The 2009 Malbec (60%) - Cabernet Franc (40%) is a more elegant offering, with an enticing bouquet of herbs, spices, floral notes, black currant, and black cherry. Impeccably balanced, intense, and velvety-textured, it, too, is an outstanding value meant for drinking over the next 6-8 years. Bodega Ricominciare exclusively employs grapes from its Finca San Vicente Estate in La Consulta. The vineyard has been in family hands for over 50 years. Only native yeasts are used to ferment the wines.Importer: F.L. Navarro, The Artisan Collection, Brooklyn, NY; tel. (718) 596-0722

Ricominciare’s 2006 Cabernet Franc (60%) & Malbec (40%) is a glass-coating opaque purple. It offers up an alluring bouquet of spice box, violets, black currant, and black cherry. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, it has loads of sweet fruit, plenty of spice (clove and cinnamon), and a forward personality. Drink this pleasure-bent effort over the next 6 years. Importer: Finds In Wine, Angwin, CA; tel. (707) 965-0210