Tag Archives: chile

Concha Y Toro Grand Reserva Series Ribera del Cachapoal Carmenere Chile 2014

03 Saturday Dec 2016

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Dark purple. Nose of earthy plums and black currant.  On the palate – blackberry, plum and dusty tannins.  Half way through I’m getting some blueberry hints and the telltale earthy component that Tempranillo often shows.  The acidity is a little off for me but the tannins are ever present and leave the finish a nice shade of dry.  WS gave this wine 90 points.  I’m going with 88.  A decent drop for a pop-n-pour night at home with some spaghetti, maybe a thin crust pizza.  $12 make this a 4 star wine.  Salut….

concha y toro gran reserva carmenere

Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

07 Friday Aug 2015

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Bright purple. Oaked up nose of blue berries and green peppers. Not my style as it has a strange tinge to it. Much better on the palate with some plums, blue fruits and some mint. A slightly green mid palate with sharp acidity comes through midway. Mild tannins and a shorter finish. 86 points and 3 stars for this $8 offering.  Salut….

montes cabernet sauvignon

Santa Rita Triple C Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

26 Monday Jan 2015

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I took Moxie and one of my sons to a Brazilian steak house recently.  This was the featured wine, priced at $65 instead of the usual $120.  In reality it retails for $30 or so dollars.  I ordered it and did not regret my choice.

Iodine, black berries and orange peel nose really got me going.  I was so engulfed in the nose of this wine that I kept sniffing, trying to coax more….  Blackberry creme pie meets chocolate dust and vanilla bean on the initial palate, exciting.  Hefty yet refined tannins are on pointe and the finish is long and dry. The wine was perfectly paired with all the freshly grilled, highly salted, tender morsels of beef, lamb and pork.  92 points from me would equal what the pro’s averaged on this wine.  A drinking window of 2015-2022 make it totally worth cellaring for a great accompaniment to steaks and stews.  5 stars from me for this Chilean stunner. Salut….

santa rita triple c cabernet sauvignon

Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Yes 2003, it’s not a typo.  It was brought over by friends for a party, I was not sure how to embrace this wine.  At $8 back in the day it was a serviceable red from Chile that got hammered by WS with 77 points, ouch.  I decided to open it and prayed for the best.  The cork crumbled halfway through the extraction, not a good start.  I coaxed the rest out and sorted the debris from the glass after I poured.  My initial impression- Cherry and blackberry nose, still fresh (surprisingly).  This wine was probably not stored in pristine conditions, yet I was about to discover a vibrancy I was not expecting.
Bright purple in the glass it showed no signs of aging, remarkable.  Lovely black cherry and black berry notes with great acidity and some nice tannins still lurking around.  Thoroughly enjoyable and quite young with a nice finish.  The bottle did show slight sediment, but then again this wine is 11 years old and not built for the long haul.  89 points and drinking till 2017 perhaps?  5 stars for such a valiant effort to age gracefully.  Wish I could find more!  Salut….

Ps. I accidentally deleted the photo of this yummy Chilean Cabernet.  However, I just read the latest Wine Spectator and they featured the same wine, 2013 vintage.  Priced at $12 it got 89 points.  I may take a punt and stock up on some of dat!  Cheers.

 

Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

07 Tuesday Oct 2014

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A wine with great pedigree from Colchagua in Chile yet it failed to impress me.  It was on special, 3 for $28, regularly priced at $14.  Plum and oak on the nose from a very dark purple glass made for a promising drop.  Unfortunately it was tart and thin on the opening leaving me puzzled.  I did manage to get some plums and eucalyptus on the palate along with some very basic tannins.  Black berries finally showed up on the mid palate with a certain sourness that was a little too unbalanced for me.  I initially gave this wine 86 points, but after opening the other two bottles I think I may have had some bottle variation.  Final verdict- 87 points and 2 stars overall.  I plan on re-tasting this one.  Salut….

los vascos cabernet sauvignon

Montes Classic Series Merlot 2012

28 Monday Apr 2014

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A bargain for $9, but only if you like the style in which it is made.  Me, not so much.  It started out with sweet plums and cherry cola on the nose supported by a generous dose of oak.  Merlot makes up the majority of the blend in this Chilean wine and gives it a youthful plum profile on the palate with a high degree of acidity.  Very slight tannins give an easy to drink mouthfeel, yet the wine is over oaked with lashings of wood and vanilla.  It is a casual drinking bottle that may appeal to many as an aperitif with some nuts, olives and bruschetta.  I am going with 84 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

montes classic series merlot 2012

Sena 2010

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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One of my many wine missions is to taste the finest of Chile’s Cabernet Sauvignons.  I have had several high end wines from the region including Almaviva and my perennial favorite- Don Melchor.  Wines like Montes Alpha M have crossed these lips yet that was before this blog existed and I owned a camera phone.  The quality and complexity is amazing when you look at what the New World is capable of doing, taking their own terroir and adding it to the mix.  Skilled winemakers and joint ventures with the likes of the Rothschilds, Mondavi’s and other world famous vintners has unleashed a slew of exceptional wines that should be tasted to be understood.

