Hors Bordeaux Tasting notes: Chile and Argentina (reds)

As the first wines releases start to hit La Place de Bordeaux, db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay gives his verdict on the South American wines rolling out in the September campaign.

A note on the tasting notes:

As regular readers will know, I am the Bordeaux and La Place de Bordeaux correspondent of The Drinks Business. My specialism is Bordeaux, in particular, and northern Europe (especially Piedmont and Tuscany), secondarily. This should perhaps be born in mind when it comes to my tasting notes for other regions with which I am less familiar and which I encounter primarily through la place. My notes, as ever, are those of an enthusiast and a wine-lover and, for these regions above all, they are best read as such. All of the following wines were tasted either in Bordeaux at the offices of the courtiers or négociants bringing these wines to the international market, at trade tastings in London, at the property itself, or in Paris, from samples sent directly from the property – and, in many cases, multiple times.

NYT – not yet tasted (with tasting notes to appear in a later article).

Chile

Chilean releases
Vintage
Region
1st release?
Rating

EPU (Almaviva)
2023
Maipo Valley
No
93

Almaviva
2023
Maipo Valley
No
95

Rocas de Seña
2023
Aconcagua Valley
No
93

Seña
2023
Aconcagua Valley
No
97

Clos Apalta Prélude
2023
Colchagua
No
93+

Le Petit Clos
2022
Colchagua
No
95

Clos Apalta
2022
Colchagua
No
97+

Vigna Maquis Viola
2021
Colchagua
No
NYT

Vigna Maquis Franco
2021
Colchagua
No
NYT

VIK
2022
Cachapoal
No
96+

Santa Rita Casa Real
2022
Maipo Valley
No
95

EPU (Almaviva) 2023 (Puente Alto, Maipo Valley; 82% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Carménère; 3% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 14.5% alcohol; a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro, this is Almaviva’s second wine). Impressive, as ever and aromatically very expressive. It’s actually the floral and Szechuan peppercorn notes from the Carménère that one hones in on first, accentuating the sense of lift whilst giving additional levity to the dark berry Cabernet fruit. There’s a hint of toasted sesame seed too that one picks up again in the mouth. I love the wild mountain herbal dimension to this. Soft on the entry but with quite grainy tannins that quickly punch their way through the softer edges of the attack bringing a vivid and vibrant sense of energy to the mid palate. This is quite tight-framed and that gives this more intensity in the mouth. One senses the heat and sunshine of the vintage. Quite spicy and piquant on the finish where one perhaps notices just a little the alcohol. 93.

Almaviva 2023 (Maipo Valley; 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Carménère, 4% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; 3% Merlot; 15% alcohol). More closed at first and less immediately floral than it often is. There are saffron and pollen note but one has to seek them out. Dark berry fruits. I find this quite smoky too. An unusual vintage of Almaviva that I find less aromatically expressive at this stage, though that is far from being a bad thing. The action for now is all on the palate. This is gloriously succulent and spherical in the mouth with polished tannins. Intense and energetic, with the at first deceptive power building through the mid-palate. Long and broad on the finish. Colossal in a way, but very subtle and delicate aromatically. 95.

Rocas de Seña 2023 (Valle del Aconcagua; 35% Malbec; 21% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Syrah; 14% Grenache; 9% Petit Verdot; 4% Mourvèdre; aged for 18 months in a combination of new French oak barrels (90%) and foudres; 14% alcohol; tasted with Emily Faulconer over Zoom). Once again this is deeply impressive. Quite an opulent and expressive wine with lots of vertical lift conveying the pomegranate and red berry fruits, gentle sweet spices and more floral and herbal components into the stratosphere. On the palate this is less taut and strict than the Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve 2021 tasted alongside, with a more ample frame, the fruit held less tightly to the spine. It’s also more lithe and energetic, without quite the same density or concentration. Long on the finish, this is a great introduction to the quality (and qualities) of Seña itself, though note that the presence of Rhone varietals (at just over a third of the blend) gives this a rather different personality. Accessible already. 93.

