Altos De Mendoza, Argentina
13% alcohol
$30.00

A very nice, deep burgandy color to this one. I immediately got aromas of sweet vanilla and toast. This was followed up by a smoky tobacco quality. Very nice.

The wine is like liquid silk in the mouth. Lots of vanilla with very smooth tannins. Finish is a tad bit short. Overall, I think this is a very nice wine. I always love a good malbec. Recommended.

Great notes, jules. Any idea how much gets made of this wine or how hard it is to find in NJ. I'm a big Malbec fan, but don't drink it often.

jb

Thanks for posting, jules.

I take it from your TN that this wine is ready to go. Or do you recommend further aging? (I only have one bottle.)

Thanks,

O

As far as finding it, I tried in vain to get the 2000. Never did find any. Then I was wandering the local store last week and lo and behold, there it was, only the 2001. I don't know what the case production on this was.

I always love a good malbec, and this one fits the bill.

I think it is ready to drink now. I'm a horrible judge on how long some wines will last, but it was wonderful right out of the bottle. I saved half of it and will finish it off tonight. If my impressions change, then I'll note that too.

Jules;
Glad you liked the '01 Tikal Amorio - I'm still sitting on 8 bottles of the '00, and considering there were only 190 cases imported (out of 350 cases produced) I feel quite fortunate. I posted TN's on the '00 on the other website back in February; I'll try to find them and provide a link here. It is a fantastic effort.

I think you'll find this wine quite elusive because of the low case-count produced/imported, but it is worth the effort. Italian wino has a connection if anyone is interested.

I have both the '00 and '01 and I think the '01 needs a good year to settle in the bottle. The person I buy it from gets about 3-4 cases a year. I may have to try the '01 again since it has been since last winter. Glad to see that you have discovered this very hard to find wine.

IW

I am opening a bottle of the '01 Amorio tonight. Kybo, his wife and I are going to enjoy it with a good steak. Will report back later to share how the '01 is developing. We are also going to have the 1988 Bergfeld CS that I got from Eric W.

IW

Looking forward to your notes IW

The Tikal Amorio is a very nice wine, but I have a funny (and unfortunately true) tale about it. The bottle is so big and heavy that I was forbidden to keep one in my carry on luggage for fear of its use as a weapon. I eventaully had to get rid of it as I had nowhere to put it/pack it.

Had last Wednesday with Kybeaux:


With the steaks we did a side by side of the '01 and then the '00 Tikal Amorio Malbec from Argentina. We decided to not decant either one this time and I am glad we didn't. The '01 upon the first opening had a very unusual but pleasant mushroom earth flavor that I have never seen in this wine. Within 15 minutes this flavored disappeared. The blackcurrant, blueberry, plum and sweet raspberries in the '01 was perfect with the steak. I would rate the '01 92+ pts. The '00 was the best bottle Kybo and I have had since we first met. Previous bottles of the '00 were showing signs of the wine shutting down. This was the exact opposite. What we did differently was open and pour immediately rather than letting it sit in the decanter. Glad we did that. The tannins in the '00 were more evident on the backpalate this time and again went beautifully with the steak. I would rate this bottle 92 pts. Always fun getting together with Kybo.

IW

Thanks to everyone for the info!! I have one bottle of the '01 and have been pondering the purchase of 4 more that are available to me and I think I'm gonna go ahead and get them.

Thanks again!

I had this last night with the wife and daughter. It was a unanimous hit!
Opened it up and let it sit for 30 minutes. Intoxicating scents were calling to me or I would have waited another 30 minutes, I was weak. Flavors of blueberry and vanilla were wonderfully prominent and I even noticed a slight sweet cherry flavor.

I'm picking up the remaining 4 my "usual hangout" has left and the owner says he can get me another case. I just may take him up on it!

Lou Briccant rating: 92+ zerks


Added: I agree with Jules, that the finish may be a little short.