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Member Reviews:
 Great blend!
I don't know how to describe wine in "wine-ese" but I REALLY enjoyed the glass (or two) I had last night. I opened it mid-afternoon, and poured glass #1 around 7:00. After tonight I'll only have 5 bottles left... darn!
-- David from Albany, OR
Yummy
Would buy this again in a heartbeat. Fruit-forward and dee-lish. A bit spicy, probably from the Bonarda.
-- Michael from Vienna, VA
 Tikal Patriota
Very smooth, well-balanced, distinctive
-- Kelly from Milford, NH
Fletch
This wine needs a little time in the bottle but it is very good. I have some 09 Tikal Patriota that is wonderful. I think the 10 Tikal will be even better with a little patience.
-- James from Englewood, CO
Delicious malbec
I also have the amori. Both are excellent
-- Douglas from Danville, VA
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The Waiting List
On January 19, on a chilly winter day on Central Park, we sent out an offer about Nicolas Catena's 2010 Tikal Patriota. If you recall, this was the wine our importer buddy, Rob, had no interest in offering to WineAccess. Patriota, after all the Parker press, was way oversubscribed.
But we played hardball, making all kinds of threats about our future business and personal relationship -- and finally, flustered, Rob gave in. That campaign jerked out of the gates like a racehorse, fueled first by The Wine Advocate's rave 91pt review -- and Parker naming Patriota one of Argentina's Top Bargains for five years running!
It was a day of good news and bad. We had to shut that one down before many on the West Coast even opened their email. And while we like nothing more than quick sellouts, we caught hell from Whitney and Kate in Member Services.
The girls spent the better part of two days apologizing to members for the unexpected sales velocity, promising to do better next time. On day three, they cornered us behind The Big White Board and let loose. Either we came up with more Patriota, they hissed, or we'd be handling the next HelpSpot bottleneck on our own. That's when we called Rob and let him have it again.
Our importer friend mostly stammered on January 23, offering little hope as to the likelihood of squeezing out more of this deep, dark, blackberry-infused beauty, so exquisitely crafted by the by the inimitable Catena. We listened as he told us that every drop of Parker's top rated Mendoza bargain of the superb 2010 harvest was already spoken for. We hung up seething. Rob was dead meat.
Last Friday, we were once again reminded why Rob's nickname in the industry is "Charlie Hustle." Quietly, behind the scenes, our buddy had come through in the clutch -- slowly but resolutely siphoning off ten to fifteen cases at a time from ten distinct importers who never saw them missing. The last 1440 bottles of the rocketship 2010 Patriota were ours. Did we still want them? Bingo.
We began writing this story immediately. But before layering on the finishing touches, describing our first blow-by-blow negotiations with Rob, we called Member Services to give the girls the good news. That's when we learned about The Waiting List.
Unbeknownst to us, Whit and Kate had created a list of all the members who were upset about being shut out of the 2010 Patriota on January 19. Then they added the names of buyers who dropped on those 24 five-star reviews and who wanted more. It was a simple Excel spreadsheet, one only they knew about. So when we told the girls about Rob's 120-case makeup, they told us that it wouldn't be 120 cases after all. Only 82. 38 cases had already been earmarked for The Waiting List.
In retrospect, it's easy to understand the buying frenzy that so caught us by surprise. Parker rarely goes so wild for a $16.99 bottle. But, as to all those 5-star ratings, you can trust RP all you want before you taste the wine -- but after, it's all about what's in the bottle, not what's been written about it!
This unusual blend is magical, with a deep, dark profile that RP and America can't get enough of. "Patriota's" core is, of course, old vine Malbec -- rich, dark and silken. Its backbone comes from gnarly, ancient vine Bonarda, Mendoza's mystery grape, providing broad shoulders, and almost briary, ripe berry chewiness. In the cool 2010 growing season that most in Mendoza consider the best in a decade, Catena put out the finest Patriota in years.
As to The Waiting List? The girls took their idea to the development team months ago. In about three weeks, we're told, WineAccess will be launching a beta application that will allow you to place any wine you rate 4 stars or 5 on a wish list -- in case other suppliers surprise us with extras, just as our buddy Rob did. Stay tuned. This is about to get a lot more interesting.
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Tasting Notes
2010 Tikal Patriota Mendoza
"The 2010 Patriota is a blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Bonarda aged for 12 months in French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it sports an enticing nose of Asian spices, incense, lavender, plum, and blueberry. In the glass it opens to reveal a ripe, plush, savory wine with no hard edges. Drink this well-balanced, lengthy wine over the next 5-6 years. It is also an outstanding value."
91 points -- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
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*Important Shipping Information
- Orders will begin shipping the week of July 9, 2012.
- You will be provided with the exact shipment date during checkout.
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