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Posts Tagged ‘Chile’

Talk about incorporating full throttle acceleration in a bottle! 

I recently had the opportunity to sample the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (*MSRP: $10.99), and could have used a seatbelt to go along with it!  This Sauvignon Blanc displayed wicked speed in the quarter mile and blew the doors off of my taste buds with its razor-sharp grapefruit, lime and orange peel zing, along with an off the charts acidity that was nothing short of a high octane jolt.

I’m definitely a fan of this Sauvignon Blanc.  I’ll warn you, though: this wine is certainly not for the faint of heart!  Be afraid.  Be very afraid!

3 Stars out of 4.  Going 65 -75 mph is usually enough for me, but if you aren’t afraid of getting whiplash then the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc will be the right speed for you!

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Finding a solid, satisfying Cabernet Sauvignon for around $10 these days has proven (at least to me) to be one illusive road to red wine happiness.  Of the cabs that I’ve tried so far this year, many  have been noticeably concocted into a sweet black cherry mess, while others have been razor-thin in the taste department, and a few others fell into the category of “Cabernet Sauvig-what?”  Could it be that I’ve set my expectations way too high in finding a brawny, relatively complex and interesting, everyday Cab that doesn’t suck, for less than $15?!

Fortunately, the folks at Montes Winery, headquartered in Chile, have answered my prayers with their 2008 “Classic Series” Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 2008 Montes “Classic Series” Cabernet Sauvignon has renewed my hope and given me the desire to turn the page to seek out more top of the line, grade-A, inexpensive Cabernets like this one.

Consisting of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, this particular wine was aged in oak for 6 months.  The 2008 Montes “Classic Series” Cabernet Sauvignon delivers a respectable serving of dark fruit flavors, alluring spices with chocolate notes that are very appealing and perfect for just about any day or time. It also will pair quite nicely with a variety of grilled foods and late-night snacks.

3 stars out 4.  Restored my faith that there are Cabs costing less than 15 bucks that taste great!  Look for the wine label with the benevolent looking angel on it.

(Price: $10.49)

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From: Chile
Price: $10.99

It’s a “two-fer” folks – two reviews for the price of one.  Over the course of a year, my wife and I taste drive a lot of different wines day after day searching for ones that we think taste great and offer consumers like you and us outstanding value.  Unfortunately, in our pursuit of trying to discover these diamonds in the rough you might say that some days are well…better than others.  So I thought that it would be a good idea to occasionally spare both you and me the hassle of going through a lengthy review about a particular wine that we find to be so mediocre and hum-drum that it would be a sin to bother wasting precious time discussing it.  The central idea in these occasional reviews is just to tell you, “Hey this wine is fine, but you should do yourself a favor and pick something else instead.”

The 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley in Chile that we recently tasted totally fit the bill perfectly.  The $10.99 price tag that both of these wines carry hits the sweet zone for most red wine shoppers and the packaging is absolutely gorgeous and stunning.  But, that’s where the buck stops for these Chilean reds.  Once you’re done drooling over these bottles, sooner or later you’ll have to open them up.  Once you do, you’ll be greeted with a pedestrian targeted bland combination of dark fruit and spices that will have you scratching your head wondering how such an enticing looking bottle of wine could yield such an ok, mediocre, and hum-drum forgettable tasting wine.

The 2007 Carmenere in this particular case goes through a pretty complex fermentation process that starts out with spending time in stainless steel and then ends with a 10 month vacation in American oak.  On the other hand, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah.

If you visit the Root:1 website, the winemaker’s notes on both of these wines really sound very compelling and enticing.

“Tasting Notes: Root: 1 Carmenere is a deep red color with gentle tannins and rich flavors of plum, blackberry and spice.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Carmenere pairs well with pasta, vegetable soup, spicy entrees and grilled meats. Its unique character pairs perfectly with ingredients that are difficult to match such as garlic, bell peppers, fresh herbs and eggplant.”

Checkout the Cabernet Sauvignon:

“Tasting Notes: A rich red wine with black currant, mocha and chocolate notes.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon is an exceptional match with full-flavored cheeses, pasta with red sauce, steak, ribs, and chocolate.”

 

Sounds great right?  Well, we threw our favorite chopped eggplant salad and a giant meat lover’s pizza at both of these wines based on the food pairing notes and both of them came up a little short of meeting our “taste spectations”.  Both wines left us a bit bored and bummed out. 

I award both the 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon each a C+ on taste alone, which equates to a 2 star rating in our house, and an A+ for its original and stunning label.  In both cases, the dark fruit, spices and vanilla flavors were much too soft and came up short of convincing us that either wine was worth buying again.  

WineLife365 Ratings: 2-Star

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2007 Santa Rita 120 Merlot

Origin: Chile

Price: $7.49

Value, value, value is the best way to describe this inexpensive Chilean Merlot.  We were having a barbecue and wanted an inexpensive wine to have with some juicy burgers and grilled chicken.  Fresh berry flavors popped with a solid dose of herbal and vanilla-oak flavors, making this versatile Merlot a steal for an everyday red wine.

This Merlot is a great choice to have with grilled burgers, your favorite red sauce pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, or even tacos.

I award the 2007 Santa Rita 120 Merlot 3 stars out of 4.  It doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to Merlot at this price level.

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