Yacochuya Rolland (Malbec) Vertical 1999-2004 - Salta, Argentina

Very interesting evening featuring the high-altitude Malbec's made by Michel Rolland in Salta, at the San Pedro de Yacochuya winery where he has an equity interest. Grapes are planted at 2000+ meters above sea level. This winery is best know for the Yacochuya Rolland wine, although they do produce a second label Malbec and also a Torrontes.

Wines were decanted for 5 hours, and served in two flights of three. By the time we got to the second flight, the 2002, 2003 and 2004 vintages had spend another 70 minutes in the decanter. Wines were served extra chilled at 14C and then allowed to warm up in the glasses.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 1999
100% Malbec - Alcohol 14.50%
Very dark, almost inky with strong violet shades. 200% Malbec color. Bottle had no sediment. At first, nose was subdued but later came out with notes of spices and licorice. Attack of very ripe plums, still very tannic and coming across as very young (very un 99 like). This wine seemed a lot younger than it’s vintage. Mellowed out a little in the last part of the evening and showed more balance. Very nice, 91 points with room for improvement.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 2000
100% Malbec - Alcohol 16.00%
Deep & inky…. But not with the characteristic purple notes. Bottle with heavy sediment. Nose of earth and rocks… almost dusty. As the wine warmed up a bit the nose evolved very gracefully showing black fruits, licorice and some balsamic. Mouthful was big, powerful but very balanced, lots of perfectly ripe plums (not OTT), earthy notes again, cedar, cassis. Very satisfying mid palate and nice medium+ finish. 93-95 points & WOTN.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 2001
100% Malbec - Alcohol 16.00%
Deep purple, again textbook Malbec to the eye. Somewhat one-dimensional nose…. Just earth and more earth. Overly tannic, maybe even overly sweet?. Lots of heat. Unbalanced. Underperformer of the night… 84 points.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 2002
100% Malbec - Alcohol 16.10%
Strong Violet color, seemed more viscous that the other wines. Earthy nose that then opened up to notes of licorice and raw meat. Still very tannic, oak integration is still in process, finish seems short but I get the feeling this will come around with a good few years in the cellar. Its hard to tell this wine has more than 16% alcohol… no heat here. 89-90 points with strong upside potential.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 2003
100% Malbec - Alcohol 16.20%
Super concentrated color, with dark ruby notes and less of the textbook violet. Nose is unbalanced, alcoholic. This wine is clearly no where near ready to drink… bitter finish that I associate with big structured Malbecs that are screaming for more time in the cellar. Not Rated.

Yacochuya M. Rolland - vintage 2004
100% Malbec - Alcohol 16.00%
Deep & inky violet… nose overly alcoholic. Similar to the 2003, this is still way too young. Now showing itself unbalanced and with an uncharacteristic short & somewhat bitter finish. As the evening progresses, the wine starts to show its potential… there is clearly a balance there waiting to come out. All that is needed is there; this is just an untamed beast. Similar to the 2002, I think this vintage is a keeper. Not Rated but I think this has strong prospects.

No Yacochuya enthusiasts around here...?

I have never run across these-the 2000 does sound interesting.

Is 16% alcohol common?

For this bodega and these wines, it is. While some of these wines will show some heat when still very young, overall I think that Rolland does an excellent job of producing a balanced wine. Ive had plenty of reds that were in the 14% alcohol range that were "plenty hotter" than these monsters from Salta.

No Yacochuya enthusiasts around here...?

Still trying to track down here. Seems to be on allocation.

Bob.... easy to solve, come visit Buenos Aires !!!

Robert Parker has just rated the 2004 Yacochuya Rolland, awarding it 95 points. This rating was published as part of the wine column that Parker writes for Businessweek Magazine.

The other wine that received the same 95 point rating was the Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira 2003. This is one of the single-vineyard Malbecs made by Italian Winemaker Roberto Cipresso.

Wow Alex, remind me to not drink these wines and drive my Automobile. 16% wines are not exactly my cup no matter what else they might show. Unless they are Porto that is.

