South America

The Top South American Releases This September

94 pts - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate "The 2018 Le Petit Clos, a second wine born in 2014, was produced with a blend of 53% Carmenere, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot from organically and biodynamically certified vineyards even if the bottled doesn't carry the seals. It's ripe and powerful with the Apalta signature, earthy and stony. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats and matured in French barriques for some 22 months. It's full-bodied with a lush texture and round tannins, a softer version of the 2016. Drink 2021-2028."

98 pts - James Suckling "So aromatic and fresh with dried flowers, sweet tobacco and hints of straw. Red fruit, cloves and green peppercorns. Medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins that are very fresh and refined. Fine, silky and beautiful. Hints of minerals and granite to the dark fruit. Such gorgeous length and beauty. 64% carmenere, 18% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. Extremely long and poised. Cooler wine. From biodynamically grown grapes. Delicious to drink already, but another three to four years will make it even better."

96 pts - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous "A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec (35%) made from 210 micro-productions whose end result is approved by Nicolás Catena. A kind of summation of a long history, the grapes come from specific parcels of vineyards that Catena planted in the Uco Valley and Luján. The results are breathtaking. Purple in the glass with garnet flecks, this wine delivers layers of aroma, beginning with black currant and moving on to intense, precise notes of lavender and mint along with hints of black tea, sage and cigar box. In the mouth, austerity vies for supremacy with sheer power, a balance overseen by polished, grippy tannins placed into relief by a well-judged freshness that keeps the whole package light on its feet. This is a wine of tension foregrounded by the blend: the Malbec smooths out the Cabernet Sauvignon, which in turn brings energy to a red with an extremely long finish. Drink 2020-2032."

97 pts - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate "The 2018 Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae comes from deeper soils with clay and limestone planted in 1992 in Gualtallary. The grapes were picked a little later in 2018, as they had higher yields, to achieve better acidity. It fermented with 50% full clusters in 225-liter oak barrels and 500-liter roll fermentors and matured in French oak barrels for 18 months. It reveals some austerity and subtle aromas, red and black fruit, some spice and a medium to full-bodied palate with good tension and some austerity, developing a shy note of thyme after some time in the glass. It's very balanced and tasty. Drink 2021-2027."

98 pts - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate "Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. Drink 2021-2030."

99 pts - James Suckling "Subtle and very beautiful with currants, tarragon, basil and rose petals in the aromas. It’s full-bodied, yet agile and so fine-textured with superb tannins that provide multi-layers on the palate. It’s refined, yet powerful at the end. Suggests greatness and longevity. Lots of blackcurrants, stones and violets in the after taste. Cabernet sauvignon with a touch of petit verdot. This needs three or four years to show its true greatness."

93+ pts - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate "The first truly international release of the second wine is going to be the 2019 Epu, which has changed image and label, looking a little more like Almaviva, and is going to be sold through the Bordeaux négoce. 2019 was a very dry vintage, and the blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Carmenere, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc with slightly higher alcohol than 2018 and with lower acidity, matured in used barriques for one year. In terms of freshness, the wine is quite similar to the 2018 that I tasted next to it, obviously a little younger, quite intense and fruit-driven, spicy and herbal, with a creamy texture and fine-grained tannins. It's a second wine, but they also want to do something different and Epu is perhaps a little more classical, perhaps this is more Bordeaux and Almaviva is more Chilean.  Drink 2021-2028. "

97 pts - James Suckling "The aromas of iodine and blackcurrants with roses and lavender make the wine extremely perfumed. It’s full-bodied with a tight, fine-tannined palate that shows linear flow through the center palate. It’s vertical and integrated, adding depth and serious quality to the wine."

98 pts - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate "The 2018 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in small lots in 3,000- to 8,000-liter tanks and matured 40% in 225-liter oak barrels, 40% in 400-liter oak barrels and the remaining 20% in 2,500-liter oak vats for 13 months. Ninety percent of the oak used was French and the rest a blend of Austrian, Slovenian and German oak, 50% of it new. 2018 has been one of the best vintages in recent times in Mendoza, and the wine shows it. It's a cooler vintage, and the wine has improved in freshness and elegance without losing any clout. It's 14.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.73. This is young, juicy, elegant and balanced and still has some herbal and toasted notes; it's medium to full-bodied, with the creamy and luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, ultra fine tannins and a long, dry and precise finish. It's still undeveloped and seems to have all the components and the balance between them for a long and positive development in bottle. With wines like this, I sometimes wish I had a time machine so I could see them in 20 years from now… I think this is the finest Cheval des Andes I've ever tasted.  Drink 2022-2040."