Vina Alicia Tiara 2010

Vina Alicia Tiara 2010 90 pts Stephen Tanzer - Finishes very long, with dusty brown spices and a note of grapefruit pith.

Tasting Notes

6/24/11
While most producers in Argentina concentrate mainly on Malbec, which Vina Alicia does as well, actually very well (another story all together), Vina Alicia also experiments with obscure varietals that puts them in a different playing field than almost all Argentine producers. They make extremely small batches of highly acclaimed wines from the likes of Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot as well as their Tiara, a blend of Riesling, Albarino and Savagnin, respectively, which is one of the most unique white wines produced anywhere on the planet, Tiara in certain vintages can be a stunner and the just released 2010 is simply outstanding. We were fortunate enough to have winemaker Rodrigo Arizu of Vina Alicia in town recently where we tried Vina Alica's entire lineup of wines paired with food and we were blown away; in particular with the 2010 Tiara. Having it with seared Ahi Tuna, avocado, mango, and a cucumber tower with a cilantro orange vinaigrette left everyone clamoring for words to describe the beautiful synchronicity of matching a wine with a dish so perfectly.

Highlighting beautiful lifted ripe citrus and stone fruit along with floral notes and minerals, this has enough acidity to keep it focused. This has an exotic aromatic profile with excellent fruit intensity and drive in the palate. Extremely limited in its availability this clean, precise, unique wine not only shows breed and pedigree it’s also downright delicious.

Winery notes: Straw yellow color, with flashes of lemon that give the wine notes of maturity. In the mouth it is ample, unctuous, and caresses the palate, spewing harmoniously fruity notes of peach, apricot, honey. Its aromatic and gustative profile define its equilibrium. Clean and elegant, of compact structure and great precision.

Food Accompaniments

Ahi Tuna, avocado, mango, and a cucumber tower with a cilantro orange vinaigrette,Lobster with two mustards and tarragon sauce, lobster with cream and vegetables, king crab, oysters, garlic shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, large oysters with parmesan cheese, langoustines soufflé, salmon and dover sole, goat cheese. Goes well with Chinese and Thai food.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

90 pts Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (ST)
Slightly high-toned, cool aromas of lemon, apple, musky ginger, quinine and crushed stone. Sweet and fat with fruit, but with lovely spicy lift to the lemon and orange zest flavors. Very pliant blend with well-integrated acidity. Finishes very long, with dusty brown spices and a note of grapefruit pith. A fascinating, mineral-driven white blend.

Winemaker Notes

Harvest: By hand. The grapes are placed in sm,all 12kg receptacles when the grapes have reached full maturity and richness. The harvest is performed at dawn, providing coldness to the fermentation. Winery: The 3rd grape selection takes place on fixed tables, where imperfections of every grape due to dryness, overripeness, and damaged fruit are removed one-by-one. Vinification: The selected grapes pass thru a mechanical or manual de-stemmer, depending on the type of varietal, and afterwards the grapes pass thru a wooden hydraulic press. The pressing is soft and slow, in order to achieve a good extraction of the juice. This juice goes into stainless steel vats, which are in a chamber at 15 degrees centigrade, which is the fermentation temperatureFollowing the fermentation racking is done and the wine remains in stainless steel vats for a period of one year. Bastonages are done periodically in order to be in contact with the wine and its fine lees. Bottling: A minor filtration is performed before bottling, in order to maintain its cleanliness.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcoholic %: 13.5

$26.99

8934

Dry White