Wines of Chile
14th September 2006
Manchester
Chile’s winemaking history goes back some 450 years and the arrival of Spanish settlers, who found their new lands well suited to viticulture. Chile has some 112,000 hectares of vineyards stretching from the warmth of the Elqui and Limari Valleys in the north between the 30th and 31st parallels down to the cool climate Bío Bío (pronounced with short vowels, that is with the i as in bit and the o and hot) and Malleco Valleys in the south either side of the 38th parallel. The climate varies from the Atacma Desert to Antarctica, with the extremes of the Andes on the east and the calming influence of the Pacific in the west.
The cooler climate areas of the south and higher up the Andes are growing in importance, but the heartland of Chilean winemaking remains the large expanse of fertile flat land in the centre of the country, known collectively as the “Central Valley”, comprising (from north to south) the Maipo, Casablanca, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curico and Maule Valleys.
The climate in the Maule Valley is temperate, with rainfall mainly in the winter months and early spring. It has a wide temperature range, with diurnal variations of up to 18ºC, and even greater in the area close to the mountains. The soils vary from alluvial, loamy and volcanic to degraded granite.
The Colchagua Valley is dominated by the river Tinguiririca running from the Andes into the Pacific Ocean. The climate is tempered by the moderating maritime influence, and annual rainfall is lower than Maule, while the average temperature is around 14ºC.
The Casablanca Valley delivers some good white wines thanks in part to its microclimates. Even at the height of summer, a sea breeze often blows in lowering the temperature to around 9-10ºC. Nights are cool and there are frequent morning fogs, all of which combine to give the Casablanca valley a growing season that is often a month longer than in other areas.
Limari has a surprisingly moderate climate for its very northerly location thanks again to the influence of the Pacific.
Prices shown are indicative retail prices.
Anakena
www.anakenawines.cl
www.stratfordwine.co.uk
Based in Requinoia in the Rapel Valley,
Anakena is a modern winery established by Jorge Gutierrez and Chilean
entrepeneur Felipe Ibanez. The name Anakena apparently comes from that of a
beach on Easter Island.
The Anakena winery is a modern state of the art facility capable of producing
around 200,000 cases of wine a year from 250 hectares of vineyards owned by
Anakena in the Cachapoal, Colchagua and Casablanca Valleys.
2005 Anakena Merlot, Rapel Valley
(£5-£6)
A nice open, plummy nose. Very good character on the palate. A nice fresh,
clean, easy merlot. Very Good. 86/87/100
2005 Anakena Cabernet Sauvignon,
Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
A simple, minty cabernet sauvignon nose. Good fresh fruit on the palate.
Works well as an entry level wine. 86/100.
2005 Anakena Single Vineyard
Viognier, Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
A very nutty, almondy nose. Nice palate initially, but then it goes on to
fall apart a bit. Good. 82/100
2005 Anakena Single Vineyard
Riesling, Cachapoal Valley (£6-£8)
A fairly interesting nose: lots of candle-wax and a very odd hint of meths.
There is a bit more riesling character evident on the palate. Quite
minerally, but with a curious woody spiciness. Very strange wine, but there
is no obvious fault. 74/100
2004 Anakena Single Vineyard
Carmenère, Cachapoal Valley (£6-£8)
A nice nose redolent of dry hedgerows and sawdust. Lovely ripe fruit on the
palate. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2005 Anakena Single Vineyard Pinot
Noir, Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
A very scented nose with soft red berry fruits. Quite scented and perfumed
on the palate too, which gives it a hard edge. But it then finishes well.
Good/Very Good. 85/100
2003 Anakena Ona Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot Carmenère, Cachapoal Valley (£8-£10)
50% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 25% carmenère.
A nice, claretty nose. Very chewy palate with lots of tannic structure
dominating at the moment. Fine. 82/100 with a potential for 87/100.
2005 Anakena Ona Pinot Noir Merlot
Syrah Viognier, Cachapoal Valley (£8-£10)
80% pinot noir, 14% merlot, 3% syrah, 3% viognier
This has a damn weird nose: there’s red fruits, thyme and roast pork,
especially its crackling. It’s remarkable how a mere 3% viognier can assert
its presence! Very odd on the palate – as odd as the nose. What’s
remarkable is how non-integrated it is and how the different grapes appear
to queue up to hit your palate: you taste the pinot noir, then the merlot,
then the viognier, each after the other. This is mental and crazy … but
oddly drinkable. 86/100
2005 Anakena Ona Syrah, Cachapoal
Valley (£8-£10)
A cask sample – the wine is about to bottled in the next week or two back in
Chile. There are ripe dark fruits on the nose, along with some chocolate
and tobacco. Good palate, with nice fruit, though not overripe. Good
balance. 87/100
Arboleda
www.arboledawines.com
Arboleda is a new project, based in the Aconcagua Valley and overseen by Eduardo
Chadwick, the President of Errazuriz, producing wines which aim to highlight
varietal character and Chilean terroir. Eduardo Chadwick oversees all aspects
of Arboleda, with viticulturist Ricardo Rodriguez and winemaker Francisco
Baettig.
