More Chilean Wines

VIÑA ALMAVIVA

Is this project the marriage of a French Bordeaux firm and a major Chilean winery or is it the "Marriage of Figaro"?  Well, it's a little of both!
In 1997 the Bordeaux firm of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Chile's Concha y Toro signed on to this joint venture called "Almaviva," named after the Count Almaviva of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro."  

Concha y Toro first planted the Puente Alto (south of Santiago) vineyard in 1978.  Since taking on Baron Philippe's team, they've added Malbec and Petit Verdot to the Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc.  

The first vintage was culled from Concha y Toro's 1996 harvest.  This was a nice enough wine, but you can really taste the difference and the French influence in 1997 and 1998 (especially).  One would be hard-pressed to guess that 1998 is (was) a difficult vintage in Chile!  The wine is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon.  Maturation in a high percentage of new French oak gives a wonderfully cedary character.  I found blackberries, sweet oak, a touch of anise and cassis in this wine.  Very drinkable now, though I suppose this may cellar well for another 5-10 years.  

The 2006 vintage is also very fine, this wine having some elements which are quite reminiscent of top Bordeaux, though it is a bit tannic and backwards at this young age.  We expect this to need several more years before reaching its potential.  It's very fine and stylish and you can taste the French influence here, in my view.

The harvest was unusually late in 2006...they were picking grapes into May.  Cabernet dominates the blend, but there's a fair bit of Carmenere with 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% of Merlot.  Dark fruit notes dominate with a nice bit of a cedary tone from the oak.  

The bad news is they price the wine on par with major Bordeaux.  Not quite as ambitious a price tag as First Growths, but high, nonetheless.  The good news is the wine might be worth its ransom-like price.

Currently in stock:  2006 Viña Almaviva (List $90) SALE $79.99

 

 

VIÑA SAN PEDRO

This winery has undergone numerous changes in ownership since its inception in 1865.  The current proprietor is a beer company and they don't use lizards, iguanas or dogs to sell their wines.  Nope.  

But they do make a wine we call "Catbernet Sauvignon."  It's one of the more ubiquitous wines in Chile having a black cat on the label.  "Gato Negro" is made of Cabernet and Merlot.  It's a nice, simple table red that's essentially a Beaujolais-styled wine.  We suggest serving it (the bottle, not you) lightly chilled. 

Currently available: "Gato Negro" Catbernet  SALE  $4.99 750ml
Gato Negro Magnums (1.5 liter) $9.99

BY SPECIAL ORDER:
Merlot (750ml) $5.49
Chardonnay (750ml) $5.49

 

ERRAZURIZ / CALITERRA

Robert Mondavi imported these wines and I believe they may even have had an ownership stake in this Aconcagua River Valley producer.  The property went by the name Panquehue, so you can imagine that initial attempts at selling wine with the name "Errazuriz Panquehue" were difficult.   Mondavi is now out of the picture, no longer associated with this winery and no longer importing its wines.


The one wine in the portfolio we've found to be novel, interesting AND worth its price is a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc.  It's a very nice dessert wine and just $14.99 for a half-bottle.  They froze some of the grapes in order to obtain a sweeter result.  The grapes are frozen and then pressed...this yields more sugar in the resulting juice.  It's very fruity and moderately sweet.


 The real collaboration between Mondavi and Errazuriz is a red wine called "Sea," a Cabernet-based red from the Aconcagua Valley.  I've tasted it a couple of times and find it to be a likeable wine.  They call it "the signature wine of Chile."  I'm not sure whose signature it is, but I know with the fifty-dollar price tag on it, a lot of people will have trouble reading the handwriting.

Currently available: 

2006 Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc $14.99 375ml

1999 "Seña" $59.99 (last bottles)

 

LOS VASCOS

The Rothschilds of Château Lafite have investments around the globe. They purchased the Los Vascos property in the Colchagua Valley of Chile a few years ago.   With some 2000 hectares of land, vineyards cover 25% of the estate.  They make something like 200,000 cases of wine here annually. 

