Tim Atkin did it again. The prestigious British critic and Master of Wine once again distinguished two Argentine wines with the perfect score -100, the maximum rating- in his recent report on national production, which he published after having tasted no less than 2,026 labels from 379 producers.
In its Argentina 2023 Special Report, the podium of the Red Wines of The Year was shared by two chosen from Mendoza, which, in the opinion of the specialist, were also consecrated as the best among all those he tasted during his last visit to the country in February.
Atkin, who lives in London but travels to the country since 1992 to taste wines and prepare annual reports, presented his publication on Thursday 8 with a video on his Instagram account dressed in a shirt of the Argentine National Team, announcing that it was the "longest report he had written in his life".
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What are and how much do the wines with perfect score cost according to Tim Atkin
The first of the wines that achieved 100 points was the one that can generate the least surprise to those who follow in the footsteps of the British and are attentive to the high-end wines distinguished by critics. The Per Se La Craie 2021 is a unique red, made from a co-fermentation of Malbec and Cabernet Franc with grapes from a vineyard that runs a hill from west to east in Gualtallary.
Per Se La Craie, the Gualtallary wine that seduces international critics. Photo Cecilia Profetico
Few bottles of a small but exquisite project that winemakers David Bonomi and Edy Del Pópolo have been carrying out in silence for some years and that had already managed to captivate Tim Atkin himself (when he gave his first 100 points to another of his creations, the Uni de Bonnesant), and then to Luis Gutiérrez, which gave them the elusive 100 Parker Points to the previous vintage of the same Per Se La Craie.
Drinking it is a pleasure for few. Beyond the price (the 2020 vintage was selling at $ 100,000 in March 2023), to buy it it is necessary to be a member of the winery's wine club and reserve it in advance, since these are limited items that are assigned several months before the wine is made.
The second wine with a perfect score in 2023 was the Jardín de Hormigas Los Amantes 2021 from the Altos Las Hormigas winery, a Malbec from a "young" plot planted seven years ago and only one hectare in Paraje Altamira, a subregion of the renowned Uco Valley of Mendoza.
Jardín de Hormigas Los Amantes 2021, one of the wines distinguished with 100 points by critic Tim Atkin.
Atkin describes it as "Perfumed and seductive, with high notes of rose petals and violets, pure raspberry, wild strawberry and pomegranate flavors, with layers of tannins, very little oak and a finish that lasts like the last note of a great string quartet. Impressive."
Four thousand bottles of this wine were launched for sale at a suggested price of 80,000 pesos in wine bars.
The best Argentine wines according to Tim Atkin
As we said before, Tim Atkin's report is extensive and does not end on perfect score wines. Throughout its 296 pages, there were more than 1,300 wines that exceeded 90 points and more than 100, the 95, with room for whites, rosés and sparkling wines from different regions of the nation.
Here we present a list of the most outstanding. Anyone who wants to purchase the full report can do so in www.timatkin.com.
Red
100 points
2021 Altos Las Hormigas Los Amantes Ant Garden - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
2021 per se la craie (Mendoza)
99 points
2019 Noemía Noemía Winery (Río Negro)
Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal Malbec 2020 scored 99 points from Tim Atkin.
2020 Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal Malbec - (Mendoza)
98 points
2020 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
Cheval Des Andes. The 2020 vintage scored 98 points from Tim Atkin.
2020 Cheval des Andes (Mendoza)
2021 Per Se Uni del Bonnesant - Gualtallary (Mendoza)
97 points
2021 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Appellation Paraje Altamira (Mendoza)
2020 Bodegas Caro Caro - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
2020 Catena Zapata Nicolás Catena Zapata - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
2020 Colomé Maximum Height Malbec - Valles Calchaquíes (Salta)
2021 El Porvenir de Cafayate Alto Los Cuises Malbec - (Salta)
2020 Francisco Puga and Altiplano Family - Valles Calchaquíes (Salta)
2021 Mendel Finca Remota Blend Paraje Altamira (Mendoza)
The Terrazas de los Andes Parcel No 1E El Espinillo Malbec 2020 obtained 97 points from Tim Atkin.
2020 Terrazas de los Andes Parcel No 1E El Espinillo Malbec - (Mendoza)
2020 Cobos Cobos Vineyard Malbec (Mendoza)
2020 Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal Malbec Paraje Altamira (Mendoza)
White
98 points (White wine of the year)
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Bones Chardonnay. The 2021 vintage scored 98 points from Tim Atkin.
2021 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Bones Chardonnay - Gualtallary (Mendoza)
97 points
2020 Human Scale Credo Semillón - El Peral (Mendoza)
2021 Michelini i Mufatto Certezas Semillón - El Peral (Mendoza)
NV Riccitelli Wines Flor (Rio Negro)
2022 Riccitelli Wines Old Vines Semillón (Rio Negro)
2022 Zuccardi Botanical Chardonnay Gualtallary (Mendoza)
Pink
95 points
2020 Otronia 45 Roaring Rosé (Chubut)
93 points
2022 Susana Balbo Wines Susana Balbo Signature Rosé - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
Foaming
95 points
2017 Cruzat Millésime Pinot Noir/Chardonnay - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
94 points
2018 Sineres Factory Chardonnay Brut Nature (Córdoba)
NV Cruzat Single Vineyard Finca La Dama - Uco Valley (Mendoza)
2019 Otronia Sparkling Brut Nature Chardonnay (Chubut)
2019 Otronia Sparkling Brut Nature Pinot Noir Rosé (Chubut)
See also
