February '09, in LondonSince 1999, the year I moved to London, the year my senses opened to the New World wines, I kept hearing how Argentina is the up and coming winecountry.Today people are still looking at Argentina as the new up and coming wine country. The market is always looking together with reassuring products (i.e. Bordeaux) also novelties and new trends. Argentina has been fitting the role of new hot wine area for well over ten years.The Argentina-UK war in the Falklands (1982) hasn't helped in the marketing process, but meanwhile Argentina has moved ahead.The four wines below are a clear sign that not only Argentina is on the ball with high standard wine making, but it is actually way over that.Three of these wines are showing a world class elegance with structure, aging potential and great drinkability without signs of jammyness.I must say that Patagonia is so far showing a wonderful Old/New-World balance which with a very distinguishing floralfinesseandcrystalclear fruit extraction andlength. I am so far very impress with it andwhatthis space as I'll try to get more of this stuff for tasting.Starting with Bodega Noemia in this post, I am in a quest to see how an intriguing and extremely skillful "bunch" of Mediterraneans are expanding their wine knowledge into Argentina.In 2001 Bodega Noemia -in Rio Negro, Patagonia-releasedit's first bottle. The project is byCountess Noemi Marone Cinzano, owner of Argiano, one of thegreatest Brunello and theDanishwine maker winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers -harvesting 2009as we speak- Their 2006 Noemia Malbec, rated below, is a true charmer with an immense caressing silkiness, it's a wine which will please important collectors and new wine lovers.Still in Rio Negro, Patagonia, in 2004 it's time for another Tuscan famous wine person: Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, a member of the "Sassicaia family". Piero is very fond of this new project as he told me last summer: Bodega Chacra is a biodynamicwinery, it's an amazingagriculturalendeavor in an amazing location. Another biodynamic winery is Bodegas Krontiras in Mendoza. Run by Mr. Costantino Krontiras and his wife Silvina this is a very modern style winery and wine but with a very keen eye on developing something natural, friendly and extremely elegant, like the Krontiras, met last summer while I was showing them some Italian byodinamic farms with Lebaccanti tours.Still in Mendoza, another group of "Mediterraneans" put together a wonderfuljoinedArgentineaneffort:Via Los Hormigas. This is the team: Alberto Antonini andAttilio Pagli-two famous Tuscan wine makers, Marc de Grazia, one of Italy's fine Italian wine broker; Antonio Terni -Italo-Argentine Bob Dylan aficionado and top quality wine maker in the Marche region of Italy-; Antonio Morescalchiand Alan Scerbanenko.While I am trying to get this and more "Med-Argentinean" wineries together, this is what I had more recently:Bodega Noemia Patagonia 06 This is a floral, earthy, delicate and yet intense Malbec, which shows also a tremendous array of forrest fruit and cherries. The palate is silky, juicy and rich with a chalky complexity Wonderful to drink now but with a very promising aging potential. 19/20

Bodega NQN Coleccin NQN 05 Argentina - Patagonia - Neuqun - San Patricio del Chaa Pretty black driven wine with a very ripe prune and vanilla character. A very mellow wine with loads of jammyness to it. 16/20Cuvelier Los Andes 05 Very powerful and structured. A very well executed wine with important tight tannins and a distinguishing plums and cherry nose. A little austere and with loads of oak driven spices it will need some time to open up and very good aging. 17.5Achaval Ferrer Quimera 2006 35% malbec Regardless the small percentage of Malbec, this wine shows a great floral and earthy elegant varietal style. This is another example of class, structure and fruit extraction with a generous aging potential. 18.5