We surely understand the passion some people have in wine that makes them want to do it for a living. We had and still have the same fire. But the reason they call it the wine ‘business’ is because it is just that. We have seen a number of people get in only to find out that, for any number of reasons, they have to get out.
The nice lady importer that sold us this wine was one of those stories. But the uncertainly of the last year (tariffs, pandemics, and politics, oh my) will ultimately claim a lot of casualties. But kudos to her that she hooked up with a couple of pretty sensational labels while she was at it. Onofri was one of those ‘winners’. But even under perfect market scenarios selling a blended white from Argentina with a long name wasn’t going to be any picnic. But this was a true diamond in the rough that just needed a little understanding.
We were not familiar with the winery or the wine when it was presented to us, but we became fans immediately. The term ‘white filed blend from Argentina’ had no meaning to us. It isn’t a particularly common practice. But we were intrigued with the juice. The nose showed tropical fruits, green banana, floral notes, and that whiff of lemon drop and peach that called to mind something from the Loire Valley.
In the mouth there was ample fruit and texture, but also great lift and just the right nip of acidity to the finish, surprising complexity of flavors and a compelling delicacy and presence. This is somewhere between a Vouvray and a ‘big kid’s’ Vinho Verde, yet it shares none of the grape varieties with either of those. Delicious and dangerously quaffable, as we did our research, it turned out that the actual composition of the wine was a complete surprise.
The grapes come from Los Chacayes near Tunuyán in the central Uco Valley at about 3000 ft. elevation. The blend is pretty unique for this part of the world, 50% Chardonnay, 25% Marsanne, and 25% Rousanne (we haven’t seen a lot of white Rhone varietals from there, period). This tasty little gem spent 12 months in French oak, 20% new, the rest 3rd and 4th pass, though we found the oak almost imperceptible (that’s good).
There’s the usual script about how Mariana Onofri “has worked with some of the top winemakers in Argentina”, and she spent a decade “making wine for various private vineyard ownership projects.” That doesn’t tell us a lot but what’s in the bottle sure does. There wasn’t a lot of information out there (the first name that appeared on our Google search for the wine was…ours) but somehow this small production project cast a wide net getting reviews from both James Suckling and Decanter Magazine.
From Decanter, “Creamy, silky texture and rich finish. Appealing stone fruit character with hints of dried apricot. Finish is persistent and delicious…91 points.”
From James Suckling, “This has a very attractive array of fresh white peaches with almonds and a mealy note. Smooth, lemon and peach-flavored finish. Drink now…93 points.”
‘Persistent and delicious’, si! For our part we are able to offer the delightful Onofri Alma Gemela White Field Blend Valle de Uco 2017, perfectly worth its $22 list tab, for the silly price of $9.98. A perfectly intriguing ‘house white’ candidate, while it lasts.