“I’ve been looking for a good silky middleweight $15 Pinot Noir
for a while now, and I think I’ve finally found one.”

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I like every wine that I’ve reviewed here since reviving and rebooting Tasting Notes from the Underground. Of course, some I like more than others, and two reds in particular (the 2020 Domaine des Pasquiers Côtes du Rhône and 2013 Cantina Sociale Cooperativa Copertino Riserva) have really stood out. They are delicious now and over the next few years and are readily available in the Detroit market. Last week, I found another one to add to that very short list, at our friendly neighborhood Costco, of all places.

Wapisa is the only winery located in San Javier, Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina. “Wapisa” is the indigenous Patagonian word for “whale;” the Finca Los Acantilados vineyard is only 25 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, and benefits from the cool maritime breezes at night. It is also the only winery in Argentina that ages wines under water. I’ve been looking at their Pinot Noir in the bin at Costco for the last month, and I finally broke down and tried one. I sure am glad that I did.

2020 Wapisa Pinot Noir Patagonia, 12.3% alc., $14.99: Clear Burgundy red in color, with a pleasant, if not overly effusive cherry berry nose. Clean and straightforward on the palate, with nice intensity to the subtly smoked black cherry red berry flavors, this is balanced, medium bodied and structured for a few years of enjoyable drinking. The good varietal character makes this even more appealing to me; I’ve been looking for a good silky middleweight $15 Pinot Noir for a while now, and I think I’ve finally found one.

Like any good Pinot, it continues to open in the glass as long as there’s some left in it, and I had three. The wine is elegant and well-mannered, but by no means is it a wallflower. It’s interesting to note that this saw 8 months in oak, but that’s not at all detectable here. If it’s not already obvious, I really like this wine. Find this wine

Since I had to go back for more of this wine because both Kim and I like it so much, I figured that it would only be right to give the Wapisa Malbec a try, since it is also available at the same price. Again, it turned out to be an excellent choice.

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2020 Wapisa Malbec Patagonia, 13.8% alc., $14.99: The clean, dark color precedes a modest nose of coffee, toast and black fruit. Intense and concentrated on the palate, with big earthy black currant black berry flavors adorned with coffee, toast and leather. Full bodied and well structured, this will do well with three-to-five years in the cellar, but if you can’t wait, give it thirty minutes in a decanter and some grilled red meat, and you’ll have a glass of really good red wine. I especially like that the coffee and toast accent rather than dominate the ample core of rich fruit. Every bit as good as the Pinot Noir, but for quite different reasons, this is a QPR All Star for big red lovers. Find this wine

Wapisa imported by Vino del Sol, Paso Robles, CA

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

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