97 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"Still a baby, the 2013 Noemía is possibly the best ever produced at this address, and I can say so because I had the luxury to taste all the vintages ever produced since 2001 (no 2005 was bottled). This pure Malbec is sourced from a 1.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1932 in Mainque in Río Negro, Patagonia. The wine is always raised in brand new French oak barriques for some 18 months, but it's a wine made for the long haul. Right now there are some notes of exotic woods and spices intermixed with aromas of blueberries, blood oranges, violets and even rose petals and it is developing subtle nuances as the wine warms up in the glass. The palate has a cool effect, maybe it's the acidity or the chalky tannins that stick to your teeth and leave a tasty, umami-like, almost salty sensation of deep coolness in your mouth. Precise and pure, the tannins are sophisticated and the overall balance is superb. My guess is that this will evolve magnificently and for a long time in bottle. As far as track record, even the initial 2001 when tasted in 2015 was not over the hill, and the vineyards and winery work has improved greatly since then, so I'm sure this will be very long-lived. Let's check it back in ten years time. Kudos to winemaker Hans Vinding Diers! 5,500 bottles of this heavenly elixir were produced.

I had the luxury of tasting all the vintages ever produced of Noemía, the greatest wine of Río Negro, while visiting the property with winemaker Hans Vinding Diers. I could clearly see the evolution of the wine over the years, a wine that keeps the profile but has been getting finer, with more purity and precision each harvest, a fact that is especially noticeable since 2010. The 2013 was my favorite overall vintage (but let's wait for the 2015 to finish its élevage!), and after that my ranking would be 2011, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2012, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2002, 2001 and 2003. The 2001 and 2003 are fully resolved by now, but none of the vintages felt over the hill. A wine that is true to its origin and vintage. And let's not forget the other bottlings, from the minuscule Noemía 2 to the more widely available and great value A Lisa. These are wines I could drink every day. You should taste to understand the potential of Río Negro."