Those of you who have been with us for a while will probably notice that I finally sent out a repeat this week. It was bound to happen, because of my unscientific method of picking wines: I send the wines that I have tasted and gotten really excited about in the past month. At least I repeated a good one! By the time I noticed, it was too late to change the shipments. For those who have been with me since April when I sent this out last, I will send you a bonus bottle next month to make up for this. In the meantime, enjoy this one.
The Vila family has been growing grapes in Argentina since colonial times. In an industry dominated by Italians and Basques this old Castilian family is a minority. Their vineyards cover several thousand acres. They have always been growers, not winemakers. Much of their acreage is under contract to large Bodegas, including some multinationals. Some grapes are sold on the spot market, crushed and sold as unfermented juice or (a small percentage) made into wine for bulk sale. All of the vineyards lie in the Cruz de Piedra area of Mendoza.
Six years ago the children (Pepe, Miriam, Susana & Sebastien) decided that they wanted to make and bottle wine. An impressive 400 acres of the best family vineyards were withdrawn from contract and turned over to them. Fernando’s son Pepe is the general manager. One daughter, Miriam, is in charge of sales. Last year’s winemaking team is gone, with Mónica Calderón replaced by a talented young graduate of the University of Mendoza, Sebastien Onofrio. Sebastien is ably assisted by yet another Vila sister, the energetic and dedicated Susana, while Miriam goes to another winery to work (at least for a 
while) as a winemaker outside the family.
The emphasis here is squarely on value. The Vilas are interested in good and fine, not great wine. What sets them apart from many other mid-size Argentine Bodegas is their absolute passion for quality and the investment capital to make it happen.
Before the new project, winemaking for bulk sale took place in a large shed with barely adequate equipment. To make wine worthy of bottling, a vast old brick building was renovated and filled with modern equipment and oak, including both barrels and innerstaves.
Tinto Fundación is one of the world’s great wine values. It is composed of 50% Bonarda, 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It is aged in a combination of 3 – 4 year old American oak barrels and innerstaves. This is a great wine for hard to semi-soft cheese, stew, or pizza. Drink now – 2012.
This is a very cool project I came across a few months ago at a tasting. Rather than pontificate, I’m going to reprint the bio of the winemaker and the vineyard manager and a profile of the vineyard from the website. The wines are as delicious as Pinot Noir can be, and though the critics disagreed with me slightly, this was my favorite of the three they made in 2006. I have also reprinted the fiche technique below, for details on winemaking etc.
Born in Otago, Grant was educated at Lincoln College in Canterbury. In 1980, he helped establish Pine Ridge Winery in Napa, California and worked there as assistant winemaker until 1986. In 1987, he helped build another Napa winery, Domaine Napa, and worked there as head winemaker until 1993. 
Laurence Feraud is the genius behind 
tell you that the majority of the work that they do is in the vineyards, and the results of their efforts definitely show. Hendry wines have a breathtaking structure, and a very clear minerality. They are both hedonistic and intellectual at the same time.
The alcoholic fermentation was completed in approximately ten days in closed stainless steel fermentation tanks. When the wine was fermented completely dry, it was pressed to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Aging was twelve months in French oak barrels of which approximately 10% were new, with the remaining barrels 1, 2 and 3 year old barrels from our zinfandel program. This wine has a round mouthfeel and blackberry and floral aromas. Spicy, smoky currant and berry flavors on the palate with just enough soft tannins to do battle with dry-rub barbecued ribs or chicken. The tannins are substantial but not overly drying. The alcohol is 15.4%. 1050 cases produced.
Simon Hackett has a small production from his own vines which he then expands with the fruit that he sources primarily from around the McLaren Vale, but also from the Barossa.
Here is a wine that epitomizes my goals with Extraordinary Wines From Off the Beaten Path. It’s not so much that the Languedoc is such an unusual region, but that this is a wine who’s entire reason to be rests in the idea that Cabernet Franc, a grape that isn’t supposed to be in the Languedoc, can make great wines there. The results speak for themselves. But even so, because no one is used to Cabernet Franc in this region, the wine sells for far less than it’s quality would suggest.
The monastery that houses the 
In the year 1845 Muri-Gries was born, as Benedectine monks from Muri in the Swiss county of Aargau were forced to leave their monastery and moved to one in Gries, which had meanwhile been quitted. It was these Monks who turned the old Gothic Cathedral into a winery. By the turn of the 20th century, they had a large portfolio of wines including Sankt Magdalener, Kretzer, Lagrein and Pinot Grigio. Up until 1968 the winery had been selling mostly bulk wine, but that year they began to improve the quality by bottling the wine at the monastery and storing it in the ancient cellars.