Argentine Wine Find

2002 Finca Flichman, Paisaje de Tupungato ($16) -- Estate bottled from Mendoza, Argentina. Did you ever find a $20 bill in a pair of pants tucked way back in your closet? I just found this wine after more than a year in the back closet.

Tupungato is a blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American and French oak for 12 months and then 6 months in bottle. Flichman makes a lower-end value wine also.

Actually it got an extra year of bottle aging back in the vault as it went missing. I thought the whole wooden case was corked, if that is possible, because when I opened the crate, it reeked of TCA. (Can a whole case be corked? I thought of dragging the box outside in case I infected the entire shop!)

The wine is stunning for $16 with full-bodied fruit, soft tannins and a medium to long finish. It pays to clean out the closet from time to time. The bad news on waiting so long is that the warehouse is out having gone through 130 six-packs. Damn! If you find any grab it. The last 5 bottles here are going back into hiding.