Mendoza Notes from November 2012.
We toured 3 wineries in Mendoza.
Most of my wine knowledge is Napa/Sonoma. I didn’t know a thing about Malbec from Mendoza. I wanted to taste at Achaval Ferrer based on their reputation. We had a 30 - 40 minute tour/tasting. The cost was 50 Pesos or US$11 per person. That’s reasonable, and somewhat inexpensive in comparison to California.
Their base Malbec wine was 145 pesos or ~US$30. It was very weak. Nothing special. I know entry level wines aren’t the best, but for $30 and their reputation, I expected a drinkable wine.
We also taste the Quimera. Cost 140 Pesos or US$50 ish. It was good, but not worth the cost based on my experience with California wines. The same could be said for their Finca Mirador at 600 Pesos or US$126. You can buy a great California wine for that price.
My wife and I did enjoy the '11 Dolce from Malbec. It’s a dessert wine. It was light, not syrupy. At 240 Pesos or $52, it was very expensive for a 375mm (half bottle). I’m making a comparison with French sweet dessert wines.
My overall impression, in spite of the ratings from Wine Spectator, was disappointing.
Now we’re talking…
Our next stop was Mendel, just a short distance away. No tasting fee.as I recall. The juice here was far superior to Achaval Ferrer, and at a much lower cost.
I know Mendoza isn’t known for white, but the Mendel Semillon was crisp and refreshing. A golden color. 95 Pesos or $20. It will make a nice BBQ wine next summer. My favorite red was the Mendel UNUS. 200 Pesos or $43.00 This blew away any of the A V wines I tasted. Can’t wait to drink these in several years.
The Finca at 420 Pesos or $88 was the best of everything, even better than A.V. It was my #1 wine of the day. None purchased.
The disappointment…
Dolium. How on earth did Dolium get mixed in with AV and Mendel? Dolium is more a wine for the masses, and it showed. Day and night vs Mendel. As a matter of fact, we did a private tasting with the winemaker plus lunch. The cost was 700 Pesos or ~US$147 for 2 people. I’m still scratching my head over this. The lesson here is to inquire about cost before you go. I never in my wildest dreams expected such a high cost to taste at such a run of the mill place (my opinion).