2007 Undurraga Syrah T.H.

Type: Red
Producer: Undurraga
Variety: Syrah
Designation: T.H.
Country: Chile
Region: Coquimbo
SubRegion: Limarí Valley
Price: $24
Disclosure- This was received as a free bottle sample.



Night One

The nose was very fruity, with a veritable fruit cocktail of blueberry, mulberry, black cherry, and a bit of strawberry. Surprisingly, there was far less fruit on the palate. It was darker, more brooding, with lots of black pepper and some grenache-like dried orange peel. Unsweetened chocolate showed up on the mid-palate.

Night Two

If the nose on Night One was a fruit cocktail, on Night Two it is mixed-fruit jam, with sweet jammy mulberry and plums, along with cedar and vanilla. On the palate, there was elderberry and some slightly artificial Grape Nehi flavoring. It brightened up slightly on the mid-palate shut showed too much wood, melting into brown sugar and vanilla. Tannins were mild, the finish short.

Conclusion

This is a pretty good pop-n-pour, offering interesting fruit and some pleasant secondary flavors. At $24 I think it is stretching the upper end of the reasonable price range for what it has to offer, but it is not, quite, over-priced.






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2007 Errazuriz Carménère Single Vineyard Don Maximiano Estate

Type: Red
Producer: Errazuriz
Variety: Carménère
Designation: Single Vineyard
Vineyard: Don Maximiano Estate
Country: Chile
Region: Aconcagua
Disclosure- This was received as a free bottle sample.



The Big Wooden Guy is a little hesitant to recommend this, but thinks it might have some cellar potential for improvement.

Night One

The first impression of the nose is "spicy," with black pepper and anise. Black cherries and blackcurrants also waft up from the glass. The palate offers similar flavors, with obvious use of wood, including vanilla and brown sugar, taking over on the mid-palate. Tannins are slightly gritty.

Night Two

The nose on Night Two was far more complex, starting with black cherry, black pepper and nutmeg, then adding blackberries and birch bark. On the palate, black cherry, blackberry and plums were the fruit on the attack. Vanilla and brown suger again appeared on the mid-palate. Tannins were smoother, less gritty, than on Night One. The mid-length finish was very sweet.

Conclusion

The improvement from Night One to Night Two might give a clue that this will improve with some time in the cellar. Will it ever be great? No, I don't think so, but it retails for less than $20.






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2007 Santa Carolina Carménère Reserva de Familia

Type: Red
Producer: Santa Carolina
Variety: Carménère
Designation: Reserva de Familia
Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley
SubRegion: Rapel Valley
Appellation: Rapel Valley
Disclosure- This was received as a free bottle sample.



The Big Wooden Guy is a bit hesitant. it has some promise, and it has a great QPR, but ultimately it's just not that terrific. "Pretty good, but a great value" is accurate, but, at least to me, underwhelming.

Night One

Imagine melting a stick of butter over a bowl full of dark fruit, then sprinkling it all with black pepper, and you will know the nose of this wine. The fruit in the bowl is dark and rich, mulberry and elderberry, with a tiny tell-tale hint of green pepper in the background that announces this wine is from Chile.

On the palate, the same dark fruit and butter appear on the attack, with obvious high alcohol, but high enough acidity to give balance. The "Chile!" green pepper appears on the mid-palate, along with some vanilla, but not an overpowering amount indicative of too much wood. This is a big, fruity wine. Tannins are sweet and silky, and it has a very good mouth-feel.

Night Two

The nose is similar to Night One, with the same butter over dark fruit, but now the green pepper is far more pronounced. The fruit on the palate is bit more tart than on Night One, more blackberry than mulberry, with a little bit of elderberry still there, along with black pepper. There is not as much green pepper as on the nose. Some vanilla, and now brown sugar, appear on the mid-palate. The finish falls off rather quickly.

This is a good QPR wine, but not really a great wine. It is also a pop-n-pour, not something to cellar for a long time or decant over several hours. With additional time the green pepper becomes more pronounced and the wood treatment more obvious and more cloying.






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2006 Viña Ventisquero Cabernet Sauvignon Root:1

Type: Red
Producer: Viña Ventisquero
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Designation: Root:1 [The Original Ungrafted]
Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley
SubRegion: Rapel Valley
Appellation: Colchagua Valley





Night One

The nose opens with blackcurants and blackberries, but has several underlying aromas, and they are not all pleasant. On the up-side, there is some birch root and some cardamom. On the down-side, though, there is a slight smell of old bell peppers sauteed too long in rancid butter.

There is no mistaking this for anything but an under-$20 South American cabernet. If you don't know what I mean by that, find a green pepper, cut the top off and scrape out the insides, bake it in a hot overn for five minutes, let cool. While it's cooling, go to the grocery store and find a California Cab, not Napa, not Sonoma, "CALIFORNIA." Bring it home and pour it into the cooked green pepper. Drink.

Or don't.