Well, the 2000 does sound good. I like the rolland wines that I've tried. His Bordeaux still taste like Bordeaux to me. So...the Argentina wines would be interesting.

Robert Parker has just rated the 2004 Yacochuya Rolland, awarding it 95 points. This rating was published as part of the wine column that Parker writes for Businessweek Magazine.

The other wine that received the same 95 point rating was the Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira 2003. This is one of the single-vineyard Malbecs made by Italian Winemaker Roberto Cipresso.

Now that the summer heat has departed up here, am thinking Malbec one of these days!! Time to resurrect the Malbec Hound thread...eventhough it never really went away!!

Wow Alex, remind me to not drink these wines and drive my Automobile. 16% wines are not exactly my cup no matter what else they might show. Unless they are Porto that is.

Bob... leaving the driving issue after drinking aside, I dont think its pertinent to look at the alcohol content on its own to judge a wine. Average alcohol contents have risen across the board... from Napa to Bordeaux to Italy, etc. Its not simply a new world or a Rolland Wine thing. IMHO, if a wine is balanced, then a high % alcohol does not have to be (on its own) a negative thing.

Bob... leaving the driving issue after drinking aside, I dont think its pertinent to look at the alcohol content on its own to judge a wine. Average alcohol contents have risen across the board... from Napa to Bordeaux to Italy, etc. Its not simply a new world or a Rolland Wine thing. IMHO, if a wine is balanced, then a high % alcohol does not have to be (on its own) a negative thing.

Alex, I partly agree and partly disagree with your take on the high alcohol. I know that there are wines that can carry high alcohol and still appear balanced. When I think of a balanced wine, I usually consider fruit, tannins, and acid(s). I don't usually look at the alcohol content until after I have tasted the wine. I know too that the alcohol levels have been creeping up in many places, and I have no problem with that for those that like it. I just suspect that many of these high alcohol levels are being done as another kind of manipulation, and not just what Mother Nature gave the winemaker. Does Parker and other wine Gurus rate wines higher for high alcohol levels?

Hi Bob-- I cant speak for Parker and the other critics, but I would be willing to bet my personal cellar that high alcohol does not give you more points with any serious wine critic. Having said that, one can like Parker's work or not, but I think its fair to say that even his strongest critics say he is a gifted taster.

Also, I would be interested to hear what you mean by another kind of manipulation... as Im not sure I understand. Leaving technical issues aside, what would be the goal that one would achieve by manipulating things in a non natural way just to get higher alcohols...? There is, IMO, no point in doing this, and Ive never heard an Argentine producer telling me that he wants or needs higher alcohol levels in his wines.

In most all of Argentina's Terroirs, high alcohols occur naturally as there is a lot of sunlight... whats happening is that producers are trying to pick the fruit as close as possible to its maximum ripeness point... hence, a ton of sun means more suger which means more alcohol. This is a very simplistic analysis, and Im sure many of those on these boards that have a solid technical background in winemaking will be able to better explain this (Im just an old drunk with no formal training in either winemaking or agronomy or even chemistry), but it does sum it up in a few words.

Thanks Alex, I do not disagree with you regarding Argentine winemaker or wine, It is just that I would much rather drink a zinfandel (for example) at 12.5% abv, than one at 15.5. it is just my preference. I would rather drink a 12.5% - 13.5% malbec than a 15% and up. again just my preference. I am not saying that these are bad wine, I haven't had them so I can't pass even an opinion on them. I suspect the in many cases though the higher alcohol wines do garner a point or two more than they would at 3-4 percent less alcohol, else why are the so many of them? Take zinfandel for example. it used to be the norm for them to be 12.5% to 13.5%, and now there are some at 17%. This is IMO manipulation for whatever reason.

Now that the summer heat has departed up here, am thinking Malbec one of these days!! Time to resurrect the Malbec Hound thread...eventhough it never really went away!!

Bob, can you get the Achaval Ferrer wines in your area?

One store carries them...Mirador/Altamira/`05 Malbec Mendoza.$18>$85 Cdn

Bob, what vintages are the single vineyards that they are offering? Also, do they offer the Quimera Blend?