2006 Vina Alicia Nebbiolo

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/11958.html

Brand: Vina Alicia
Style: Red Wine
Varietal: Nebbiolo
Region: Mendoza
Category: Argentina
Size: 750 ml

Price: $64.99

2010 January Wine Club Premiere Selection

Earlier this year, a colleague sent me a transcript from the Parker chat-board in which oenophiles were ranting and raving over the boutique Vina Alicia wines from Argentina. Raving because, well, they should: these are extremely small-batch specialized wines fashioned by a family that has spent much of their lives crafting wines for the Luigi Bosca label, but has recently started their own little project at their home in Lujan de Cuyo. Ranting because, well, they’re darn near impossible to get their hands on. Apparently the wines are available by subscription only in Argentina, and very few cases make it into the U.S.

I knew how they felt. I had first tasted Vina Alicia’s Nebbiolo a few months prior, just before they changed distributors. I was pleasantly surprised by how impressive a bottling it was for, well, such an unconventional project. (Nebbiolo outside of Piedmont? Are we allowed to do that??) A short time later I was ready to place an order and stash it away for my Wine Club friends...only to find the wine out of stock, transferred to another distributor, and now months away from making it to the states again. So I sighed, picked up the phone, and started making calls.

Persistence, friends, is a virtue. Remember that with every sip.

Now don’t open this bottle expecting Barolo. Think of this as Barolo’s flashier, more precocious cousin. A color of purple I believe only Argentina can achieve, the wine is ready to drink young with floral aromas, plumy undertones, ripe tannins and complexity that I believe will allow for interesting development for a few years to come. on erobertparker.com Jay Miller called Vina Alicia’s Nebbiolo “maybe the finest I’ve tasted outside of Italy’s Piedmont.” Opinion most definitely seconded.
http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/11958.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store