2006 Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda
(£8-£10)
Produced entirely in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation.
Decent nose with lots of green peas. Very fresh, yet quite rounded on the
palate. Fairly powerful stuff. 86/100
2005 Arboleda Chardonnay, Casablanca
Valley (£8-£10)
100% barrel fermented, with around 40% undergoing malolactic fermentation.
Quite a leesy, cheesy nose. Very good palate with lots of weight and depth
and a nice leesy character. 87/100
2004 Arboleda Shiraz, Colchagua
Valley (£8-£10)
Quite a ripe, sweet nose. Nice character on the palate. Young and a bit
light and a bit austere. Very Good. 87/100
2004 Arboleda Carmenère, Colchagua
Valley (£8-£10)
95% carmenère, 5% merlot
Pencil shavings and hedgerow fruit on the nose. Good palate. Nice and
integrated. Very good finish. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
Seña
Seña was founded in the early 1990s, the first release being the 1995 vintage.
Again overseen by Eduardo Chadwick, who is working towards biodynamic principles
and bringing out the terroir in the Seña Hillside Vineyard in the Aconcagua
Valley.
2003 Seña, Acongagua Valley
52% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 6% carmenère, 2% cabernet franc
There is restrained and very balanced fruit on the nose. Very good on the
palate: this is a really well balanced blend and nicely integrated. Good
structure. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2001 Seña, Acongagua Valley
This has a touch more merlot and a touch less cabernet than the 2003.
A very integrated nose: very attractive. Lovely palate. Very elegant, very
clean and almost refreshing. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100.
Viña Garcés Silva: Amayna
www.vgs.cl
paragonvintners.co.uk
Leyda is a new appellation on the western (seaward) side of the Coastal Mountain
Range in the San Antonio province: the climate here is cooler, with light sea
breezes and later harvests. 2006 is the third vintage for Viña Garcés Silva’s
Amayna label.
2006 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc, Viña
Garcés Silva, Leyda
Deliciously crisp and fresh nose. This is a really good forward sauvignon
blanc with quite a minerally character. Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
2005 Amayna Chardonnay, Viña Garcés
Silva, Leyda
A fairly simple, fresh chardonnay nose. Nice weight and balance on the
palate. This is really growing on me. It seemed simple at first, but it
was very cold at first, and with a bit of time, it really opened up on the
palate. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2005 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc Barrel
Fermented, Viña Garcés Silva, Leyda
A nice rich, balanced nose. This has taken the barrel fermentation very
well indeed. This has really good character, and it’s much more drinkable
that the stainless steel fermented 2006 and much friendlier. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
2004 Amayna Pinot Noir, Viña Garcés
Silva, Leyda
A nice earthy nose. Quite Burgundian in style – a very young Burgundy, that
is. Decent elegance on the palate and nicely together with good fruit and a
fair concentration. But, oh dear, it falls apart on the finish quite a
bit. 85/100
Viña Estampa
www.estampa.com
www.mckinleyvintners.co.uk
The Estampa winery is located in the Colchagua Valley and owned by the González Ortiz family. The Estampa philosophy is based around blended wines: they make no single varietal wines at all. The wines are made with their own grapes, with the exception of the VC5 Sauvignon Blanc, though from 2005 that will be made from their own grapes too. There are three elements to the Estampa range: an entry-level range of wines made from two varieties; a range of reserve wines from three varieties; and a Gold Assemblage range, which will be made from four varieties from the 2004 vintage (a mere three varieties until 2003).
2005 Estampa VC5, Viña Estampa,
Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
60% viognier, 40% chardonnay
A clean fresh nose. Nicely balanced. Lots of good character. This is a
very good food wine and I could see it working well with fish, shellfish and
charcuterie. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2005 Estampa Reserve Sauvignon Blanc,
Viña Estampa, Central Valley (£6-£8)
70% sauvignon blanc, 15% chardonnay, 15% viognier
A fragrant rich nose with a sweet nutty background. Good, clean palate.
Finishes very cleanly and has very good length. Very lingering after. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
2004 Estampa Merlot Cabernet
Sauvignon, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
85% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon
Very good nose with nice black fruit and lots of interest. The nose really
smacks of quality. There’s a nice freshness too. Good, lightish palate.
Really good flavours. Very interesting without being challenging. Very
Good Indeed+. 92/100
2004 Estampa Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
60% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot
A fresh nose dominated by blackcurrant fruit and with a hint of tobacco.
