Chile
I’ve been experimenting a lot with Carménère lately and the good folks at Wines of Chile were gracious enough to let me in on a tasting of their selections a few months back. Unfortunately, at the time, I had to back out of the tasting so am just now finishing up the wines. Overall, a good flight of wines, some I really enjoyed, some that fell a bit flat, but none of them dogs. If you haven’t tried Carménère, I suggest you try it – it’s a varietal that will become more and more prominent and it’s smoky features are always interesting to experiment with.
2008 Viña La Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon La Capitana Barrel Reserve This one’s an easy drinker – blackberry, smoke, plum and pepper – with great balance and just enough acidity to make it come to life. versatile wine, either on its own or with a big, fatty, grilled steak. Broad on the palate all the way through, with a medium length finish. Almost scored this a 90, but the finish on this one left me wishing for more. But, good wine other than that. My rating: 88
2007 Ventisquero Carménère Grey Great nose on this one…dark berry fruits, blackcurrant, pancetta (as in pancetta still frying in the pan, filling the kitchen with its aroma)), smoke and leather. On the palate, a very full, broad mouthed, acidic, tart dark berry surprise…some of the leather, but more earthy than that, with chalk and dust elements. The finish drops off a bit for me, but this one’s a keeper. I really enjoyed this wine and would love to take it with me to an Argentinian steak house. My rating: 89
2007 Santa Carolina Carménère Reserva Plum, candy apple, bacon and smoke, with, unfortunately, a funky day old prosciutto aftertaste (not sure how to describe it other than that, but if you want to try it out, leave a piece of prosciutto out on the counter for a couple hours, then taste it). Outside of that funky element, it’s got a nice balance and good acidity…but, I can’t get my palate past the prosciutto piece. My rating: 83
2004 Carmen Wine Maker’s Reserve Day 1: Cherries, dark berries and green vegetables on the nose. Sour cherry, smoke and chalk on the palate. Medium-bodied up front with a light, hot finish. Decent enough, but not my favorite Carménère. My rating: 85 Day 2: Not going to change my rating on this wine, but it did develop a lot more overnight – the tannins smoothed our considerably and it took on a silkiness that I did not see last night on the first tasting. So, my advice is to keep most of this bottle for day 2 – you will be rewarded.
2007 Viña Cono Sur Carménère Visión On the nose, star fruit, blood orange, simple syrup and rain water (not from the sky, but the rain water captured in a pot, two days after the rain has passed – a bit musty and funky). On the palate, all bright tart fruit, smoke and pepper. crazy mix of stuff on this one. I will finish this bottle, but I doubt I’ll buy another one. my rating: 85
NOTE: These wines were sent to me courtesy of Wines of Chile
| 2006 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley | |||
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This is way bigger than i thought it would be – reminded more of a California cab than a Washington cab. big fruit, big oak and a bit hot on the finish. decent fruit and a huge mouthful, but has a pithy, somewhat bitter finish. lush tannins and I’m going to try this again tomorrow night to see if it opens up any more. 2nd day follow-up: not much change. My rating: 88 |
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| 2007 Cadence Cabernet Sauvignon Camerata Cara Mia Vineyard | |||
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My first experience with Cadence, but have been wanting to try their wines for a while. This one did not disappoint – a very well balanced Cab from WA, with notes of blackberry, blueberry, espresso and dark chocolate. A huge mouthful, including a lingering finish and enough acid to cut through some of the lush ripe fruit. Still feels young, even after having decanted it for three hours. The disappointing part of this wine is the price – at $55, this is too expensive. At $30, I probably would have given it a 90, but this wine is just too expensive in my opinion. My rating: 88 |
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| N.V. Bortolomiol Prosecco Valdobbiadene Brut | |||
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I’m a huge fan of Prosecco and this is one of the better ones I’ve tasted. Some good lemon citrus and pith and the nose with an added dryness and minerality that makes this an easy drinker and interesting at the same time. My rating: 88 |
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| 2007 Schild Estate Shiraz Barossa Valley | |||
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Cherry chocolate tobacco rolls, with a hint of herb and sage on the finish. Big fruit on the palate with an even delivery throughout the palate. Really liked this one and I’m not typically a fan of Shiraz. #43 on Wine Spectator’s 2009 Top 100. My rating: 89 |
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| 2007 Santini Wines Trentatre Salento IGT | ||||
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Blackberry and dark cherry (ripe), with oak, vanilla and powdered cocoa. This wine is a mouthful, with a broad distribution on the palate and a decent, but hot, finish. more acidity than would be expected in this blend, which helped cut through the lasagna we had with it. Overall, a very nice wine for $6. 33% Montepulciano, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, this one was an interesting combo of elements, One i haven’t seen before, but I was longing for more of the Montepulciano to come through. My rating: 86 |
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| 2006 Luna Vineyards Merlot | |||
