and a meaty note, this time coming across as roasted herb sausages rather than bacon. Sweet, juicy fruit on the palate, some oak, good balance, soft tannins. A savoury, tasty finish. 15/20 (February 2001)

Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon 1997: Now this is more like it - a decent sample poured by the staff in my local Oddbins. Lovely colour, and big legs. Blackcurrant nose, quite jammy. Disconcerting when you get to the palate, as it has loads of tannins, quite green, with firm acidity, and astringent fruit. Needs time, and might be quite good, but I'm not convinced. 13/10 (February 2001)

Nicolas Catena Argento Malbec 1999: An appealing, deep purple colour. The nose holds crushed summer fruits, with a sensible level of oak which seems predominantly French (although the label declares three months contact with both French and American oak). The palate has a glossy mouthfeel, with evident but acceptable acidity, superb fruit and nicely integrated oak. Firm but balanced tannins. Finishes well. A lovely, drinkable wine. 16.5/20 (September 2000)

Flichman Rafael Estate Malbec 1997: A deep ruby-purple. Very jammy and minty nose, showing marked ripeness of fruit. Hints of new oak, with red and black summer fruits. Big fruity attack on the palate. Medium-full bodied, with slightly bitter acidity. The tannins are thick, quickly coating the mouth. Minty, ripe fruit. Soft yet also slightly bitter finish. Some length. 16/20 (October 2000)

Marques de Grinon Domaine de Agrelo Malbec 1996: Nice purple colour. Nose of crushed summer fruits. Palate has medium body, evident tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Blackberry fruit, a good creamy-velvety touch to the texture. Finishes well, with a little length. 15.5/20 (July 2000)

Otra Vida 'Another Life' Malbec 2006: A dark, youthful hue, with a raspberry-plum coloured rim. The nose has fresh fruit and vibrancy. It starts off a little sweet, a touch confected, a touch high-toned, maybe even just acetic, but this all soon blows off and provided you give this wine time you soon have a glass of plummy, creamy blackberry fruit with a little black pepper on top which has plenty of appeal. The palate is full, rather creamy, supple and soft-edged, although there is some fresh acidity. There is very little tannin to speak of, so this is a very accessible, easy wine, with lots of texture, plump flesh; with its plummy fruit, laced with a little coffee, it is a real crowd pleaser. Good. 14.5/20 (December 2008)

Santa Julia Viognier 2003: A moderate colour. Quite classic Viognier on the nose; floral, aromatic, perfumed peach. Some suggestion of richness. Good, ripe flavoursome palate. Classic pine kernel notes. Fat, a little oily even especially through to the finish. Good lemon and white pepper acidity. Grippy finish. Overall it's ripe and tasty, balanced, but no real finesse or depth. Drink now. 14.5/20 (October 2004)

Terrazas Malbec 2006: A darkly coloured wine, which starts off seemingly very sweet and concentrated on the nose, showing firm and dark fruit, although it then turns a little fuzzy, with a slightly confected edge to it. Full and sweet but still very fresh on the palate, a good savoury substance and a leaner structure than I expected. The fruit profile is appealing, less dark than the nose, all strawberry and redcurrant, with a sappy finish. This has a nice approachable style, but lacks great definition or any real sincerity. Nice drinking though. Tasted at an LVMH dinner. 15.5/20 (May 2009)

Bodegas Senetiner 'Santa Isabel' Malbec 2003: Oh dear - it's a little pale for South American Malbec. Not a lot on the nose. The palate offers some candied fruit with little texture and harsh, unintegrated tannins. Did the restaurateur actually taste this before listing it? Tasted at The Courtyard, Liverpool. 11/20 (August 2004)

Familia Zuccardi Q Malbec 1998: A vibrant red purple hue, with only moderate colour intensity. Aromas of summer berry fruits on the nose, particularly raspberries, smothered in white chocolate, with notes of ground coffee and French oak. Delicious, upfront berry fruit on the palate, with a firm, tannic backbone. Superb balancing acidity. It finishes with a persistent presence of sweet fruit mixed with a elegant, savoury note. 17/20 (December 2000)

La Nature Torrontes (Famatina Valley) 2001: This is a nicely coloured, pale lemon-gold wine. Plenty of interest on the nose, which is very flora, with soft chalky minerality and ripe citrus fruits. I first tasted this wine blind and the nose suggested Gewurztraminer, but the racy acidity on the palate makes it clear this is not the case. This is Argentina's very own white grape, Torrontes. Medium bodied, with a lovely weight and rounded mouthfeel, but with crisp grapefruit and other citrus fruit flavours, together with the aforementioned acidity. Clean, vibrant and refreshing. 16.5/20 (April 2003)

Vinas de Davalos Colome Tinto Fino (Calchaquí) 1996: Made from ungrafted vines planted at high altitude - at 2364m I believe this wine comes from the world's highest vineyard. Not filtered or fined. Some volatile elements on the nose, very much like nail polish remover. Dense, brawny fruit on the palate. There are still plenty of tannins beneath it all, particularly dominating the finish. Firm acidity. This is a big, mouth-filling wine, which is quite individual. I feel it needs more time in bottle, 3-5 years at least. 16.5+/20 (May 2003)