Rather light on the palate. Less successful than the merlot-cabernet blend
above. 85/100
2004 Estampa Syrah Cabernet
Sauvignon, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
85% syrah, 15% cabernet sauvignon
A fairly big nose with solid ripe fruit. Good balance. Fairly big. Fairly
standard stuff. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Estampa Carmenère Merlot, Viña
Estampa, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
85% carmenère, 15% merlot
This has a very interesting nose, followed up by a lovely palate. There’s
nice complexity and good balance. Very interesting on the finish, with lots
of character. Yet alongside the complexity and depth, it still has a nice
lightness. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2005 Estampa Malbec Petite Syrah,
Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
The nose is a bit closed with black fruit and hedgerows. Nice balance in
the mouth and very attractive. Quite big and quite powerful. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
2004 Estampa Reserve
Syrah-Cabernet-Merlot, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£6-£8)
A blend of syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.
This has a good balanced nose with nice fruit characters. This seems to me
much more serious than the other reserve wines, and it’s also rather more
challenging. Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2004 Estampa Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon Carmenère Petit Verdot, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£6-£8)
60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% carmenère, 15% petit verdot
Again, a good balanced nose that’s very attractive. Quite big with lots of
tannins. This seems less successful. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Estampa Reserve Carmenère
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£6-£8)
50% carmenère, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 15% cabernet franc
A lovely nose with sweet vanilla and dusty tobacco. Very interesting and
balanced on the palate. Nice weight. This blend works very well. Very
Good Indeed. 91/100
2003 Estampa Gold Assemblage
Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£9-£12)
50% syrah, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot
A rich, fairly sweet nose. Juicy ripe fruit on the palate. Very good
balance. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2003 Estampa Gold Assemblage
Carmenère-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£9-£12)
60% carmenère, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot
Rather nice nose with sawdust and deep black fruit. Really needs time –
maybe five years, but I think it’s going to repay patience. A very
impressive wine. Great balance. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
2004 Estampa Gold Assemblage
Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Malbec, Viña Estampa, Colchagua Valley
(£9-£12)
This has a rich, ripe nose with much more elegance than the two 3002 Gold
Assemblage wines. Really good palate. This is already much more
integrated. A very impressive wine indeed. Excellent. 94/100
Viña
Calina
www.calina.com
www.kj.com (Jackson Wine Estates)
Viña Calina was established by Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke in 1994 with a
state of the art winery in the 95 hectares of the El Maiten estate in the Maule
Valley, near the town of Talca. The name Calina apparently comes from the name
of the early morning mist that descends from the mountains. Fruit is also
bought in from the Maule, Colchagua, Casablanca and Limari Valleys. The red
wines are fermented in high maceration tanks followed by malolactic fermentation
and ageing in French and American oak. 75% of the Chardonnay is fermented and
matured in oak, the remainder in stainless steel.
The Alcance range are all made entirely with their own, estate-grown fruit.
2004 Calina Reserva Cabernet
Sauvignon, Viña Calina, Colchagua Valley (£6-£8)
100% cabernet sauvignon, 90% of which comes from the Colchagua, and 10% from
the Maule. Fermented in tanks, and then transferred to barriques (half
French, half American) for malolactic fermentation and 9 months maturation.
This has a dull nose, followed by a dull palate, and it feels a bit dilute.
Soft, grainy tannins on the finish. 78/100
2005 Calina Reserva Cabernet
Sauvignon, Viña Calina, Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
The 2005 is again 100% cabernet sauvignon, but blends three different
terroirs: 60% comes from Colchagua, 30 from Cachapoal and 10% from Maule.
Again, matured in barriques for nine months, but for the 2005 80% was French
oak. This is much better than the 2004 with a lot more varietal typicity.
Even and rounded on the palate. Good balance. A bit dull overall. Good.
84/100
2004 Calina Reserva Carmenère, Viña
Calina, Maule Valley (£6-£8)
80% carmenère from the Maule Valley, 11% cabernet sauvignon also from Maule
and a further 9% cabernet sauvignon, but from the Colchagua Valley. Aged in
French and American oak for nine months.
This has a toasty raw wood and sawdust nose with some black fruit. Very
nice on the palate with lots of depth and character. Very Good Indeed.
89/100
2005 Calina Reserva Carmenère, Viña
Calina, Maule Valley (£6-£8)
89% carmenère, 11% cabernet sauvignon, all from the Maule Valley. A closed,
smoky tobacco and sawdust nose. Decent palate with good character. Fairly
even and a bit lacking in complexity. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Calina Reserva Chardonnay, Viña
Calina, Casablanca Valley (£6-£8)
90% of the fruit came from the Casablanca Valley, 10% from Limari. 75%
fermented in French oak barriques, the remainder in stainless steel. This
has a nice fruity, melony nose. Quite big on the palate. Very full and
really very powerful stuff indeed. But it doesn’t carry off all that power
at all well and fells unbalanced. 81/100
2005 Calina Reserva Chardonnay, Viña
Calina, Casablanca Valley (£6-£8)
100% chardonnay, all from Casablanca; 75% fermented in French oak, 25% in
stainless steel.
A bit closed on the nose. Simple and unexceptional. 82/100
2004 Calina Reserva Merlot, Viña
Calina, Maule Valley (£6-£8)
87% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon
A decent black fruit nose. Very simple on the palate. Really rather thin.