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This is a cherry covered chocolate – big fruit, chocolate on the finish with a nice stretch of very mild leather and darker fruits, like blackberry. I haven’t had a Merlot in a while, so it was nice to see dive into one again. Tight at first, hot on the finish, but after a 2nd glass, decanted for 15 minutes, it really opened up and became a more broad wine on the palate. Some nice acidity, which adds to the balance. Overall, very pleased with this wine. [note: this bottle was sent to me as a sample] My rating: 89 |
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| 2007 Luna Vineyards Pinot Grigio | |||
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A nice citrusy, minerally, easy drinker. In fact, I was surprised by how much i did actually like it. I think I would like it even more on a hot summer day, out on the back deck. [note: provided to me as a free sample] My rating: 86 |
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| 2006 Justin Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon |
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Well, here’s another case of not agreeing with wine spectator who gave this wine a 79. 79? Median of 88 from CellarTracker tasters, with only one coming in at 80 [from a user called duckyfufu], who sounds like he might have had a corked bottle. I liked this one, as did my wife and her mom and dad, who generally don’t drink Cabernet Sauvignon. for me, cherries, dark chocolate, vanilla and anise seed. Surprisingly prominent acidity, that helps cut through the palate, with a very nice, long finish. Just a tad hot. This is a nice $20 Cabernet from Paso Robles, from a very trusted producer. My rating: 89 |
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| 2007 Odfjell Carménère Armador | |||
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Been trying a lot of Carmeneres lately and this is the one I’ve been looking for. All the smokey, peppery characteristics of Carmenere, but also the most balanced and easy drinking of the dozen it so I’ve tried. blackberry, plum, tobacco, smoke, white pepper. Very nice acidity. If you haven’t tried Carmenere, this is a great one to start with. My rating: 89 [sent to me as a sample from Wines of Chile] |
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All tasting notes first published on Cellar Tracker!
Continue reading about Wine tasting notes from a week gone by…
A few quick post-holiday wine reviews, one a Carménère from Chile, the other a Malbec from Washington state.
I’ve been tasting a lot of Carménère’s lately, partly in thanks to Wines of Chile. I like the varietal, with its smokey and peppery notes, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. The Odfjell is the first one that I think is truly accessible to a large group of wine drinkers. Easily the most balanced and easy drinking of the dozen or so I’ve tried, this one is 100% Carménère, with blackberry, plum, tobacco, smoke and white pepper. Remarkably nice acidity, allowing the wine to slice directly through the palate, but balanced with a nice, long finish and a quick, broad mouth feel.
What you should do: BUY IT! This varietal is worth a try and, without a doubt, this is the one to experiment with.
My rating: 89
2007 Townshend Malbec
This wine was brought to my attention by my father-in-law. He is a Malbec loyalist and responsible for me exploring the Malbec varietal by introducing 
me to a great Terra Blanca Malbec a few years back. The Townshend is a nice fruit -forward Malbec, with dark cherry, fig and white pepper on the nose. Remarkably well balanced and full palate, especially for a wine this young. It’s big and broad on the palate and then narrows into a lasting finish. All in all, this is a fantastic Malbec from Washington.
What you should do: Buy it, if you can find it. The winery does have plenty of the 2007 on hand, in the mid-$20’s, so you can get it there, but I wasn’t able to find it anywhere else. This may be a case wine for me – would love to have some bottles around the house.
My rating: 88
NOTE: The Odfjell was provided to me as a free sample.
Continue reading about Quick fire wine review – Odfjell and Townshend
Again with the cheeses – I love this! Whole Foods is outdoing themselves with the cheese recommendations this year. And all really good selections. Here’s what they suggest in the write-up for today’s wine…
We snatched up every case of this bargain Chilean white, bottled by legendary Bordeaux winemakers. Boxwood and exotic fruit with minerality and lean elegance are hints of an extraordinary terroir in the foothills of the Andes. Sip with Oysters or a knob of Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog cheese to bring out its juiciness.
Personal letter to Doug Bell:
Dear Doug,
Please keep including the delicious and clearly hand-picked cheese recommendations. If this were a cheese blog, I would give you very high marks.
Sincerely,
RJ’s Wine Blog
That oughta do it…now off to write my letter to Santa.
Oh wait…there’s a wine this week too, I almost forgot – the 2008 Los Vascos Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite) Special Selection Sauvignon Blanc. One of my favorite whites on the Whole Foods Wine Holiday Top Ten List, it’s a cool combination of elements. On the nose, star fruit, blood orange, apricot and minerals, particularly a zinc quality that gives it a nice edge. Minerals continue in the mouth, but the fruit switches to more lemon and grapefruit. Overall, a light and crisp Sauvignon Blanc, but just creamy enough that I understand why it was included on a holiday wine list. This is a very nice white to have around in the afternoon as relatives are trickling in for the festivities, right before you switch over to a Pinot Noir.
What you should do: BUY IT! It’s just a nice take on Sauvignon Blanc. Some good complexity, but an easy drinker at the same time. And, given that sweeter wines tend to find their way through the clutter more over the holidays, this was a nice surprise and a drier alternative.
My rating: 88
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a free sample.