Blackberries and blackcurrants (in green pepper) are on the attack. Vanilla and sour plums (in green pepper) are on the mid-palate. Tannins are dusty, the finish cloying.

Can you tell I'm not loving this?

Night Two

The nose opens far more favorably on Night Two. It starts with black fruit- blackcurrants and blackberries, plus some tobacco leaf and, at the end of a deep whiff, some menthol.

Black fruit starts the attack, but with a background of green pepper. On the mid-palate there is some mocha, followed by a bit of vanilla and brown sugar. The finish falls off fairly quickly.





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2004 Viña Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Medalla Real Reserva Especial Single Estate

Type: Red
Producer: Viña Santa Rita
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Designation: Medalla Real Reserva Especial Single Estate
Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley
SubRegion: Maipo Valley
Price: $15.99



RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!

Me: "Oh, this is terrible. Do you want to try it?"

Wife: "Sure. ... OH DAMN! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?!?"

Me: "I told you it was terrible."

Wife: "You didn't say how terrible. Somebody had a bad day at work and pissed in the vat. That's what this tastes like."

Me: "But I warned you it was terrible. You wanted to try it."

Wife: "No, you just said 'terrible.' You didn't say 'this is really really awful, and you don't want to taste it.' You just said 'terrible,' and with you that can mean a little too sweet, not this vile brew."

Me: "But honey, sweetheart, I did say it was terrible."

Wife: "You'll pay for this, you bastard. Maybe not tonight, or even tomorrow, but you'll pay. I promise."

Me: "But sweetheart, I did say ... Oh, never mind. Sorry honey."

Wife: "You will be."

The Litle Wooden Guy didn't like it either.

TerraNoble Gran Reserva Carmenere 2007

Type Red
Producer TerraNoble
Variety Carménère
Designation Gran Reserva
Country Chile
Region Central Valley
SubRegion Maule Valley
Price $16.99 in Indianapolis



The Big Wooden Guy liked this Chilean charmer. We only took notes on Night One, since it was one of the Thanksgiving wines, and it did not last through to Night Two.

The nose was startling in its clear, unmistakable coffee smell, like fresh espresso. That was followed by some blackberries. Coffee was prevalent on the palate, too, with dark chocolate and blackberries. Tannins were very slightly dusty, but not obtrusive. This was a very enjoyable rich wine, a good food wine, and a great QPR.

2005 Viña Santa Rita Carménère 120

Type- Red
Producer- Viña Santa Rita
Variety- Carménère
Designation- 120
Country- Chile
Region- Central Valley
Appellation- Rapel Valley
Price- $5.99



If the Little Wooden Guy is running away you should too.

It's Wine Blogging Wednesday again, and WBW#52 comes from Cheap Wine Ratings, and the subject is Value Reds from Chile. Is this a "value red"? Well, it's $5.99, but it also isn't worth $5.99, or $4.99, or $3.99, or even $0.99. Value? Perhaps not.

Night One

The nose has some chocolate, some Slim Jim, loads of green- tomato leaves and green bell pepper. Smoked meat, blackberries and green flavors of arugula and tobacco leaves. Not much of a mid-palate. Finish is short.

After an hour or two more fruit is evident on the nose, mostly blueberry and some blackberry.

Night Two

The nose has green peppers, creosote and cherries. The palate, well, let's just say "not good."

Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Casablanca Valley, Chile
13% alcohol

My kids' Webkins got jealous of all the attention to the Wooden Guys. They did not get to drink the wine. They are too young. The Little Wooden Guy, on the other hand, liked this tropical/citrus summery white.

From the bottlenotes:

Los Vascos, one of Chile's oldest wine estates, is controlled by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), who began a comprehensive modernization and investment program in 1988. the 500-hectare vineyard is located in the Colchagua province which offers a healthy microclimate for its ungrafted pre-phylloxera Bordeaux rootstock. Under the direct technical supervision of the Domaines, Los Vascos is committed to producing the finest consistent and balanced wines whose elegance and harmony are to be shared with discriminating connaiseurs around the world.

Night One

Color is a very light pale straw, clear and bright.

The nose is very citrusy, mostly lime, and a little white grapefruit grapefruit, plus just enough of a tiny hint of "gooseberry" (better known to most as "litterbox") to say clearly it is Sauvignon Blanc. After a few seconds a softer tropical smell also comes through, reminiscent of lychee.

On the palate, just at irst, for perhaps half a second, banana is the primary flavor. That transitions almost instantly to citrus, then softens and sweetens on the midpalate, finishing with the taste of pears.

Second Night

The nose on the second night was softer, more tropical, opening with pineapple, key lime and lemons, along with the ubiquitous hint of cat.

The palate, too, is softer and more tropical. Pineapple, banana and lemon open before it turns into pure citrus, lemon and white grapefruit. The finish adds just the smallest flavour of pecans to the pears from the first night.

If you like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, if you think litter box is the apex of this varietal, this is not the wine for you. But if you like clean citrus and soft fruit this is a nice bottle of wine at a good price.