Very uninteresting. OK. 78/100
2005 Calina Reserva Merlot, Viña
Calina, Maule Valley (£6-£8)
85% merlot (from Maule), 15% cabernet sauvignon (from Rapel)
A dull, uninteresting nose. Pleasant if very simple. Fine, just very
dull. 80/100
2005 Alcance Cabernet Sauvignon 2005,
Viña Calina, Maule Valley
85% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot
A very closed nose with a bit of blackcurrant fruit. Good balance on the
palate with lots of structure. But it lacks character and interest. Very
Good. 85/100
2005 Alcance Carmenère, Viña Calina,
Maule Valley
85% carmenère, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot.
This has a toasty, sawdust and black fruit nose. Fairly concentrated on the
palate and with lots of tannic structure. Good finish. Very Good. 86/100
2005 Alcance Merlot, Viña Calina,
Maule Valley
75% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon
This has a fairly closed nose with some black fruit and tobacco. It has
quite an oaky feel on the palate with ripe fruit. A bit unbalanced. Good.
83/100
2003 Bravura, Viña Calina, Colchagua
Valley
This is the top of Calina’s range with a price tag to match of around £28 a
bottle. It is a blend of 80% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 5%
carmenère. It has a big, ripe nose with decently integrated oak and fruit.
Rich and very full on the palate. Very big and powerful. There is ripe
fruit with nice character: not overripe and not oversweet or jammy. Good,
integrated tannic structure. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
Viña Leyda
www.leyda.cl
www.playfordros.com
The Leyda Valley is a new appellation in the San Antonio province. It lies on the seaward side of the Coastal Mountain Range, only 14 km from the Pacific Ocean, 25 km south-west of Casablanca and 95km from Santiago. Traditionally, Leyda was an area of pasture and arable farming, dominated by wheat and barley. In 1997 an 8km pipeline was constructed to bring water from the Maipo River.
The Leyda Valley’s proximity to the sea gives very cool, but frost-free conditions, assisted by the Humboldt Current. It has a moderate, rainy winter with an annual rainfall of 250mm and a dry summer. Maximum temperatures are in the region of 24-25ºC with a diurnal range of 15ºC in summer. The ripening period is long and slow and particularly suits sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir.
Viña Leyda was founded in 1997 by the Fernandez family and currently has 80 hectares of vines in the Leyda Valley. The vineyards in the Leyda Valley were planted in 1998/99 and the winery (state-of-the-art naturally) was completed in 2000, ready for the first vintage in 2001. Other varieties are grown in other prime regions: those vineyards are not their own, but managed under long-term contracts, so the grapes are not simply bought in.
2005 Viña Leyda Sauvignon Blanc,
Garuma Vineyard, Leyda Valley (£6-£8)
The Garuma vineyard is planted on a west facing slope with plenty of cool
breezes from the coast that provides a slow and steady ripening process. 5%
of the fruit is fermented and matured in second use oak barriques. It has a
crisp green pea and cat’s pee nose. Good clean palate. Not over exciting,
but very pleasant. Very Good. 87/100
2006 Viña Leyda Chardonnay Clasico
Reserva, Leyda Valley, (£5-£6)
Made entirely in stainless steel, with the lees worked for five months. The
wine has a gentle, fresh nose. There’s a nice texture on the palate with
good weight and excellent balance. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2004 Viña Leyda Chardonnay Falaris
Hill Vineyard, Leyda Valley (£6-£8)
The Falaris vineyard is a small block located in a southeast facing slope in
the Leyda Valley with particularly low soil fertility. This spends 4-5
months in oak.
It has a rich, buttery nose with some toastiness and some fragrance.
Rounded and easy, if a bit simple. Very Good. 86/100
2005 Viña Leyda Merlot Clasico
Reserva, Rapel Valley
From a ten year old vineyard in the Rapel Valley. The wine is aged for
eight months in French oak.
This has a warm, slightly woody nose. It’s a nice, easy merlot. Good
balance and nice weight. Good fruit. Very Good. 87/100
2005 Viña Leyda Pinot Noir Las Brisas,
Leyda Valley (£6-£8)
The Las Brisas vineyard is on a southwest facing slope. On the nose,
there’s lots of minty raspberry fruit. Very young and simple, but I found
it growing on me. Excellent finish with nice spice. Very Good Indeed.
90/100
2004 Viña Leyda Carmenère Talkuena
Single Vineyard, Colchagua Valley (£6-£8)
This carmenère comes from a vineyard in the upper part of the Colchagua
Valley: Colchagua has a very warm climate, which is well-suited to
carmenère, which needs a warm climate to ripen properly. Yields in the
Talkuena vineyard are low, and the resulting wine spends a year in French
oak.
This has a complex, concentrated nose. Big and smooth on the palate, with
lots of ripe fruit and a nice concentration. A very complex, enjoyable
wine. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2002 Viña Leyda Syrah Talkuena Single
Vineyard, Colchagua Valley (£6-£8)
This Syrah spends eight months in American oak. It has a really attractive
nose, with the fruit and oak in very good balance. Quite beautiful on the
palate with a ripe richness of blackberry fruit without being oversweet.