This particular wine was first founded by Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick.  It is now in the capable hands of Vina Errazuriz, where they blend the noble Bordeaux grapes into this nectar.  I paid $92 to sample this bottle, it was well worth it.  Friday night, spring, warm weather and some dry rubbed steaks on the charcoal Weber- what more do I need to say.

On the nose I was attacked with Mulberry and Fig jam, gorgeous.  The wine had an amazing smoothness of black berries and blueberry torte.  At 3 years of bottle age, it is very round and the tannins are melding nicely giving an immediate drinking timeframe with another 10 years of cellaring potential.  I could smell and taste the perfume of Cabernet Franc throughout the evening and made a comment that this wine was ‘sexy and perfumed’.  A hint of the Chilean Eucalyptus edged in on the back end but the main profile was definitely a Bordeaux style claret with cassis and a touch of wood to add spice.  It ends with a figgy component that I first got on the nose.  Superb, in a word.  Pricey- sure.  5 stars in my book because I believe this to be a 95 plus wine that I would put up against anything Napa and Bordeaux have got to offer.  I know where to get more, I’ll be right back.  Salut….

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Chilcas Carmenere 2012

22 Wednesday Jan 2014

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A few buddies and I settled into some Chilcas Cabernet yesterday and found the need to send a runner to get more vino.  ‘Coolio’ was duly dispatched while my Russian friend ‘Edvard’ and I held the fort.  He returned with the 2012 version of Chilcas Carmenere.  I panned the 2011 badly and only gave it 1 star so I was skeptical about this wine.  I was in for a surprise.

Bargain basement pricing of $9 for a liter would make most people nervous about the quality, but this wine is very well made for what it is.  The nose showed bright red fruits and a touch of oak.  On the palate, very fruity with a forward expression of red currants, raspberries and cranberry.  The wine is made in a very easy style with very little tannic framework but with juicy acidity.  This is a pop-n-pour wine that would pair nicely with charcuterie and olives or perhaps a BBQ of burgers, dogs, slaw and some baked beans.  87 points but 5 stars for over delivering on the quality/price ratio.  Think party and you will be buying this by the case.  Salut….

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Almaviva 2006

19 Sunday Jan 2014

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I have been sitting on this bottle for a while, just waiting for the right moment.  It happened last night with NY Strip, peppercorn sauce and Moxie’s delicious roast Broccoli with Garlic.

The first ‘real’ wine I ever remember having was a Chilean Cabernet, and have subsequently tried most of the top Cabernet’s for the region with the exception of the the Almaviva.  It is the most expensive of the three big names in Chilean Cabernet which include Don Melchor and Montes Alpha M, both of which I love.  This wine is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals with Cabernet as the main factor.  It is quite simply- delicious.

The wine show a dark purple hue in the glass and the nose explodes with kir, black berries and cassis.  On the first wave, there is a purity of blue and black fruits with secondary nuances of leather, cassis and tobacco.  The mid palate has a slight imbalance but the wine finishes with grace and length.  The tannins are fully resolved and the wine has entered it’s secondary stage where the fruit is dissipating and being replaced with interesting tertiary flavors.  I got a little eucalyptus on the back end and but no dryness.  The acidity is what was off balance on the mid palate but I could easily overlook that split second for the much more fulfilling finish.  The wine is smooth and very easy to drink and appreciate.

It is the priciest of the three top Chilean Cabs at over $100 per bottle and it scored highly with the pro’s.  I am going with 92 points and 4 stars.  If you get a chance to try this wine, it is well worth the effort as it mixes Chile’s terroir with the winemaking expertise of Concha Y Toro and the Rothschilds.  A great effort indeed.  Salut…

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Chakana Estate Selection Malbec 2009

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

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Christmas dinner in a restaurant- not ideal but we made it work.  I started off with a pint of Guiness, because it’s good for you.  The appetizer was baby lobster with caviar and wild greens.  The most amazing soup followed that was drizzled with truffle oil, I nearly asked for seconds.  The moment of truth arrived when the Filet Mignon’s were served and this Malbec was poured.  The food was incredible and the wine held its own.

Dark purple in the glass as was expected from this varietal, it offered some dark plums and black cherry notes on the nose.  A very smooth initial attack was a concoction of ripe plum and blackberry jam, but not overpowering.  In fact, the wine was very balanced and restrained.  Many times I feel that Malbec is over extracted and over the top.  This wine had a certain level of civility which was appreciated on the occasion.  The Filet cut of beef is rather mild and does not need an overly tannic fruit bomb.  This wine paired perfectly and was a hit at the table.  The structure is well built and this wine could cellar easily for 5 years .  We paid restaurant prices but this wine can be had for about $22.  I am giving it 90, even though WS gave it 89.  4 stars for me and I’ll be on the lookout for it at my local wine shop.  Ps. Love the label.  Salut and Merry Christmas….

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Christmas morning sleigh ride

Christmas morning sleigh ride

Christmas dinner with silly hats

Christmas dinner with silly hats