Beauty from within....A Bottle!
February 05, 2008
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BEAUTY FROM WITHIN......A
BOTTLE!
February 05,
2008 | |
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Dear Eric,
Have you ever
noticed how wineries use photographs to
market their vineyards to appear
as beautiful, idyllic landscapes? Somehow we
are conditioned to believe only great wine can come from
low yielding, but gorgeous looking real
estate! It adds to the romance and mystic of the
wine. Of course, the bottle, label and total
package must be equally striking to attract your
attention.
Nothing could be more evident of
this misleading propaganda, what I call "spa
viticulture", when we visited Mendoza, Argentina in
January of 2007. Breathtaking photographs
of the highly elevated, serene, lush vineyards
with the snow capped majestic Andes Mountains in the very
distant background adorn every winery website and travel
brochure. Now, I am not going to win any points with the
local chamber of commerce down there, BUT have you ever
seen what it looks like in the opposite direction?....Just
gaze towards the east, especially in southern Mendoza, in
the Uco Valley, near the village of Tupungato about 60 miles
south of Mendoza City! NOT PRETTY! You will miss the refineries to the north,
and all of the ugly air. Unless you are a fan of
high desert and a vast expanse of flat
sandy-cobbled scrub land (with the occasional
pumping derrick), or the mostly gravel roads with delapidated
vehicles attempting to travel them, or the shocking clusters
of exposed poverty.....then little will be of interest to you.
However unappealing the
countryside, stunning wines are being produced in Tupungato, and that is quite a
different story! Many foreign investors, and
successful Argentine bodegas are rushing to seize and
develop the once "dirt cheap" land for new vineyards
in Tupungato. A modern day wine-rush in a 3rd world
frontier. So I took immediate notice, when I
discovered a new Tupungato winery - Riglos was releasing
a Malbec and Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
mastermined by consulting winemaker Paul
Hobbs.
Yes, Paul Hobbs, one of our
own modern day Napa Valley winemaking pioneers, is at the
helm in Mendoza. Hobbs has worked our off seasons
in Mendoza since 1988, and his winery Vina Cobos is only
rivaled by the best wines made by Catena
Alta and Achaval-Ferrer. Recently, Robert
Parker's Wine Advocate awarded 98-100 points for a barrel
sample of his Vina Cobos 2006 Malbec from the Marchiori
Vineyard in Mendoza. For those of you who don't
know, Hobbs's eponymous label is at the cutting edge
of some of the most sought after and expensive wines produced
in Northern California.
The 2005 vintage is the premiere release
for the wines from Riglos. Both the Gran Malbec and Gran Corte are produced from culled fruit
grown in the Finca Las Divas vineyard at 4,000 foot
elevation. Only 700 cases of each wine were
produced.
The
Riglos Gran Malbec is 100% varietal and aged for 21
months in new French barrique barrels. Why Malbec is
king in Argentina! Exuding vanilla laced red and blue
fruits, this elegant expression has an appealing
underlying minerality derived from the Tupungato
terroir. Firm tannins make it a sure bet to evolve over
the next five + years. Best to drink in
2010.
The
Riglos Gran Corte is composed of 55% Malbec and
45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is aged for 18 months in new
French Allier barrique barrels. These two varietals
embrace each other perfectly to create a wine of balance and
harmony that should age gracefully for many
years. Ripe and supple purple fruit is
exotically spiced on the nose and palate. Restrained
and never heavy, ambassador Hobbs has crafted a
superb wine to showcase Tupungato's potential for
greatness.
Oh, of course, did I mention
each wine is handsomely packaged and wrapped in
tissue!
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2005 Riglos
Finca Las Divas - Gran Malbec,
Uco Valley,
Tupungato - Mendoza,
Argentina |
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PREMIERE
RELEASE!
100% Malbec aged for 21
months in new French oak.
700 cs.
INTRODUCTORY
PRICE THRU FEBRUARY
16TH!
Our
Price: $29.95List Price: $32.95
MIX six of either
Riglos wines:
$27.50
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For
REAL! The vineyards of Tupungato, in the Uco
Valley of southern Mendoza,
Argentina.. |
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Refineries
south of Mendoza City. |
Commerce
along the main highway in
Tupungato. | |
2005
Riglos Finca Las Divas - Gran Corte, Uco Valley,
Tupungato - Mendoza,
Argentina
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| PREMIERE RELEASE!
55% Malbec and 45%
Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in new French
Alliers oak barrique. 700
cs.
INTRODUCTORY
PRICE THRU FEBRUARY
16TH! Our
Price: $48.95
List Price:
$54.95
Mix six of either Riglos wines:
$45.95
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Ahhhh! That's better isn't it?
Lush Mendoza vineyards with breathtaking snow capped
Andes in the distant background.
Yes, I took the good, the bad and the ugly
photographs. | | |
Try both Riglos wines at our tasting bar this
Saturday from Noon until 4pm. The complete tasting
roster is posted every Friday afternoon at the Virtual Tasting
Bar page at www.thewineconsultant.com/tastingbar
For more information about
Riglos and Vina Cobos go to >
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TO ORDER just
reply directly to this email, visit the store, or
contact:
Eric Stumpf or Renee Kroeger
The Wine
Consultant
(916) 721-WINE
(9463)
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The Wine Consultant | 8039
Greenback Lane | Citrus Heights | CA |
95610 |
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