Seña 2023 (Valle del Aconcagua; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 19% Malbec; 15% Carménère; 6% Petit Verdot; aged for 18 months in a combination of new French oak barrels (90%) and foudres; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, first at the Joanne tasting and then with Emily Faulconer over Zoom). A fascinating cornucopia of elements that, when you list them, you could never imagine integrating so well. But this is staggeringly harmonious. The crucial ingredient here is the massive temperature range between night and day in this exceptional vintage and the unique situation of the vineyard making that possible. Seña is flattered by these vintage conditions when many other vineyards were not. Curry leaf. Assorted Indian spices. Dried petals and a little wild rosemary and lavender. Brambles and bramble compote. Pomegranate. Loganberry. Patchouli. Pot pourri. Fresh rose petals too. There’s even a little hint of potter’s clay and playdough! In the mouth, this is incredibly intense, rich, deep, dark and compact at first. But the overall impression, after the initial shock, is one of levity and lightness. It’s highly spicy and slightly sweet scented, but once again the balance is complete, the harmony staggering given the sheer complexity. It’s also sapid and juicy just when you expect it to dry out a little and as the tannins squeeze and grip to summon the lifted elegance of the aerial finish. 97.

Clos Apalta Prélude 2023 (Apalta Valley, Colchagua, Chile; 50% Carménère; 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; 2.8g/L of residual sugar; pH 3.52; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the CVBG press tasting over Zoom with Andrea Leon, technical director; from a vineyard selection). From a hot low yielding vintage, but there was more rain than in 2022. Slightly dusty in its earthy minerality. A little touch of smoke. Quite bulby with a lovely black and white pepper signature. Damson. Plum skin. Nutmeg. Freshly ground dark-roasted espresso beans. A little walnut shell too. There’s a beautiful natural plump ripeness to this. Quite crunchy fruits. The rich spices intermingle with the graphite from the Cabernet Sauvignon. Quite tight and narrowly framed with lots of tension holding the wine close to the spine, reinforced by the considerable tannins – quite grippy and almost pointy in their granularity. Pure and precise, but with significant density. More of a vin de garde than the 2022. 93+.

Le Petit Clos Apalta 2022 (Apalta Valley, Colchagua, Chile; 59% Carménère; 33% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Merlot; 3% Petit Verdot; 2.7 g/L of residual sugar; pH 3.71; 14.5% alcohol; around 50% new oak; tasted at the CVBG press tasting over Zoom with Andrea Leon, technical director). A sunny and yet somewhat cooler vintage, throughout the ripening period after a very cold winter. The long hang time is the key to the character of the wine. Phenolic ripeness and a crunchy freshness to the fruit. Much more intense, more lifted and if anything more vertical too, though initially a little more closed and serious than the Prélude 2023. Fine, yet dense, intense and concentrated aromatically. This is much more floral too with that gorgeous Carménère signature – gladioli, hyacinth and wild garrigue herbal notes. Black cherry and a little blueberry and mulberry. White and pink peppercorns. The oak is nicely integrated. More ample in frame and with significant layering, the considerable tannins delineating each individual stratum. Granitic, almost gritty tannins. A wine that is very poised and gathered on the finish, with the final pinch of the tannins releasing a sapid juiciness. But just a little dry and grainy. 95.

Clos Apalta 2022 (Apalta Valley, Colchagua, Chile; 68% Carménère; 22% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; pH 3.78; 2.7 g/L of residual sugar; 15% alcohol; aged for 21 months in 78% new and 22% two-year old French oak barrels; tasted at the CVBG press tasting over Zoom with Andrea Leon, technical director). From early harvested hillside plots. Gorgeous. Inky. Plummy. Blue fruits. Such plump and gracious tannins, giving this greater purity and mid-palate crystallinity than Le Petit Clos. There’s a gorgeous signature Carménère spice too. Wild herbs. I love the cedary notes present already; and the scratchings of graphite. Walnut oil and first press olive oil. The oak is well-integrated already but it is present and used confidently. This is ample, full, plump and layered, the tannins incredibly refined. Succulent and juicy. A little black currant and cassis. Very long. Gently tapering on the finish, but with just a little hint of dryness. A wine with considerable aging potential that is flattering on the attack but showing its seriousness on the saline, mineral-encrusted finish. 97+.

