Tasting N^o 255 – July 25, 2023, 12:30 PM

White Wines from Uruguay and Argentina 

Capri Ristorante, McLean VA

1. Tasting Overview

The main objective of this tasting is to compare and contrast white wine varietals from 

Argentina and Uruguay. We endeavored to choose white wines that we believe are distinctive and represent well the regions and varietals. Hence we selected an Albarino from Uruguay and three wines from Mendoza, Argentina, a Semillon, a Chardonnay and a Chardonnay blend.

Type of tasting: Hybrid tasting.  All wines presented together but with the identity of the selections unknown until after the tasting and lunch.

Presenters: Nick Marzella and Erico Silva

Participants:         M. Averbug; C. Estrada; M. Fryer; J. García; N. Marzella, C and Perazza; L. and J. Redwood; E. Silva; G. Smart; P. Turina; and G. Vega.

Wines:

1. Bodega Garzon – Albariño Reserva – Albariño – Garzon, Uruguay – 2022
2. Michelini i Mufatto – Certezas – Semillon – Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2020
3. Michellini i Mufatto – Convicciones – Chardonnay – Gualtallary, Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2019
4. Altar Uco – Edad Media – White blend, Chardonnay (90%) and Chenin (10%), Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2020

2. Menu:

• TEGAMINO E VONGOLE . Clams sautéed in a red or white sauce, served with toasted bread
• SPAGHETTI CARBONARA. Prepared with a sauce of egg yolk, parmesan cheese, Italian bacon and a touch of cream sauce
• SALMONE ALLA GRIGLIA
• Grilled Atlantic salmon with olive oil and lemon sauce

3. Information about the regions of production:

3.a Maldonado Region, Uruguay

The main wine region in Uruguay is in Canelones, the large province that includes the capital Montevideo, with more than two thirds of the country’s wine production.

The Maldonado wine region is located along the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast of Uruguay, the province includes the famous city of Punta del Este. The Maldonado wine region has a maritime climate with mild temperatures and cool breezes that moderate the heat in the summer months. Compared to other wine regions in Uruguay, the Maldonado wine region has a high altitude and great geological diversity. There is a range of interesting soils including crystalline rocks, quarts, alluvial, and gravel soils. The soils are quite soft and have excellent drainage and permeability, making them perfect for viticulture.

Varieties cultivated in the region are red: Tannat, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. White: Albariño, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.

3.b Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina.

This region has already been extensively described in previous tastings conducted this year and before. See for example, Tasting note 254, June 17, 2023 and Tasting note 154, April 28, 2014. 

4. Information about the grape varietals

The grape varieties chosen are well known, nothing more to add.

5. Information on the Wines

Wine 1: Bodega Garzon – Albariño Reserva – Albariño – Garzon, Uruguay – 2022

Producer Bodega Garzón is close to Punta del Este, La Barra and José Ignacio, the Uruguayan paradise with mesmerizing landscapes and the perfect combination of past, present and future. The charm of this sophisticated region, located among sloping hills that meet the sea, is portrayed in the postcards of Garzón, a small town with 600 inhabitants which is home to tourists, farmers and local artists.

This picturesque landscape offers the best environment for their vineyards, orchards and groves. The wines love the terroir of Garzón with its ballast hills, a soft, stony soil and Atlantic breezes flowing over the vines that result in perfect conditions for creating elegant and complex wines. Therefore, Garzon products are the result of a careful selection of terroir which is appropriate for the development of premium wines and a wide range of grape varieties. This allows the best winemakers to experiment with a new environment and create optimal blends for a market increasingly eager for new wines. The resultant winemaking is focused on producing wines of the highest quality with a distinctive identity, strong personality and sense of place. Bodega Garzon is one of the leading producers of Albariño in Uruguay.

Characteristics:

• 100 % Albarino
• Alcohol: 12.5 %
• Fermentation: Stainless steel and cement tanks
• Aging: 3 to 6 months on the lees

Winemaker Notes:

Of a very elegant pale yellow this Albariño has a fresh and vibrant nose that reminds us of tropical fruit with subtle citrus and floral notes. In the mouth, we find a round and fresh body with a saline and mineral combination that provides a marked notion of terroir.

Wine 2: Michelini i Mufatto – Certezas – Semillon – Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2020

Producer Micheliny y Mufatto: Andrea Mufatto and Gerardo Michelini started their winery in 2019 alongside their son Manuel Michelini. They are situated at the foot of the Andes in one of the highest elevations of the Uco Valley where the soil contains some of the richest components of calcium carbonate and granite in all of South America. This particular sub region is at the highest, most western portion of Gualtallary and goes by the name La Cautiva. At Michelini i Mufatto they strive to make some of the most unique wines of Argentina and the wines show tension, elegance and balance. They are currently working with Semillon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The trio also makes wine in Uruguay and Spain.

The wine:

• 100 % Semillon from single plot in the Uco Valley
• Alcohol: 12.8 %
• Fermentation: in their skin 1,000-litter oak founders
• Aging: 2 winters

Winemaker Notes:

 A wine made from select plots from a 120-year-old estate, one of the few which was founded by then and is still operating in Mendoza. Once harvested, grapes are fermented with their peel (50%) in 1000-liter oak foudres, where wine is aged for two winters. The winemaking process concludes with its gentle filtering and bottling.

