2011 Casarena Malbec Lauren's Single Vineyard Agrelo Mendoza 750 ml

Take One a Day and “Sniff for Hours On End”

To reach the heart of Argentina’s Malbec country, rent a car in Mendoza and zoom 40 minutes south along Ruta 40. The road cuts through dry chaparral like a vein, nothing but dirt and sagebrush for miles, blue skies and custard-puff white clouds overhead, the soaring, snow-blanketed peaks of the Andes to the east.

In Luján de Cuyo you’ll find Catena Zapata, the pioneering Argentinian winery whose elegant, mineral, chiseled Malbecs recall the best of northern Rhône. A 10-minute drive brings you to Viña Cobos, whose Marchiori Vineyard Malbecs have won rave 99- and 98-point reviews from Robert Parker.

Creep a few miles towards the rippling Rio Mendoza, swing a right onto Brandsen Street and you’ll find yourself in Casarena territory. The difference between Casarena and the other estates is a little more than 6 miles — and, as the critics have acknowledged, the same quality at more than HALF the price.

Don’t take our word for it: Tim Atkin, the recognized global authority on Argentinian wine dropped a sizzling 95-point review on the 2011 Casarena Lauren’s Vineyard Malbec, calling it, “the sort of wine you could sniff for HOURS on end.”

Tanzer — not known for his generosity with 90-digit numbers — followed suit, pinning on a 92+ review that praised the wine as “fat, creamy and sweet but at the same time dense, deep and firmly built.”

The secret to the wine’s success lies in its origins. Casarena’s founders hired Bordeaux visionary and the grape wizard of Pomerol, Michel Rolland, to consult. “Find the best Malbec vineyard site in Luján de Cuyo,” Casarena told him. “Price is no object.”

Rolland scoured the area, tested the soil, returned to his high-tech lab in Pomerol, researched the DNA of the Malbec plants best suited for the land, and soon had his answer — Agrelo. The alluvial clay soil there produces dark Malbecs with rich black-fruit profiles and deep concentration, recalling the lushness, heady aromatics and velvet smoothness of the brilliant 2009 Pomerol vintage.

Sky-high above sea level at 3,030 feet, the vineyards receive intense sunlight during daytime hours, aiding ripening. At night, cold, alpine winds rush down the western face of the Andes, a diurnal flux that creates crisp, complex flavors in the grapes. All of 8 inches of rain splatter the dry, desert-like plains a year, leaving it to the crystal-clear mountain runoff to replenish the sandy clay-loam soil. The result is small berries of incredible concentration and precisely balanced acids and tannins.

The 2011 Casarena Malbec Lauren’s Vineyard is bright ruby in color. Exuberant aromas of dark chocolate, espresso, and mild tobacco, touched with ripe plum and blueberries. Sappy, rich, and silky on entry, packed with a plush mix of violet, black fruit, and mocha, bracketed by excellent acidity and finishing with sumptuously soft tannins. Will drink beautifully for the next 2-3 years.

95 points from Atkin, 92+ from Tanzer. $29 bottle. 600 bottles are up for grabs. A NO-BRAINER for lovers of Argentine wine.