Argentina sits behind Italy, France, Spain and the United States as the fifth-biggest producer of wine in the world (heavily reduced yields in 2016 saw them slip back to ninth!) yet until recently, we have seen relatively little of their wine in New Zealand.
The United States and United Kingdom, in particular, have been lapping up Argentina's primary export, malbec, for years, attracted to its generosity of fruit and superb value.
Today's selection was a pleasure to taste and offers some stunning value.
2015 Trivento Tribu Malbec
Price: $16
Rating: Very good to excellent
Fresh and juicy nose, plums, earthy notes and hints of Fruit Jube. Supple entry, sweetly fruited but not overblown. Nicely balanced with raspberry and cherry fruit, and an undercurrent of wild herb/char. Freshness and edginess with the fruit hanging on the long, appealing finish.
Eminently drinkable.
Price: $17-$18
Rating: Good to very good
Sweeter fruited on the nose, fragrant and with forest floor touches. Sweeter fruit entry, raspberry and darker fruit elements with a savoury touch. Tannic structure gives a chewy grippiness that cries out for a big, juicy steak. Still relatively youthful.
While sweetly fruited this finishes dry.
Price: $29
Rating: Very good
A richness on the nose, florality and liqueur fruits with oak nuances. Supple entry, a silky-smooth richness flows through the palate. Juicy and sweetly fruited with plum and raspberry and a long finish of raspberry jus; developing a charry note with aeration.
Nicely balanced and very drinkable.
Price: $14
Rating: Excellent
Bright, lifted, perfumed nose with blackcurrant and wild herb. A cooler fruit expression gives a lovely, crunchy freshness. Cherry and raspberry on the palate, with darker fruits on the long finish. Nice texture and carry through the mouth.
Dangerously moreish and extraordinary value for money.
Price: $26
Rating: Excellent
Wilder nose, meaty, beef stock with blueberry and darker fruits. Big, powerful entry with noticeable concentration of fruit. Plums, dark fruits and a whisper of raspberry flood the mouth: a tilled earth character adds appealing interest. Voluminous but nicely balanced.
A big, strapping wine that is absolutely delicious.
Price: $21
Rating: Very good to excellent
A subtle but attractive nose with liqueur fruits. The palate offers rich berryfruits, hints of meaty gaminess and cut herb freshness, fine tannins giving structure with a bright acid lift, before finishing with a charming rusticity.
A wee bit of a slow burner that grows and builds in the glass, offering very tasty drinking.
2015 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec
Price: $18
Rating: Very good to excellent
A little funky with red fruits, raspberry and cherry, opening up with air. Quite youthful and a touch brash, with a grippy, chewy element. The raspberry-tinged fruit has a cooler feel, opening up to plums and earthiness.
Crackingly good with barbecued meats and more to offer with a little time.
2016 Trapiche Malbec
Price: $14
Rating: Very good
A floral, herb note reminiscent of lavender moves to liqueur fruits with time. Sappy, tangy, brightness, red and black berries, blackberry with some leafiness with a hint of gumdrops. A crisper style that has me thinking a lovely food choice with fine tannins and bright acidity.
Nice length here and fantastic value for money.