The nose of ripe apricot, pineapple, orange sherbert, yellow wax beans and candied ginger.  The palate shows lemon balm, pineapple, caramel rice candy, sage and wet clay.  The wine has beautifully integrated acidity and great texture of fine grape skins.

 Reviews:

 Robert Parker – 94 rating.  The 2020 Certezas is a lot more exotic than the 2019 I tasted next to it, with some tropical notes despite a lot less alcohol (12.8 % vs 13.7 %), but the palate keeps the backbone of freshness and acidity.  The Semillon was ready before the Chenin this year, when they harvested early.  This is richer, has a more tender mouthfeel and a long finish.

Wine 3: Michelini i Mufatto – Convicciones – Chardonnay – Gualtallary, Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2019

Producer Micheliny y Mufatto: See above.

Characteristics:

• Chardonnay
• Alcohol: 13 %
• Fermentation: 1000-litter oak founders.
• Aging: Aged for two winters

Winemakers notes: A wine born from select plots from Finca La Cautiva, whose vineyards are 15 years old. Grapes are harvested and subsequently macerated with their peel for five days. They are subsequently pressed and sent to 1000-liter oak foudres where fermentation takes place. After that, wine is aged for two winters, to be later filtered and bottled.

Reviews:

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 95 points. The 2019 Convicciones is a pure Chardonnay from the zone known as La Cautiva in Gualtallary at 1,500 meters in altitude in the part that is still informally called Las Tunas of the district (once the IG is approved, the limits should be set formally). It has 13.5% alcohol, very good parameters of acidity and freshness and a medium-bodied palate with a strong chalky sensation. It’s pure, clean, precise, symmetric and austere. This has to be the finest vintage for this bottling. They produced 1,500 bottles of this. It was bottled in June 2021. Best After 2022.

Wine 4: Altar Uco – Edad Media – White blend, Chardonnay (90%) and Chenin (10%), Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – 2020

 Producer – Altar Uco is a boutique winery and production founded by winemaker Juan Pablo Michelini, who also serves as the head of his family winery. Focused on making premium wines from the Uco Valley, including white wines aged under flor (one of the few producers of biologically aged wines in South America!) Altar Uno’s wines are made from grapes grown in Gualtallary, a high altitude region known for its limestone soils and cool climate. 

Characteristics:

• Blend: 90% Chardonnay, 10% Chenin Blanc
• Alcohol: 11 %
• Fermentation: Co-fermented with native yeasts in concrete tanks.
• Aging: biologically aged in 500-liter French oak barrels (50% first-usage and 50% second-use barrels) for a year.

Winemakers notes: This is an elegant, inspiring and intellectual white wine. Even though today it is young, as time goes by, it will become more subtle and complex.

Reviews:

James Suckling: 94 rating.  Green apple, pineapple, lime curd, chamomile and smoked almond on the nose. Some clove and white pepper, too. It’s medium-bodied with sharp acidity and a vibrant, fragrant, floral and fresh-fruited palate. Tangy but creamy and lengthy finish.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: 94 rating. The 2020 Edad Media Blanco is serious and nuanced, with moderate ripeness and only 11.2% alcohol, notable for the warmer year. The blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc fermented together with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter French oak barrels for 12 months; but the barrels were never topped up, and some developed a thin layer of flor yeasts, which gives it a special spiciness and tastiness. After the élevage, the wine spent five months in stainless steel to let it settle. The nose is complex, subtle and elegant, combining notes of citrus with herbs, spices and a smoky touch. The palate is sharp and very tasty, clean, precise and long. I tasted the 2018 and 2019 next to this 2020 to check the evolution, and despite the warmer year, this keeps the poise and freshness and comes through as a noteworthy followup to the 2019, even a step above. It finishes dry and tasty, with a chalky sensation. It shows very good integration of the oak (better than any previous vintage) and some nuances that appear with time in the glass, like tangerine peel and flowers. It’s a beauty.

6.    Participants evaluation of the tasted wines:

The tasting took place before knowing the wines and their prices. Twelve participants rated them from acceptable to excellent. The combined results established the preference order during the tasting, as follows:

1st – Bodega Garzón, Albariño Reserva, UR, 2022

2nd– Michelini i Muffatto, Convicciones Chardonnay, 2019

3rd – Michelini i Muffatto, Certezas Semillon, 2020

4th – Altar Uco Edad Media, White Blend, Mendoza AR, 2020

Bodega Garzón, Albariño Reserva, Uruguay, 2022 was rated as Best Wine and the Best Buy. The following Table presents the details of individual ratings and combined results.

References:

https://www.michelinimufatto.com/argentina/?lang=en

https://bodegagarzon.com/en/

https://bodegagarzon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Technical-Sheet-Albarino-Reserva-2022-ENG.pdf

https://www.wine.com/product/michelini-i-mufatto-convicciones-chardonnay-2019/1124260

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