Fruity nose of blackberry, blueberry and currant. Chili undertones, too. It’s full-bodied with dusty tannins. Juicy and velvety on the palate with a flavorful finish. Delicious at the end. Drink or hold.

A blend of 55% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 7% Merlot, all aged in 10% new wood. The complex, intense aromas include thyme, red currant, plum and oak, all lent outline by the mint and camphor. Potent in the mouth, with a fluid, juicy flow and a pleasantly lax structure that allows it to open up at the end and really let go with the licorice and almond cookie aromas.

Blackberry, cassis and prune aromas are ripe on the nose. Black plum, earthy berry and spice flavors finish with density and power on the palate, while a note of tomato lends needed freshness to this Malbec blend. - M.S.

The unusual conditions in 2016 (a cold, rainy year in Mendoza) allowed Salentein winemaker José Galante to create one of his best ever versions of this red blend, combining Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Rich in colour, the wine displays bright red fruit and sweet spice aromas, along with attractive hints of Mediterranean herbs. It’s polished and refined, with mouthwatering acidity.

Bright, vivid red berries, such as cranberries. Some crushed blueberries, too, along with grilled spices and a hint of savory cocoa powder. Medium-bodied on the palate with lots of sour cherries and fruit sap. Firm, fine-grained tannin with a long finish. Drink now.

Bright red-ruby. Dark, vibrant aromas of violet, blackberry and licorice, complemented by a note of chocolatey oak. Supple and vinous on entry, then fine-grained, suave and concentrated in the middle palate, with lovely mineral energy framing the flavors of dark berries, black plum, spices and licorice. Wonderfully silky and concentrated but with a sexy restrained sweetness and terrific inner-mouth lift and sappiness. Has the juiciness of the vintage's better examples as well as its fine-grained tannins. Finishes subtly long and alive. This blend is still rather laid-back and built for a slow and graceful evolution in bottle.

The red blend 2016 Numina Gran Corte is a multi-grape assemblage that was composed of 65% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The varieties fermented separately in 7,000-liter oak vats and were blended after six months in barrels. This is a classical blend, where the different grapes complement each other and feel very integrated, coming through as harmonious and balanced. The palate has good freshness and very fine tannins, with pungent flavors that lead to a long and tasty finish. 95,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2017.

This has a bright array of rich red and dark berries and fresh, lithe tannins that carry evenly through the palate. 

Full, luscious and ripe with notes of cherry cobbler, fig tart, coffee, vanilla and chocolate cake. 

Baked black-fruit aromas hint at prune and raisin on the nose of this Malbec-based Bordeaux-style blend. The dense, full-bodied palate is a bit viscous, while ripe berry and chocolate flavors culminate with toasty richness and plenty of weight.

Bright full ruby. Strong peppery/herbal lift to the aromas of blackberry, black cherry and menthol. Offers lovely density, pliancy and sweetness, but the wine's pungent fresh tobacco and herb elements currently clash with its sweet oak and rich cocoa flavors. There are some distinctly herbaceous notes here but I like the wine's generosity of texture and sweet tannins. not to mention its length.

Slightly over-extracted style, but there's lots of ripe fruit and spices. Full-bodied, juicy and intense. Walnuts and toasted oak. Give it time to come together. A blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot. Drink in 2020.

Salentein’s wines have never been better than over the last few vintages. This Malbec-heavy blend is rich, with aromatic notes of raisin, prune, licorice and almond candy. A full, tannic and slightly bumpy palate holds impressive flavors of cassis, black plum, blackberry, toast and peppercorn. On the finish, coffee, toast, mocha, licorice and cassis flavors are deep and delicious. Drink through 2026.

There are some blends, of which I tasted two, starting with the one called 2013 Numina Gran Corte. It combines 62% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot from their older vineyards from Los Árboles. The different varieties were harvested at different times and therefore fermented separately in oak vats and after six months in barrel they were blended and put back in barrique to complete an élevage of some 16 months. It's earthy, faintly reduced with some developed aromas, denoting ripeness (maybe the long cycle?) and black rather than red fruit. The Cabernet is quite noticeable in the blend, especially in the texture of the tannins, and the freshness of the vintage shows up in the shape of a fine thread of acidity. 

(30% new French oak): Bright ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice pastille and spicy oak on the nose. Good floral lift to the juicy dark berry and oak flavors, along with a slightly inky quality from the Petit Verdot element. Finishes with broad, dusty, ripe tannins and good violet lift. Youthfully bound-up but has the stuffing to age. The Salentein wines are made by Jose Galante, who previously spent 34 years at Catena Zapata and is one of Argentina's Malbec pioneers.

The Numina range has four wines, three varietals and one blend. All of them come from the El Oasis Estate, in the Los Árboles district in the Uco Valley. The 2013 Numina Malbec is produced with a plot planted at 1,200 meters altitude. The nose shows sweet, bright berry fruit and some floral notes with the oak well integrated after some 14 months of aging, plus shows just a lactic hint. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with good weight of fruit and some fine-grained, slightly dusty tannins that point to the need to give it a little bit of time in bottle.

Deep ruby-red. Musky blackberry, spices, licorice and wild herbs on the nose, with complicating notes of tobacco leaf, truffle and game. Juicy, dry and sharply delineated, showing excellent energy to its flavors of berries, spices, earth and flowers. Sophisticated wine with a fine dusting of tannins and excellent persistence.

Buoyant acidity powers the dark currant and kirsch flavors, along the smoky paprika accents. Black olive and beefy notes emerge on the powerful finish. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Lots of mineral, licorice and dark berry character aromas follow through to a full body, integrated tannins and a long, spicy, dried fruit and dried herb character. Beautiful finish. A blend of 61% malbec, 21% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 7% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc.

Blackberry, dark plum, ink, coffee and graphite aromas comprise a ripe, clean, Bordeaux-esque bouquet. This five-grape blend is grabby and tannic but just elegant enough. Flavors of prune, blackberry and chocolate cake precede a dark, toasty, oaky finish that's solid in feel. Drink through 2018.

Full, bright medium ruby. Sexy, nuanced nose combines blackberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, licorice, minerals and violet. Pliant, high-toned and very concentrated, boasting lovely depth and intensity to the flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate, leather and exotic spices. Finishes with ripe, sweet tannins, excellent length and a repeating note of chocolate.

The blend from this atmospherically-named vineyard is Malbec with 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc and it?s a winner. Dense, deeply colored, yet nuanced on the nose and palate, it?s smooth and silky, with notes of mint, green pepper, violets and sweet vanilla oak. Savory and very long.