Clos de Los Siete Red Blend 2020

This shows aromas of ripe blackberries and blueberries, vanilla, licorice, dark chocolate and sweet tobacco. Hints of nut shell, too. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, polished tannins and a sleek, silky texture. Juicy, with delicious fruit on the palate and notes of walnuts and chocolate to close. Firm, flavorful finish.

A smoking value, the 2020 (55% Malbec, 16% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc) reveals a healthy purple hue as well as darker fruits and a pure, lively bouquet that includes lots of blueberries, spring flowers, leaf herbs, and violets. Nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it drinks as if it cost 2-3 times the price. It should evolve for 4-6 years, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve longer as well.

The 2020 Clos de los Siete by Michel Rolland is a blend of 55% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Syrah, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from the Uco Valley. It was two-thirds aged for 11 months in new and used barrels. Garnet red in the glass. The nose presents fresh plum, blueberries and herbs along with aromas from the aging process and hints of spice, bay leaf and thyme. Intense and free-flowing with refined tannins and moderate juice, this was fine-tuned for a warm year.

Clos de los Siete almost never fails, and this version from a ripe and easy vintage is just that: ripe and easy. Inky blackberry and black currant aromas show a waft of campfire creosote, while this feels big and round, with plenty of mouth-blackening fruit. Oak-aided blackberry, cassis and chocolate flavors come with a hint of herbs, while the finish is smooth and mild. Drink through 2023.

The 2020 Clos de Los Siete has a darker and riper profile, juicy and round, with volume and glycerin but with fine tannins and refreshing flavors. It was produced with a blend of 55% Malbec, 16% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, slightly higher in Malbec in this warmer year. Production was shorter, 805,000 bottles. It was bottled in March 2022.

The 2019 Clos de Los Siete comes from a very good, ripe and complete vintage. The wine is 50% Malbec, 24% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot with similar alcohol as other years (14.5%) but with less ripeness sensation. It's floral, aromatic, expressive and showy, juicy, fresh and balanced, tasty, with full flavors and round tannins. Seventy percent of the wine matured in 225-liter French barriques, one-third new, for 11 months. Best after 2022.

Leads with savory, tobacco and loamy notes, picking up macerated cherry and plum flavors. Shows a slight grip of tannins on the mineral-tinged finish. Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2025. 20,000 cases imported.