Vigna Maquis Viola 2021 (Colchagua Valley; 88% Carménère; 8% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; Eric Boissenot is the consultant). 96. NYT.

Vigna Maquis Franco 2021 (Colchagua Valley; 90% Cabernet Franc; 6% Carménère; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% alcohol; Eric Boissenot, once again, the consultant). 97+. NYT.

VIK 2022 (Cachapoal Valley, Chile; 21% Cabernet Sauvignon; 79% Cabernet Franc; 55% aged for 22 months in French oak barrels and for 6 months in ‘Barroir’ barrels, which are re-cycled and re-used after 3 uses from fresh staves and toasted with locally-sourced wood; 10% aged in similarly re-cycled and refreshed amphorae, ‘amphoir’; 14.6% alcohol; unfined and unfiltered; indigenous yeasts, harvested from wild flowers in the vineyard – ‘fleuroir’; tasted with the commercial team from VIK; tasted with Christián Vallejo, the wine-maker and Caroline Fanet, export manager, Europe & Asia; night-harvested to lock in the natural freshness). Just 750g of grapes from each plant, despite the Bordeaux-esque density of planting. Almost black at the core. This is only the second vintage with Cabernet Franc in the ascendancy. Highly expressive aromatically – you can almost sense it across the room! Intense yet, despite the previous comment, more introverted initially than usual. Dense and compact. Pencil shavings by the classroom full. This is a little like a black-hole – drawing you in and not revealing all of its glories at this stage. Black tea. Blueberry. Bramble. Black cherry and black forest gateau. Cassis. Vanilla and sweet spice. Bramble, mulberry, boysenberry. A little loganberry too. Patchouli. Pot pourri. Dried pink rose petals. Graphite. Acacia. Maybe even a little sandalwood. I find this gloriously mouth-filling and pushing at the cheeks – though the tannins rein this in and seem to retract it just a little before the finish. The springy, very tactile tannic grip initially breaks up the exterior of the dense core, releasing little ripples of freshness and bringing textural intrigue. There’s a refinement to the tannins here that is very impressive – more and more so with each vintage. In the mouth this becomes more and more floral with the oak reinforcing and underscoring that. Juicy and fresh on the finish with very fine but crumbly tannins. Intense and very Bordeaux/Rolland in style. But a little like Clos Apalta, it’s just a little dry on the finish. But I love that note of spermint. Needs time. 96+.

Santa Rita Casa Real 2022 (Valle del Maipo DO, Chile; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.55; 13.9% alcohol; tasted twice, the first at the Joanne hors Bordeaux press tasting then at International First Growth’s tasting in Bordeaux). The dusty smoke of the tabac. Spice box. Curry leaf. A hint of cumin and coriander. Tense, vibrant, vivid and engaging this is lively and it evolves in a very interesting way over the palate. There’s density and compactness but also a glassy, glossy crystallinity that I find very impressive. There’s a grippy earthiness too that feels very natural. It’s almost like massaging the raw earth into the fruit to accentuate the terroir notes. And a wild herbal note as well. Very authentic and very terroir-driven. Fresh and linear, focussed and precise on the finish. 95.

Argentina

Argentine releases
Vintage
Region
1st release?
Rating

Caro
2023
Mendoza
No
94

Nicolas Catena Zapata
2022
Mendoza
No
96

Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae
2022
Mendoza
No
98

Cheval des Andes
2022
Mendoza
No
97

Finca Canal Uco (Zuccardi)
2022
Mendoza
No
97

La Violeta (Bodegas Monteviejo)
2016
Mendoza
No
96

Cobos
2022
Mendoza
No
98

Caro 2023 (Mendoza; 78% Malbec; 22% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% alcohol). Cedar, a little graphite, oodles of dark berry fruits, a little black pepper. A hint of lavender and wild rosemary – but subtly so. Plump. Full, rich, almost a little confected with a hint of residual sugar manifest as candyfloss and burnt sugar. Long but a little burly and austere at this stage, the tannins uncharacteristically sharp and pointy for a young Caro, but this just need time. 94.