Excellent balance. Excellent. 93/100
2004 Viña Leyda Cabernet Sauvignon
Single Vineyard, Maipo Valley (£6-£8)
There’s minty eucalyptus and blackcurrants on the nose. Very good
flavours. Works really well in the mouth with lovely balance. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
2005 Viña Leyda Carmenère Clasico
Reserva, Central Valley
This is made from a mixture of grapes from both
the Maipo and Colchagua Valleys, hence the more generic appellation. An
attractive nose with black fruit, tobacco and wood. Good, clean palate:
full and big. Perhaps a bit lacking in character. Lots of spicy oak is
apparent on the finish. Very Good. 86/100
Viña Mar
www.vinamar.cl
www.ehrmannswines.co.uk
Viña Mar was established in 2002 as a fine
wine brand of the Southern Sun Wine Group. It is situated in the Casablanca
Valley, 80 km west of Santiago and 18km from the Pacific Ocean.
The 2006 wines were all tank samples.
2006 Viña Mar Sauvignon Blanc Reserva,
Casablanca Valley (£5-£6)
Fresh and crisp on the nose. Good clean palate. Nicely made. Very
pleasant and pleasing. Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2006 Viña Mar Sauvignon Blanc Reserva
Especial, Casablanca Valley (£6-£8)
Made with riper grapes, harvested later and with more selection that the
ordinary reserva. Made entirely in stainless steel with as little skin
contact as possible. There’s a bit of green mango on the nose, and overall
it’s a much more tropical fruity nose. Lovely palate, nice and different,
but still clearly sauvignon blanc. Very Good Indeed/Excellent. 93/100
2006 Viña Mar Chardonnay Reserva,
Casablanca Valley (£5-£6)
Made entirely in stainless steel. This has a decent rich chardonnay nose
decent typicity. Very well balanced on the palate. Fresh and clean, with
very good fruit character. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2005 Viña Mar Chardonnay Reserva
Especial, Casablanca Valley (£6-£8)
Barrel fermented. This has a pleasant, almost peachy nose. Good rich
palate. Well balanced. But feels a bit overdone. Good/Very Good. 86/100
2005 Viña Mar Merlot Reserva,
Casablanca Valley (£5-£6)
This has an attractive nose with dark, sweet plummy fruit and a bit of
tobacco and chocolate. This is a decent, well made merlot. Quite
interesting, but it doesn’t excite. Good. 85/100
2004 Viña Mar Merlot Reserva
Especial, Casablanca Valley (£6-£8)
Corked.
2004 Viña Mar Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserva, Colchagua Valley (£5-£6)
This has a nice nose, with remarkably minerally black cabernet fruit.
Lovely palate, with very rich and concentrated black fruit. Very intense.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2003 Viña Mar Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserva Especial, Maipo Valley (£6-£8)
Very dull, smoky blackcurrant fruit, seems corked, or is it auto-suggestion
from the previous but one wine? Very flat on the palate. No, it’s corked.
The winemaker’s also poured himself a glass and is looking very concerned by
it too. We agree it’s not right, though he’s oddly reluctant to blame the
cork.
2004 Viña Mar Cabernet Sauvignon
Carmenère Reserva Especial, Maipo Valley (£6-£8)
60% cabernet sauvignon; 40% carmenère
A really lovely nose: dark fruits with some dry raw wood. Lovely palate,
with lots of character. This is very pleasant indeed with lots of
interest. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
Casas del Toqui
www.casasdeltoqui.cl
Viña Casas del Toqui is a joint venture between the Granella family, an old and
respected Chilean family and the Bordeaux Château Larose Trintaudon. The wines
are not currently available in the UK.
The Reservas have 20% new American oak and 80% used French and American oak. The Prestige range see 70% new French oak and 30% second use French oak.
