Obviously still a young pup - the purple is so purple that it could even give Grimace a run for his money - the nose smells mostly of serious oak with well-tended Mendoza fruit, a very nouveau-riche kind of smell that smells more like a lifestyle candle from Pottery Barn - nay, scratch that, probably something from Theo Fennell - you know the drill: expensive, a little generic, best drunk with a French manicure or cufflinks. Hm.
There's also a bit of smoky-sweet, lifted cheery red fruit here, which is very appealing. Thankfully, there's good acidity that hits you before anything else does, keeping things moving right along to a lovely, broad, mouth-filling midpalate that offers up toasted coffee, plums, and finely grained tannins. It all finishes slowly, very slowly, definitely quite young, not insanely complex, but with great finesse and subtlety.
The wine I'd most like to compare this to would be Michel Rolland's Clos de los Siete, which is sold at a similar price range, but which is grown, I believe, a bit further to the south towards Lujan de Cuyo. The difference between the two is subtle but important: Clos is fatter, richer, more Parker; the Felino is nervier, racier, less plush, more Robinson. There's actual space to think about it between all of the notes that must be hit; there's an elegance and modesty here mixed in with the obligatory new oak and full ripeness. Honestly, it's damn good for what it is and good value to boot. Recommended.
There's also a bit of smoky-sweet, lifted cheery red fruit here, which is very appealing. Thankfully, there's good acidity that hits you before anything else does, keeping things moving right along to a lovely, broad, mouth-filling midpalate that offers up toasted coffee, plums, and finely grained tannins. It all finishes slowly, very slowly, definitely quite young, not insanely complex, but with great finesse and subtlety.
The wine I'd most like to compare this to would be Michel Rolland's Clos de los Siete, which is sold at a similar price range, but which is grown, I believe, a bit further to the south towards Lujan de Cuyo. The difference between the two is subtle but important: Clos is fatter, richer, more Parker; the Felino is nervier, racier, less plush, more Robinson. There's actual space to think about it between all of the notes that must be hit; there's an elegance and modesty here mixed in with the obligatory new oak and full ripeness. Honestly, it's damn good for what it is and good value to boot. Recommended.
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