...a bottle of wine and thou

More wine recommendations from Kevin Currie

Recently, I have found that 3/4 of my wine selections have come from Chile. While Chile has yet to really bust into the American market, these wines are immensely satisfying both to the palate and the budget. As it is hard to put my enthusiasm for Chilean wines into restrained words, let me be direct: Chilean reds offer some of the most powerful and best flavor for an absolutely sick value!!

Be forewarned though: these are some of the darkest, meatiest, thickest reds you will ever have. I have no doubt that one reason the Chilean market has not caught on so in the US is because US drinkers tend to like the fruitier style of wine: Merlot, Shiraz, etc. Chile's reds, by contrast, tend to contain earthier notes like tar, pepper, chocolate, menthol, etc. (Yes, even their syrahs and Merlots are this way.)

Let me show you some wines:

Ramirana Carmenre ($9-10):
This is by far the darkest of the Chilean wines I've had so far (and it is thus with ALL their reds). The nose hits you with tar, a bit of oak, tobacco (and a bit of peachiness on the top that smooths it all out). The palate shows chocolate, tobacco, dark plum and a spicy licorice. While the finish is a bit astringent and very long. (For a smoother finish one can upgrade to their Gran Reserva Carmenere, which is smoother). For $10, this is a wine not to be missed.

Marques de Casa Concha Merlot (Concha y Toro) ($13):
I generally don't like Merlots too much, associating them with a bland fruit that is, to me, quite unintersting. This merlot is much different. It is darker than American merlot's, for one, and its $13 dollar price tag belies a complexity that many $20 dollar merlots don't offer. On the nose, one detects a dark berry - blackberry and plum - flavor enhanced by a really cool menthol spiciness. The palate is quite good with the same dark berries, a hint of vanilla, and a slightly peppered finish, which is very smooth. Good wine!

Santa Alicia Gran Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($10):
I like my cabs thick and earthy (which is one I like Chile in the first place). The nose on this is very powerful, with tar, pepper, chocolate, and plum. The palate loses the tar, but retains the chocolate and plum, adding hints of vanilla and licorice. The finish is moderately smooth and quite long.

Concha y Toro Frontera Carmenere ($7):
CYT's Frontera line is quite simply one of the best values in the wine world today. If easy drinking wines leading towards the dark side is what one wants, then Frontera (and CYT's Explorador line, slightly above Frontera in price) is the best game in town! This carmenere is much less aggressive than the Ramirana and is one of the best intros to this indigenous Chilean grape. The nose contains dark berries graced with a slight spiciness of white pepper and hints of vanilla. The palate is an easy drinking combo of plum, licorice, and a light pepperiness. The finish is non-abrasive and smooth.

And now for one of the few merlot's from the good ole' US of A that I really
enjoy:

American Winetaster's Society Merlot (2001) ($13):
While the price is over $10, I can't stress how much value this wine is. AWS is a 'small lot' buyer, who buys the left over grapes from the big dogs (the wineries that sell at prices up in the $30's and $40s), bottling this primo juice under its own name. The lots benefit from keeping supply limited (so as to keep demand and price up), while AWS benefits from the ability to sell good juice at an easy price. (The only stipulation is that they don't disclose which winery's juice is in the bottle.) This merlot has some of the purest cherry fruit I've had in a merlot for this price and offers a hint - just a hint - of oak. The palate is a smooth and lively cherry fruit with blackberry behind it. The finish - let me tell you - is smooth as water. Not - I repeat NOT - to be missed.

And for a last recco (for now)

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($9):
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc's are some of the best whites around. Their citrus is more viviacious and tangy, and their bodies are more crisp and sharp, than many of their US counterparts. With this said, the Monkey Bay is certainly not the MOST vivacious i've had (that award goes to New Z Land's sauvignon blanc), the monkey bay is certainly the most tempered. The palate is very floral and perfumy, offering citrus and a bit of grassiness. The palate is full containing bright limy citrus on the top and an apply middle. The finish is nice and balanced.

Kevin Currie

posted by Chris Rachael Oseland at 6:29 PM