2005 El Toqui Cabernet Sauvignon,
Casas del Toqui, Rapel Valley
Very fresh, slightly sour fruit nose. This is a nice, clean simple cabernet
sauvignon with very young fruit. Good. 84/100
2005 El Toqui Merlot, Casas del Toqui,
Rapel Valley
A nice fresh plummy nose. Forward fruit on the palate. But just isn’t
together and almost falls apart in the mouth. OK ish. 79/100
2005 El Toqui Cabernet Sauvignon -
Merlot, Casas del Toqui, Rapel Valley
50% cabernet sauvignon, 50% merlot
There’s fresh red and black fruit on the nose. Very pleasant on the palate
with lovely juicy fruit. Very clean with a nice gentle structure. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
2006 El Toqui Chardonnay, Casas del
Toqui, Rapel Valley
A rather slight nose. Very zingy fresh fruit on the palate. This is very,
very young, but once it’s got over the shock of bottling and transport, this
should be pretty decent stuff. 84-87/100
2006 Semillon, Casas del Toqui, Rapel
Valley
A nice creamy nose with some citrus notes. Very good on the palate. Very
pleasant drinking. Good balance and character, and quite refreshing. Very
Good+ 88/100
2005 El Toqui Chardonnay Reserva,
Casas del Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
Aged for 6 months in oak. This has a big creamy nose with some lees
character. Rather good on the palate, this has an interesting nutty note
towards the finish. Very Good+. 88/100
2004 El Toqui Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserva, Casas del Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
There’s oaky, smoky, blackcurrant fruit on the nose, but it’s not over the
top, and almost feels a bit reticent. Lovely ripe, juicy fruit on the
palate. Very Good+. 88/100
2003 El Toqui Merlot Reserva, Casas
del Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
Very attractive on the nose: fresh and fruity. Nice and juicy on the palate
with a real delicious note. Fills out well in the mouth. Perhaps lacking a
bit in varietal character. 87/100
2002 El Toqui Cabernet Sauvignon
Prestige, Casas del Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
Very nice nose: balanced and fairly concentrated. In the mouth, it’s very
concentrated, though not at all overripe. Nicely integrated. Very Good
Indeed. 92/100
2004 El Toqui Chardonnay Prestige,
Casas del Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
This has spent a year in French oak with regular batonnage. It has a big,
buttery, leesy nose with some bananas and pear drops along with some
caramelly cognac notes. Remarkably similar on the palate to the nose with
some most unusual cognac flavours to the fore. Rather strange. 84/100
2001 Leyenda del Toqui, Casas del
Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
90% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot that spends a year in new French oak.
This has a lovely nose with dark, elegant cassis fruit. Very elegant on the
palate; very claretty in style, except that it would knock spots off a lot
of claret. Excellent. 94/100
2002 Late Harvest Semillon, Casas del
Toqui, Cachapoal Valley
Late harvest with no botrytis. The nose is a bit dull, slightly grapey with
scents of apples and pears, but it’s very dull on the nose. Decent palate.
But really just a bit dull. Good+. 84/100
Viña Requingua
www.requingua.cl
Viña Requingua is a family owned winery
located in the heart of Chile’s Curico Valley. The current owner, Santiago
Achurra, took over in 1961. The estate covers over 1000 hectares, 450 hectares
of which are under vines.
The wines on show were all straight off the plane, and the 2006s, moreover, were
freshly bottled. The wines are not yet available in the UK.
2004 Potro de Piedra, Viña Requingua,
Curicó Valley
Made from hand-picked cabernet sauvignon grapes, which were gently crushed
and underwent two to three days of cold maceration before fermentation.
Aged for fourteen months in new French oak and then bottled unfiltered and
matured for a year before release.
Unfortunately, although bottles were on the stand, this was not available
for tasting at they deemed it not ready.
2004 Toro de Piedra, Viña Requingua,
Curicó Valley
A blend of 50% syrah and 50% cabernet sauvignon, aged in a mixture of French
and American oak for 8-9 months. Unfortunately, both bottles available for
tasting were corked.
2003 Toro de Piedra Cabernet
Sauvignon Reserve, Viña Requingua, Curicó Valley
100% cabernet sauvignon, hand-harvested and carefully selected. The wine
was fermented with selected yeasts in stainless steel vats before ageing in
French and American oak for eight months.
This has a very closed, very deep, rich blackcurrant fruit nose with some
roasted notes. It has a good, clean palate and a nice weight. Big and
spicy on the finish. Good stuff all round and not overdone. Very Good+.
88/100
2005 Puerto Viejo Chardonnay, Curicó
Valley (£4.99)
This comes in a hessian wrapped bottle and is from a lesser range than the
other wines. The nose is full with stone fruit scents. This is a decent
very basic easy chardonnay. Could probably be a good seller given the
distinctive packaging. Good. 83/100
2006 Puerto Viejo Sauvignon Blanc
Reserva, Viña Requingua, Curicó Valley
The bottle comes with a wooden label, which actually looks well and nowhere
near as naff as it sounds.
A crisp, very clean sauvignon blanc nose. Quite zingy. Clearly not rested
and very young obviously. Yet still very pleasant. 87/100
2004 Puerto Viejo Merlot Reserva,
Viña Requingua, Curicó Valley
Again with a wooden label. The nose has some oddly dusty black fruit. Some
interesting flavours on the palate, though perhaps not especially
identifiable as merlot. It has some toasty oak flavours on the palate,
though the tannins are well in check. Excellent length. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Puerto Viejo Carmenère Reserva,
Viña Requingua, Curicó Valley
With the wooden label again. An attractive nose with black fruits and lots
of tobacco. Very good and nice and interesting on the palate, this has lots
of character. Very good finish, with a soft tannic structure. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
2005 Puerto Viejo Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserva, Viña Requingua, Curicó Valley
A nice warm, young blackcurrant nose. Very young on the palate. Very fresh
and easy. A lovely undemanding drink with some style. Very Good. 88/100
Santa Carolina
www.santacarolina.com
www.percyfox.com
Santa Carolina’s origin lies back in 1875 when the Chilean mining magnate Don Luis Pereira planted a vineyard outside Santiago. He commissioned a French oenologist to source vines from Bordeaux and a French architect to design the cellar. The original cellar is now a Chilean national monument and still in use. I tasted the budget Antares range, which all retail for under £5, although the main market appears to be the on-trade.
