WTN: 2003 Clos de los Siete Mendoza

[geo t.]

This wine has created something of a sensation in the last few weeks in the Detroit area. Retailers and customers alike are raving about it and bottles are flying off of shelves wherever it’s stocked. Two reps that I’ve spoken with from AHD Vintners, the distributor handling the wine in this market, report 100% sales rates; in other words, every retailer that they’ve tasted this with has bought it. Putnam Weekley thinks enough of this to have devoted the whole of his Putnam’s Monthly column on the Gang of Pour site to musings and ruminations about this single wine.

For those as of yet unfamiliar with Clos de los Siete, it’s a joint project of seven fairly high profile French investors, headed by that international wine whiz bang Michel Rolland, who’ve sunk millions into creating seven Bodegas in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The wine is made from vines that were planted in 1999, and shows remarkable density such for such youthful provenance.

I had the opportunity to taste this with the distributor, and then I bought three bottles for further consideration. Here’s what I’ve come up with on it:

2003 Clos de los Siete Mendoza by Michel Rolland, 40% Malbec, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah, $15, 14.5% alc.: Opaque purple garnet in color, with little if any fading to pink at the rim, this is one seriously dense glass of wine. It exudes aromas of chocolate, mulberry, dark plum and even some ripe blackberry, with overtones of balsa or something reminiscent of a woodshop. The flavors echo and expand upon these themes, with a rich, dense, extracted character that seems almost plump. A few years worth of tannins show mostly on the finish, but can’t detract from the engaging, in – your – face fruit forward profile of the wine. Unabashedly international in style, and if that’s your bag, you’ll love this; Michel Rolland bashers (and you know who you are) will have plenty, no, make that copious gobs of reasons for further naysaying. I can appreciate this for what it is, and yes, I can even enjoy it, else I wouldn’t have brought some home, but ultimately, it’s not what I’d want to drink with my steak or even my burger. It was a brief, though fun flirtation, but now I’ll go back to the kind of wines I can drink every day.

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

[Coop]

George, I picked up a bottle of this in a trade with a friend the other night. Gave up a bottle of Seretta di Belguardo 2001 for it. I was hoping to find some reason to hate it, but it was really nice when we drank it last night. I shall seek out a few bottles and save them to drink with Mondovino when it comes out on DVD.

[Coop]

I bought a pair of bottles today. Any idea on the grapes? We tried to read the back label but the print was much too small for our presbeopia inflicted eyes.

[merlin]

Geo T:

The 2002 vintage prompted a similar phenomenon in the stores where it has been stocked here in Western Canada, Alberta.

Have not yet seen the 2003 vintage.

The price here was/is a few dollars more expensive, in the range of $21 to $24 Cdn. I quite enjoyed it. It provides some competition for the Catena Malbec which is similarly priced.

I believe the Catena product is 100% Malbec but I quite enjoy the additional berry fruit and admittedly "international" character or lack of "character" depending upon one's perspective, that the cab sauv, merlot and syrah afford the Clos de los Siete.

Coop: I do not think the grape content is broken down on the back label but I was told as Geo T. indicated above, 40% Malbec, 20% cab sauv, 20% merlot and 20% syrah.

[Coop]

In bold text! How did I miss that.

[geo t.]

Interesting that the Catena Malbec is $21 to $24 Cdn up there, and around the same price in US greenbacks here. We sell it at the place I work, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet. I'll have to do that soon and report back.

FYI, a friend of mine here has been sipping on the '03 Clos de los Siete over the last three nights, and says it just keeps getting better, with no oxidation whatsoever.

Don't think we saw the '02 hereabouts.

Ciao 4 now,

geo