If I Could Buy Only One – March 6th VINTAGES Release

We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from this release, which one would it be and why?”

Sara d’Amato – Spirited and youthful, the Catena Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a toasty and cedary cabernet that is only just beginning to come into its own and will continue to thrive after another half decade in cellar. Toasty and cedary at present, this intense and impressively concentrated cabernet sauvignon speaks to its origins with its fine acidic structure and violet undertones. Excellent length. Highly memorable.

If you buy this wine make sure to join Michael Godel & I this Saturday evening, March 13th at 5pm for an interactive VINTAGES Taste Along as we explore four distinct wines from Argentina. Sip along with this wine and three other exemplary choices from the March 6th Spotlight on Argentina VINTAGES release. Find more details and how to register here.

(#484303, $21.95, Noble Estates)

David Lawrason – My word, this 2015 La Torre Brunello di Montalcino is so refined and elegant! It’s one of those wines that made me pause and ask ‘how did they manage to do this from grapes?’ Such a lovely perfume and complex weave to the nose with red fruits and florals amid dried herbs, licorice, wood spice and tobacco notes. It is medium-full bodied, elegant and almost silky across the mid-palate, with fine powdery tannin. Flavour intensity and length are excellent to outstanding, trailing a fine sense of minerality. Enjoy anytime but this will peak in two to three years.

(#17626, $61.95, John Hanna & Sons)

John Szabo – For my only one this week I’d like to celebrate the release feature with a wine from Argentina: Fin del Mundo Patagonia Malbec Patagonia 2018. I’m a fan of the wines from remote Patagonia, in the deep south of the country, where ample sunlight meets cooler temperatures, and early-ripening grapes like pinot noir really perform well. The results, as with this malbec, are wines with uncommon freshness and especially the attractive floral side of the variety. Oh, and Bodega Fin del Mundo is owned by one of the richest men in Argentina (of Armenian extraction), so there’s no expense spared in making top-notch wine. This is simple but tasty wine at a sweet price; chill lightly to maximize the freshness.

(#17381 $15.95, Charton Hobbs Inc.)

Michael Godel – Remember the name Ried Wachtberg because should you come upon a grüner veltliner with this vineyard on the label you should not walk on by. Reputable as among the best and most famous vineyard sites in Kremstal and capable of eschewing the easy way out for varietal risk-reward as witnessed here. This Stadt Krems Ried Wachtberg 1ötw Grüner Veltliner 2016, from the prominent cooperative is blessed with unction and sumptuousness of fruit melted by acidity to render the sweetness factor as entirely inconsequential. The balance and posit tug between structural tines and bones is exacting of science, place and by a factor 100 times more relevant than many grüners that wish to be considered in this rarefied ilk. The price is just ridiculous for a wine of this quality.

(#18125, $28.95, B. Cojocaru Agencies)

Use these quick links for access to all of our Top Picks in the New Release. Non-Premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

Szabo’s Smart Buys
Lawrason’s Take
Michael’s Mix
Sara’s Sommelier Selections