2006 Antares Sauvignon Blanc, Santa
Carolina, Central Valley
A fresh, crisp, fruity nose. Very pleasant
drinking. Nothing wrong with this at all. Really good value for money.
88/100
2005 Antares Chardonnay, Santa
Carolina, Central Valley
Lovely, clean, fresh nose. Very good on the palate: clean, fresh and
refreshing. Again superb value for money. 88/100
2005 Antares Merlot, Santa Carolina,
Central Valley
A good, clean, plummy merlot nose. This is a good, simple, easy and very
drinkable merlot. Great value at under a fiver. 87/100
2005 Antares Cabernet Sauvignon,
Santa Carolina, Central Valley
A young but integrated cabernet nose with good blackcurrant fruit. Good
balance on the palate; this seems very well made. Delicious, easy
drinking. 88/100
2005 Antares Carmenère, Santa
Carolina, Central Valley
Quite a slight nose that could do with more varietal character, but still
attractive. Pretty impressive stuff, and it goes down well. 88/100
2006 Antares Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé,
Santa Carolina, Central Valley
The nose is fairly slight. Good palate, with a touch of harshness, but not
over-worrying. Again, good value for money, though this seems the weakest
of the Antares range. 86/100
Geo Wines
www.geowines.cl
Geo Wines work with a number of estates, consulting on both the winemaking and
commercial distribution of the wines. Through their winemaking team of Alvaro
Espinoza and Juan Carlos Faundez, they have developed a number of new wines
under the Chono and Quinta de Viluco brands.
2004 Chono San Lorenzo Estate, Maipo
Valley (£8-£10)
44% carmenère, 41% syrah, 15% cabernet sauvignon
A nice integrated nose. Velvety palate with loads of character. This is
not a simple wine and not especially easy, but it repays attention. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
2005 Chono Carmenère, Central Valley
(£6-£8)
(A tank sample.) Nice nose with cherries and raw, sawn wood. Rich and full
on the palate with good balance and concentration. Very Good Indeed.
89/100
2004 Chono Cabernet Sauvignon,
Central Valley (£6-£8)
A slightly dusty blackcurrant nose. This is a fairly straightforward
cabernet sauvignon. Good. 83/100
2006 Chono Sauvignon Blanc, Bío Bío
Valley (£6-£8)
(A tank sample.) Very crisp on the nose and not giving much away at the
moment. Fine, if a bit dull. Good. 84/100
2006 Chono Riesling, Bío Bío Valley
(£6-£8)
This was a tank sample. Also sold under the Pali label.
Light and floral on the nose with a touch of lime. Decent palate. There’s
a lot of acidity, which shows itself as a bit of harshness. Not a good
riesling. OK/Good. 82/100
2005 Cucao Carmenère Cabernet
Sauvignon, Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
85% carmenère, 15% cabernet sauvignon.
Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of carmenère evident on the nose, just
lots of black fruit. Very full and meaty on the palate with a bit of a
bitter chocolate note and some sweet-sour elements on the finish. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
2006 Cucao Sauvignon Blanc, DO
Mulchen, Bío Bío Valley (£5-£6)
Also labelled as Pali for distribution by Moreno Wines. This has a floral,
fragrant nose with some minerality. This is a nice friendly style of
sauvignon blanc with really good character on the palate. Very enjoyable.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2005 Cucao Chardonnay, Casablanca
Valley (£5-£6)
85% chardonnay, 15% marsanne that spends ten months in French oak. This has
an interesting, fragrant nose. A lovely mouthful – this is a very good cool
climate chardonnay. Nice, easy drinking. The marsanne really lifts it,
especially on the finish, in a lovely way. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Viña Quintay,
Casablanca Valley (£8-£9)
Made by a different winemaker to the 2006 Quintay and Clava sauvignon blancs.
Quite a leesy, cheesy nose with lots of asparagus. Full on the palate and
much more typically sauvignon blanc than the 2006 Quintay and Clava
sauvignon blancs, and it just seems a bit more clumsy. Good. 84/100
2006 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, Viña
Quintay, Casablanca Valley (£8-£9)
This spends three months ageing in oak, and had only just come out of oak at
the time of tasting: this was a tank sample. Really very closed on the
nose. Very pleasant and in quite a lean style. 88/100
2006 Clava Classic Sauvignon Blanc,
Viña Quintay, Casablanca Valley (£6.99 ish)
This was another tank sample again. This sauvignon is completely unoaked.
