Meeting 446 - -" Wines of Argentina"
Friday 18th February 2022
Neville Hall, Waltham St Lawrence
Speaker: Mark Bradbury (Ruta40)
February 2022, meeting 446
We were pleased to welcome another new presenter in Mark Bradbury from Ruta40, a company specialising in Argentinian
wines from mainly small estates and named after the main road that links all the main wine regions from Salta in the
north to Patagonia in the south. Mark set the scene by focusing on the 300 days of sunshine that meant a lack of
insects, which in turn eliminated the need for herbicides and pesticides - and as a result no hangover if one
over-indulged! Mark also emphasised the importance of irrigation and of altitude, with Mendoza at 1000 metres
and the northern region of Salta at 1600.
After a sparkling Pinot Noir we compared two examples of Torrontés,
with the greater fullness and complexity of the 2018 Hermanos from Bodegas Domingo Molina in Salta making that
the firm favourite of the two and with a score of 7.5. If a number of members had not been aware of the Torrontés
grape that was even more the case with the first red, a 2016 Aranwa Reserve Bonarda from the Maipú region of Mendoza.
This smooth but complex wine with a very intense perfumed nose gained some very high scores, although an average of only 7.5.
After an interesting unoaked 2019 Cabernet Franc from Antucara we moved on to a fruity and refreshing 2017 Malbec
Reserve from Tempus Alba in Lujan de Cuyo. The following two wines achieved the highest scores and were both blends: a
2018 Accuro Inspirado (50% Cabernet Sauvignon and equal parts Petit Verdot and Malbec), which had a powerful nose but
was leaner and more tannic on the palate, scored 8.5, whilst the 2017 Antucura Gran Vin from the Valle de Uco
(50% Merlot, 40% Cab Sauv and 10% Malbec) had had 16 months in French oak and showed mature tannins with dark
fruits with a spicy finish, achieving an average score of almost 9.
For the supper Mark had prepared an excellent
Chimichurri beef casserole with sweet potato and corn on the cob followed by chocotorta (layers of chocolate biscuits,
cream cheese & dulche de leche); the dishes were accompanied by a 2018 Accuro Malbec and a 2019 Laborum Late Harvest Malbec from the Cafayete region in Salta.
(Ian Roe)