Nicolas Catena Zapata 2022 (Mendoza; 46% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Malbec; 11% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; 4800 cases produced). Sumptuous. Very refined. Elegant and classy, an impression aided by the classicism of the cedary notes. Intense dark berry fruits, most notably blueberries, but brambles and mulberries too. As this suggests, its very autumnal in its fruit signature. There’s a little cassis too and a touch of kirsch. And I love the subtle notes of incense and of confit rose petals. Very fine texturally, this is both glassy in its purity and sinuous in its evolution over the palate. Very fine. Excellent. 96.

Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae 2022 (Mendoza; 100% Malbec; from a tiny vineyard of 1.4 hectares at an altitude of 1390 metres on a limestone rich alluvial terroir; 13.5% alcohol; just 430 cases produced). A whiff of oak smoke. Unlit tobacco. Incense. Patchouli. Dark berry and stone fruits. Cracked black peppercorns. In the mouth, this is succulent, super-svelte, lithe, tense and charged. I love the whetstone minerality. Another vin de garde with considerable aging potential. Truly excellent and right up there with the best ever vintages of this wine. 98.

Cheval des Andes 2022 (Mendoza; 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Malbec; 5% Petit Verdot; 14% alcohol). Fascinatingly here I hone in on first a note of horsehair (not inappropriate for Cheval des Andes)! Plump, rich, plush, full and yet beguilingly soft and fluid, vivid and gently rolling over the palate. Candlewax. Myrrh. Wild mountain herbs. Black tea. There’s a little cedar and rather more graphite reinforcing the essential classicism of a very fine and beautifully crafted vintage. Dynamic and energetic. 97.

Finca Canal Uco (Zuccardi) 2022 (Mendoza; 100% Malbec; 14.5% alcohol). Beeswax. Candlewax. Dark and quite intense berry fruits, with a little damson and damson stone. Maybe a hint of walnut. Cassis. This is beguilingly composed the mouth with a very shapely spherical core outlined by the ultra-soft and fine-grained tannins. Plunge-pool purity. Almost Pichon Comtesse-like in texture, but with Argentinian spice and florality. Truly excellent. 97.

La Violeta (Bodega Monteviejo) 2016 (Mendoza; 100% Malbec; 15% alcohol). Less oaky than it used to be and so often is. Inky, dark, intense, with lots of cathedral spicing – incense, myrrh, candlewax. There’s a little vanilla and nutmeg, but it’s subtle. Very dark berry fruits. Violet and confit violet, pink rose petal too, but more on the palate at this stage. Glassy and glossy, succulent and sumptuous. The tannins are considerable on the finish, but they are fine-grained and this just needs a little more time. 96.

Cobos 2022 (Mendoza; 100% Malbec; 15% alcohol; tasted at the Joanne press tasting). Incense. Pot pourri. Some rose petal. A hint of violet perhaps but aromatically this is a little introvert for now – more so than the 2021 as I recall. Dark cherry and berry fruits, a little damson too. Oyster shell. A deep dark black-hole core of perfectly ripe and plush fruits, beautifully outlined by the super-svelte if considerable tannins. Less immediately appealing than the 2021 and perhaps even more of a vin de garde and with very significant aging potential. This seems eternal on the finish. Serious and holding back its charms for now. I’d like to be the one to re-awaken from its gentle slumber in a decade or two! 98.

For the tasting notes on this year’s Hors Bordeaux campaigns, see here: Italy and Spain (reds); France (reds); USA (reds); Chile & Argentina (reds); Australia and New Zealand (reds); Germany; the whites; Champagne; sweet wines.