It has a very fresh, elegant, floral nose. Very fresh and crisp on the
palate. Very pleasant drinking, though it doesn’t scream sauvignon blanc.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2005 Quinta de Viluco Special
Reserve, Maipo Valley
A tank sample. This has a good smoky, rich, cassis nose. Very ripe fruit
on the palate. Loads of unintegrated oak (naturally – this isn’t in bottle
yet). Needs 3-4 years when it should be Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2005 Quinta De Viluco Syrah Special
Reserve, Maipo Valley
Another tank sample. This has a very serious chocolatey, plummy nose and is
almost Douro-like, even with some porty overtones on the nose.
Unfortunately the palate isn’t as good as the nose would suggest, and it
seems a bit ordinary. I have to admit I’m not sure how this will turn out
when ready. Very Good. 86/100
Botalcura
www.botalcura.cl
www.alliancewine.com
Botalcura is a modern winery that grows its own fruit and buys in from the most suitable region for each variety. Botalcura produces two ranges of premium wines: El Desirio and Porfia. The El Desirio Reserve wines are blends, including a chardonnay/viognier and a syrah/malbec, that aim at purity. The Porfia Grand Reserve wines are also blendsl, but aim to be bigger, more powerful wines.
2004 Merlot Reserve El Delirio,
Botalcura, Central Valley (£6-£8)
95% merlot, 1% carignan, 2% syrah, 2% nebbiolo
This has a really nice nose with lots of deep, dark plummy fruit. Lovely
palate: rich and silky. This has good fruit and character. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
2003 Carmenère Grand Reserve La Porfia, Botalcura, Curicó Valley (£8-£10)
85% carmenère, 9% malbec, 6% merlot, harvested very late. This has a very
attractive nose with raspberry and blackberry fruit and some pencil
shavings. Concentrated and rich on the palate. This is a very fine wine
and very together. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
2004 Malbec Grand Reserve La Porfia,
Botalcura, Maipo Valley (£8-£10)
85% malbec, 15% cabernet sauvignon
This has some good dark fruit on the nose, feeling very integrated and
balanced. An interesting mouthful, with good fruit and masses of
structure. A good wine, though at the moment it’s quite hard work. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
Viña La Ronciere
www.laronciere.com
La Ronciere is a family owned estate that has been producing wine from 200 hectares of vineyards in the Cachapoal and Colchagua valleys since 1949. In addition to the entry level Los Espinos wines, they produce two ranges of wines: the Classic range and the Reserva range. The Classic wines are intended to highlight varietal character with fruity wines. The Reserva wines are more structure and fuller flavoured with greater use of oak: the chardonnay is fermented and matures on its lees in French oak, while the sauvignon blanc is aged in oak for six months. Apparently, the reds are micro-oxygenated.
2006 Los Espinos Sauvignon Blanc,
Rapel Valley (£4-£5)
A nice, straightforward sauvignon blanc nose with nice gooseberry fruit.
Good palate: a nice easy drinking sauvignon. This has more to it than the
La Ronciere Classic Sauvignon Blanc. Good/Very Good. 86/100
2006 Los Espinos Chardonnay, Rapel
Valley (£4-£5)
A fairly rich, straightforward nose. Full and round on the palate. A very
good simple chardonnay with nice character on the finish. Very Good.
87/100
2005 Los Espinos Merlot, Rapel Valley
(£4-£5)
A fairly dull nose with plummy fruit. There’s juicy, delicious fruit on the
palate, but it has some depth and finishes very well. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed. 88/100
2005 Los Espinos Shiraz Cabernet
Sauvignon, Rapel Valley (£4-£5)
60% shiraz, 40% cabernet sauvignon
There’s good, clean, dark fruit on the nose with a touch of oak. Nice sweet
fruit on the palate with good structure. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
88/100
2006 Sauvignon Blanc Classic, La
Ronciere, Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
The nose is fresh and round, and a bit smoky. Fairly full on the palate. A
decent enough sauvignon blanc. Good. 85/100
2006 Chardonnay Classic, La Ronciere,
Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
A rich chardonnay nose with some peachiness. Ripe and full on the palate.
Fairly straightforward, but very pleasant. Nice finish. Very Good. 87/100
2005 Merlot Classic, La Ronciere,
Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
The nose is very fruity with fresh, young plummy dark berry fruit. Very
fruity on the palate too. Simple and fresh and easy. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed. 88/100
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Classic, La
Ronciere, Rapel Valley (£5-£6)
The nose is smoky and redolent of wet hedgerows, somewhat lacking in fruit.
A good simple cabernet sauvignon. Good. 84/100
2005 Chardonnay Reserva, La Ronciere,
Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
Fermented and matured on its lees in French oak. The nose has sweet peach
and melon with vanilla notes. But on the nose it’s a bit dulled. Good.
84/100
2005 Merlot Reserva, La Ronciere,
Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
A bit closed on the nose with some plummy fruit. Nicely integrated. This
comes across quite simple at first but develops some depth and good
character in the mouth. Very Good. 87/100
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, La
Ronciere, Rapel Valley (£6-£8)
Fairly dull, characterless nose. Decent enough on the palate, but not
really particularly interesting. Good. 83/100.
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Last updated: 21 September 2006