Collectable Argentina: Precision and Refinement in the Cellar

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | DECEMBER 02, 2020

All serious drinkers collect wine. Some to commemorate significant moments, others, especially those with access to a cellar, because the vintages are of such quality that their value will accrue over time.  Whatever the reason, it’s a significant and prestigious feather in the cap for a producer to make it onto a collector’s rack.

No one would dare to question the merit of output from hallowed ground such as Pomerol or Barolo, and this is reflected in the wines' desirability and price tags. But what about other regions in the world? It’s often the case that collectors are skeptical about wines whose credentials seem to lack historical precedent. Generally, Argentina falls into this category although in many ways it is also a unique case unto itself.   

In fact, the country does have a few gems to offer, many of which were once lost to the mists of time. With a little luck and money, treasure hunters might find themselves trying wines from the 1940s—the 1944 Norton Tannat or 1942 Lagarde Sémillon, for example—which present faded profiles that nonetheless speak to the benefits of the passage of time and good winemaking. And there are quite a few from the 50s and 60s—especially the 1963 Saint Felicien Cabernet Sauvignon, whose label was designed by the illustrator Carlos Alonso—and even more from the 1970s, such as the 1974 Norton Malbec, the first Malbec made for export; the 1978 Caballero de la Cepa Cabernet Sauvignon; and the 1977 Weinert Reserva Especial. In the 1980s, notable wines include the 1982 Trapiche Medalla, 1983 Weinert Gran Vino, 1985 Lagarde Malbec and 1987 Bianchi, all of which have maintained their bouquets of flowers and dried fruit combined with a silky texture that caresses the palate from the inside the way a foulard might.

I’ve been fortunate enough to try a few of these in recent years. I urge readers visiting Buenos Aires to head as soon as decently possible to several establishments that boast cellars of great historical interest: Parrilla Don Julio, which has put together chronological sets of essential bottles, and Oviedo, a restaurant that has been amassing a much-envied collection since the 1980s. It’s also worth visiting the older wineries—there are about twenty in Argentina that have been around for more than a century—where the bottles that played leading roles in their success are kept under lock and key.   

But if you’re looking for the other kind of wine, the rare example that boasts genuine aging potential, Argentina has a few labels that are well-positioned to improve, grow, and increase their value in the medium to long term. I’ve come to this conclusion after tasting the best of what is currently on offer among wines designed for the cellar, and the picture is very different from what it was a decade ago.  

Cellar Style

Up until the early 1990s, wineries tended to make their flagship wines in styles suitable for cellar aging, which is why so many have survived to the present day. After that, the internationalization of Argentine wine saw a marked change in style in favor of greater ripeness and indulgent, alcohol-rich palates resulting in a fifteen to twenty year gap during which wines didn’t age very well at all. Pre-90s vintages and those being made for the cellar today have several things in common: vineyard management that doesn’t overdo the natural concentration of the terroir, more refined ripeness and higher natural acidity. In short: wines built to age well.

Susana Balbo, the first woman oenologist in Argentina and founder of Susana Balbo Wines, has seen enough vintages to be an authority on the matter: “The ripe style of the 1990s and 2000s didn’t evolve well in many cases because the artificial acidity ended up drying out the tannins. Fortunately, we were able to note this early on and, as we’ve developed new terroirs and more precise winemaking methods, producers have achieved a balance that lasts well over time.”