Argentina's Greatest Wines

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96 points
Bodega Enrique Foster 2004 Firmado (Mendoza)

The 2004 Firmado is also 100% malbec from 60-year-old vines in Lujan de Cuyo. It was aged in new French oak for 15 months. Opaque and purple, it has a superb nose of wood smoke, toasty oak, scorched earth, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. Super-rich and opulent, this impressive malbec manages to be elegant and light on its feet at the same time. It hides enough tannin under its blanket of fruit to permit another six to eight years of evolution in the bottle. Lengthy and pure, it will provide pleasure through 2025. $100

96 points
Catena Zapata 2004 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard (Mendoza)

The 2004 Malbec Nicasia Vineyard, a site located in the Altamira district of Mendoza, was aged for 18 months in new French oak. Opaque and purple, it exhibits a complex perfume of pain grillé, scorched earth, mineral, licorice, blueberry, and black cherry. Thick on the palate, bordering on opulent, it has layers of fruit, silky tannins, and a long, fruit-filled finish. It will age effortlessly for another six to eight years and provide pleasure through 2025. $105

96 points
Viño Cobos 2005 Malbec Bramare Marchiori Vineyard (Mendoza)

The 2005 Bramare Malbec Marchiori Vineyard received essentially the same oak treatment as the cabernet. Nearly black in color, it coats the glass with glycerin. Its super aromas of violets, spice box, cedar, tobacco, espresso, black cherry, and black raspberry leap from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and possesses layers of complex flavors. This hedonistic effort will benefit from at least four to six years of cellaring and should drink well through 2025. $75

97 points
Catena Zapata 2004 Malbec Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard (Mendoza)

The 2004 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard from the Gualtallary district is inky purple with aromas of wood smoke, pencil lead, game, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. Opulent, full-flavored, yet remarkably light on its feet, this medium- to full-bodied malbec is all about pleasure. It will certainly evolve for a decade but is hard to resist now. It is a fine test of one's ability to defer immediate gratification. $105

98 points
Viño Cobos 2005 Malbec Cobos Marchiori Vineyard (Mendoza)

The 2005 Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard is about as good as malbec gets. The vines in the Marchiori Vineyard are more than 50 years old and yields were a tiny 1.7 tons per acre. It was aged for 20 months in 100% new Taransaud oak, received wild yeast fermentation, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Inky, blue-black in color, it offers up aromas of pain grillé, violets, truffle, black cherry, blueberry, and licorice. Round, layered, and full-bodied, it is surprisingly elegant and light on its feet for such a concentrated wine. The long, fruit-filled finish lasts for more than one minute. Allow six to eight years of further cellaring and drink it through 2035. $105

98+ points
Catena Zapata 2004 Malbec Catena Zapata Argentino Vineyard (Mendoza)

The 2004 Malbec Argentino Vineyard spent 17 months in new French oak. Remarkably fragrant and complex aromatically, it offers up aromas of wood smoke, creosote, pepper, clove, black cherry, and blackberry. Made in a similar, elegant style, it is the most structured of the three single-vineyard wines, needing a minimum of a decade of additional cellaring. It should easily prove to be a 25- to 40-year wine. It is an exceptional achievement in malbec. $120

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