All Hail Torrontés

When a new (and by “new”, I obviously mean new to most domestic consumers), exciting wine region finds an audience, it is often with a narrow focus. One wine style or, more often, one grape as produced by that region captures the hearts and minds of wine consumers. From that foundation, the region now has the necessary foothold to broaden successfully its portfolio. One obvious and, in the scheme of things, very recent example of this is New Zealand and its remarkable Sauvignon Blancs. And now that the Kiwis have paved the road with white grapes, its Central Otago Pinots and Bordeaux blends from the north island are finding very receptive buyers and, in some cases, have become highly sought after.

Argentina has enjoyed a similar success story, but it is the Malbec grape, particularly from Mendoza, that has been the horse that the Argentine wine gauchos have ridden into the North American market with guns blazing. From these Malbecs, sold both at both premium and bargain prices, red wines made with other Bordeaux varieties, such as Merlot and Cabernet, as well as Bonardas are starting to make a real dent as well. But there is a white grape from Argentina that is starting to garner some well-deserved attention. That grape is called Torrontés and it is beginning to get some name recognition from folks outside the wine wonk sector.

Torrontés (pronounced tore-rahn-TEZ, note the accent on the last syllable) is almost certainly an import to South America. The name is the collective label for three different but related grape varieties grown in Argentina, the most prominent and highly-regarded of which is Torrontés riojano. Recent DNA analysis suggests that the grape is a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica (the Mission grape of California). It should not be confused with the unrelated grape of the same name grown in Galicia and other regions of Spain. Torrontés is easily Argentina's most widely planted white grape and is likely to stay that way if today's wine bears testimony to what can be crafted from it. Torrontés is today where Albariño probably was just a few years ago.

2007 Dominio del Plata Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés (screwcap). Winemaker Susana Balbo is best known for her premium Malbec but also produces wines under her “Crios de Susana Balbo” (“crios” meaning offspring) line from Dominio del Plata in a substantial array of choices, to include a Cabernet, a lower-end Malbec, a Syrah-Bonarda blend and a Malbec Rosé.

The wine is light-medium straw in color with a tasty nose of honey, pineapple and mango. It is like the aftermath of a gunfight in the perfume department at Macy's, but in a good way. The Muscat heritage of this grape is present and accounted for but without being...well...too Muscatty. Your tongue will expect a sweet wine and won't get it. This wine is dry and elegant and moderately crisp with subtle tangy flavors settling into a long, mineral-driven finish. You will not compose sonnets about this wine but it is far from simple-minded. This would make an excellent warm weather sipper or school night dinner wine with light fare. It went very well with some deli seafood salad. It would also be an excellent choice to slip into the mix at a party with your casual wine drinking friends. They will like it and admire you for your offbeat tastes. At $12-$13, the QPR on this wine is outstanding.