Had a lovely dinner last night at Edy del Popolo’s place, along with Sebastien Zuccardi (winemaker), Paz Levinson (sommelier), David Bonomi (winemaker and partner of Edy in Per Se) and Andres Rosberg (sommelier). They opened a lot of very good bottles, including some very serious Argentine wines.

We began with some Chardonnay.

Catena Alta Historic Rows Chardonnay 2015 Mendoza, Argentina
I think this is referring to vine rows rather than epic historical disputes, and it’s a pretty sharp wine. Fresh and linear with subtle toast and spice, as well as some pear fruit, over the top of keen citrus notes. There’s a mineral egde, too. Very fine. 92/100

Viña Cobos Bramare Los Arbolitis Vineyard Chardonnay 2015 Mendoza, Argentina
14.7% alcohol. From Paul Hobbs. Very rich and intense, and also quite textural with pear, apple and spice notes. Mealy and detailed with some warmth and a slight sake quality. 91/100

Sandhi Rita’s Crown Chardonnay 2014 Santa Rita Hills, California
This is a lovely taut wine with matchstick reduction skilfully integrated into the linear pear, peach and citrus fruit. This is such an expressive wine with concentration, minerality and drive. Quite beautiful. 94/100

Zuccardi Valle d’Uco Fósil Chardonnay 2016 Mendoza, Argentina
From the 1400 m San Pablo vineyard, which has sand/silt over stones with chalk. 70% concrete egg, 30% third use 500 litre barrels, no malolactic. It’s a very cold site that is more silty with deeper soils that Gualtallary. This is linear, fruity and pure with tangerine and lemon notes, supported by keen acidity. Pure, focused and bright, with just a hint of green tea. This is quite special. 93/100

Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2014 Burgundy, France
Very linear and fine with pure citrus fruit. This has substance and concentration, yet it also shows real finesse. Lemony and fine with very subtle dairy notes in the background, and great potential for development. 95/100

Norton White 1959 Argentina
This is a varietal Semillon, and it has aged incredibly well. As you might expect, it’s a full yellow/gold colour, but shows remarkable purity and freshness, with complex notes of pear, tangerine, marmalade and wax, with a lemony finish. Good acidity and structure, showing a citrus core with some warm, waxy, spicy notes. Just beautiful. Almost perfect. 96/100

Zuccardi Poligonos del Valle d’Uco Cabernet Franc 2016 Mendoza, Argentina
This comes from San Pablo in the Uco Valley. Fermented in concrete and aged in 2500 litre foudres. So fresh and supple with fine red cherries. Elegant and fine with lovely precision and drinkability. I love this style of Cabernet Franc. 94/100

Franck Balthazar Cornas Chaillot 2014 Northern Rhône, France
Such a taut, compact wine with tar, spice and black pepper. Reductive and intense with bold black fruits. Firm and compact, showing some tannic structure and good acidity. So primary but with amazing potential. 94/100

Until the late 1980s there were only two types of vineyards in Argentina: they were Criollas (the local mission varieties) or Francesas (French varieties imported later). So this next wine is named Francesa as it’s a field blend of French varieties.

Per Se Francesa 2014 Chacayes, Mendoza, Argentina
A field blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, from Chacayes in the west of the Uco Valley. Very fresh yet with great concentration and fine-grained tannins. There are some pepper hints. Ripe and sleek yet fresh and balanced with some wild herb notes in the background. 94/100

Per Se La Craie 2014 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
This is Malbec (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%), co-fermented, 1300 metres altitude. Aged for 16 months in second-fill oak. Concentrated and intense with bold, ripe, sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Fresh and expressive but with lovely concentrated, silky black fruits. Has a really fine, chalky, mineral edge to it. 95/100

Per Se La Craie 2012 Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
65% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Franc, from a warmer vintage. Beautifully gravelly and chalky with sweet, fine red and black fruits. Very fresh and supple with nice tannic structure. A warm vintage, but this wine has lovely focus. There’s richness, but also complexity and freshness. 94/100

Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita 2014 Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Argentina
This is a special vineyard, named after a poem called Piedra Infinita written in 1932, but also referring to the 1000 truckloads of stones that had to be removed when this vineyard was planted. It’s at 1100 metres in the Uco Valley. Lovely supple wine with fine gravel and spice notes as well as sleek black cherries. So pure with real freshness, showing expressive fruit. Lovely structure. 95/100

Viticultores de Gualtallary Volare de Flor NV
From David Bonomi and Edy del Popolo. This is very fine and expressive. It’s really complex with minerals, spice, citrus and some saltiness. Really spicy with a core of citrus fruit and minerals and complex herbs. Tangy. 94/100

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