Initial efforts had lots of green bean aromas, a sign of over-cropped fruit (or, at least, immature grapes).  The latest Cabernets of "normal" designation have improved somewhat and the wines are quite respectable.  I'm not sure if, given the Rothschild name on the label, I'm not expecting a grander wine.  

We had been disappointed in their higher-priced reds early on, but the past couple of "Le Dix" bottlings have been stellar.  The 2006 is currently available.

The 2006 Reserve shows hints of "Lafite" in this Cabernet as the wine shows nice woodsy, pencil-shavings sorts of fragrances.  It's a medium-bodied red which actually has some elements of the grace and finesse of Lafite.   Since the 2002 vintage, each has gained in quality and complexity.   We are even willing to suggest this wine over most California Cabernets in a similar price range...that's a first!

 

 

 

The top-of-the-line wine is called Le Dix de Los Vascos, first made for the 10th anniversary of the Rothschild's "occupation" of the Chilean wine scene.  We tasted the 2003 and 2004 vintages and found them to be worthy of purchase.  Both are really exceptional, especially the 2004...you can actually smell and taste the "Lafite" influence in the wine.  It's impressive.  They skipped 2005 and the current bottling is 2007...exceptional!

Their basic bottling, a 2008, is a perfectly serviceable wine, but not in the same league in terms of quality or price.  If you're just having something simple such as mildly-seasoned lamb or beef, this is a good, solid bottle and reminiscent of basic, entry-level Bordeaux.

We have (finally) purchased our first white wine from Los Vascos.  They make a rather standard, ordinary Chardonnay and we've not been thrilled by that wine...

But the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is worth trying.  It's a blend of Sauvignon Blanc from different regions and perhaps this accounts for its special character.  We find it teeters on 'wild' or herbal notes typical of cool climate Sauvignons and citrusy/melon notes of warmer region wines.  No oak.  Dry.  Fresh and nicely expressive for a ten buck white wine.
Perfect as a cocktail white or with seafood dishes.

 

Currently available:  2008 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (list price $12) SALE $9.99
2007 Los Vascos Reserve Cabernet (list $20) SALE $16.99
2006 Le Dix de Los Vascos (list $50) SALE $44.99
2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc  $9.99

CONCHA y TORO

A humungous winery, these people sell but a modest amount of wine here in the U.S.  I read sales tallied to something like 2 million cases.  In the U.S. alone! 

 Much of their wine is basic "plonk."  They now are marketing the standard wines with the designation "Sunrise."  I suppose these are to be consumed out of coffee cups in the morning.  

Then they have their "Casillero del Diablo" label, a significantly better wine.  

The top of the line is a Cabernet bearing the "Don Melchor" label. 

Currently available: Cabernet/Merlot "Valle Central" $4.99  ($8.99 magnums)

Frontera Chardonnay "Valle Central"  SPECIAL $5.49

"Sunrise" Merlot  Valle Central   sale $5.99

"Casillero del Diablo" Casablanca Chardonnay $10.50

"Casillero del Diablo" Maipo Cabernet   $10.99

2006 "Don Melchor" Maipo Cabernet  SALE $69.99 (limited)
Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon $19.99

COUSIÑO MACUL

This famous Chilean winery has been in the hands of the Cousiño family since the mid-1800s.  
The winery is close to Santiago and vineyards were planted with cuttings brought back from Europe.  They, apparently, got vines from Germany (Riesling!), as well as France.  
One of their early winemakers was a French man who left during the scourge of the root-louse, Phylloxera.  His expertise helped establish a good name for Cousiño Macul. 
The wines from this producer are highly-regarded by Chileans.  I have tasted these wines over the years and think they were, perhaps, a bit more remarkable compared to their competitors some years ago. 

The current wines are of good quality, but not excitingly so. Still, these wines have their fans and we notice many customers who became familiar with these wines in Santiago.  

The 2008 Cabernet is 100% varietal and entirely from the Maipo Valley. Oak is not a major part of this wine...you'll find more black fruits (plums and blackberries) than anything else.  It's intended for immediate drinking or rather short term aging...I wouldn't keep this for more than a couple of years.

Currently in stock:  2008 Cabernet Sauvignon $9.99





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    Last modified: May 13,  2012