Clos de Los Siete
Clos de Los Siete
Vintage: 2006
Region: Mendoza (Argentina)
Varietal: Blend
Alcohol: 15%
Price: $17.69
One of the great things about wine is that from vintage to vintage, the complexion of a wine can change drastically which is why I thought I would revisit the wine of Clos de Los Siete from Mendoza, Argentina. Recall, 3 years ago, I called the 2003 vintage the best of 2005 (Best of 2005). Can the 2006 vintage hold a candle to the power and greatness of the 2003 release? The 2006 release of Clos de Los Siete is a blend of 50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah overseen by Michel Rolland, a prominent and famous consulting oenologist from France who is known for fruit forward wines with influences of oak.
To the eye, this wine is exciting with dark, inky deep purple tones to it. With the first sniffy sniff, there is a nice blackberry component poking through with some white pepper and a nice hint of toasted oak. Along with this generous bouquet however, there are astringent notes giving way, not letting one forget about the 15% alcohol that this wine carries. Upon the first taste, aggressive tannins and heat greeted the palate and once it became accustomed, there was berry fruit, oak and maybe some cocoa sliding in over a lengthy finish. To stand up to this wine, match it up with some hard, old Cheddar and crackers (one that immediately comes to mind is a 5 year old Balderson Heritage) as the strength of the cheese might tone this wine down. If there was ever a candidate for decanting, this is the one. In fact, it might actually be better the next day, so if you do try this wine and find it too overpowering, save it and try it again in a day or two.
So, what was the verdict on the comparison of the 2003 vintage to the 2006? The 2003 vintage was an absolute knockout of a wine, delivering such power and strength that it would be hard dethrone it. The 2006 vintage is still too new to be a contender, but I think that with time, food pairing and proper service like decanting, it is a good forward looking value. I believe that laying this one down in a dark cool spot, and revisiting it in a couple of years would be a smart idea, so buy some now when it is still under 20 dollars a bottle.
87 points
- Clos de Los Siete
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on October 29th, 2008
More from Adrian Bryksa:
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Bodegas Enrique Foster Reserva Malbec
Due to the fact that people know I drink wine, it seems to be the standard gift gesture when people come to my home as a guest. Conversely, when I go to someones house, I like to do the same.
-
Book Review: Stop Working
So, what would you do if you didn’t have to work? Most people I talk to say that they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. This is the challenge that Derek Foster puts to the readers of his book Stop Working: Here’s How You Can.
-
Travaglini Gattinara Riserva
Typically, this is a 90 + point rated wine from Wine Spectator. It is an excellent example of an outstanding medium bodied Nebbiolo from Northern Piedmont in Italy, delivering a slightly hard candy, floral bouquet with a orangish hue.
-
Narkoojee Cabernet Sauvignon
Narkoojee is a family run vineyard located in the relatively obscure Central Gippsland sub-region, which for those familiar with Australia is about 2.5 hours south east of Melbourne.
-
Château Fonbadet
From a vintage perspective, 2003 was a great yet challenging in Bordeaux with intense heat arriving in August. Take 40 + degree Celsius temperatures and combine with a lack of cooling rain and one of the potential outcomes is roasted, thick skinned grapes contributing to flabby wine.
Other recent features:
-
Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
-
Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
-
R4NT Radio March 2010
R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
So 2010 eh? Almost but not quite (no year zero they say) another decade? It seems like just yesterday that the world was waiting for Y2K. R4NT started publishing in March 2001, so we’re not quite 10 years old yet, but in internet years we are already a senior citizen.
-
Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.
