So two months ago I nabbed a flash sale from Last Bottle featuring a Chilean Cabernet that I've had and liked quite a bit. Always thinking ahead to my monthly neighborhood tastings, I thought that would be cool for January in which nothing yet was on the docket and, mic in hand, extemporaneously announced we'd be having a 'shootout' tasting between Cabernet and Syrah. This was largely based on a Montes Alpha Syrah being the last Chilean wine I tasted, and that was some time ago.
Well, as I was to find when I started shopping, there isn't a lot of Chilean syrah around besides the Montes, so I switched the focus to Carmenere and playfully dubbed my tasting: Chile Chile Bang Bang. Carmenere, being unusual, was actually the better choice as it's unusual and would have widespread appeal when one mentions, as I would in the sales pitch, that it has chocolate flavors.
The tasting included two whites and a rose of carmenere for more variety, and bought four bottles of an Argentinian late harvest Malbec because it was also the birthday of one of my best regulars and I knew a lot of chocolate cake would show up.
This was a cocktail style tasting. Attendees weren't served in place but free to wander among four tables: whites, then two tables of mixed reds, and finally dessert.
2014 Familia Zuccardi Malbec Malamado Maipú
Very sweet brown sugar and blueberries without a lot of acidic lift, indicates more a late harvest style than true, fortified port. As such, not a hit with me but a big hit with the crowd--and chocolate cake.
2017 Emiliana Novas Gran Reserva Carmenère/Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Valley
Too acidic to match the wine salesman's description of a plush, crowd-pleaser style and too much blueberry and green bell pepper to make sense of the reason for this blend. Disappointing.
2016 Viña y Cava Valle Secreto S.A. Cabernet Sauvignon First Edition Cachapoal Valley
Seriously plush and concentrated, shows ample black and blue fruit wrapped in a velour robe of of mildly toasted oak. Most expensive wine of the tasting and tasted like it to New World palates.
2016 Carmen Carménère Gran Reserva Apalta Colchagua Valley
Black currant/cassis fruit with green bell pepper, allspice and chocolate. As complex as the Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander in the same tasting but the tannins are smoother and more elegant/ready for current drinking. DO decant these wines, that green bell pepper thing disappears after a few hours. This was, btw, the first Carmenere I ever tried, and that was in Chile circa 1999 as this is not only Chile's oldest winery (1850) but the first to identify Carmenere in its vineyard. Brought back good memories.
2017 Viña Tarapacá Carménère Gran Reserva Maipo Valley
Least interesting of the four carmeneres. Leads with confected sweetness and never develops the body or character of the others, especially in the company of heavyweights like Laspostolle Cuvee Alex and Carmen. Eh.
2017 Clos de Luz Cabernet Sauvignon Massal 1945 Rapel Valley
From a vineyard planted in 1945, this stellar South American cab is loaded with the right stuff. Purchased on Last Bottle for $16.42 delivered to my doorstep, it drinks like many times more with solid, traditional black cherry and tobacco notes and plenty of tannic backbone. Recommend a minimum four hour decant.
2016 Casa Lapostolle Carménère Cuvée Alexandre Apalta Vineyard Colchagua Valley
"French in essence, born in Chile" is the motto of this high quality producer, and it not only shows but at nominally $20 USD it amazes. Requires a long decant to fully open, it shows Carmenere's trademark black currant and dark chocolate notes with oodles of spice and modestly gritty tannins. Like the others, showed a lot of green bell pepper on first opening but this did blow off in time.
Purchased just for this tasting but I am going back to buy a few for the cellar; will be exciting to watch it evolve.
2016 TerraNoble Carménère Gran Reserva Maule Valley
In overall quality and appeal, this was 3rd place among the four Carmeneres. Varietally correct and balanced, it shows just fine on its own but when judged in a group, it just didn't have the depth and character of the two more traditional producers, Lapostolle and Carmen.
2016 Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Seleccion Rapel Valley
In a tasting of heavier weight wines this neatly balanced cab lightened with 15% syrah came across as refreshing vs. under-endowed. Bright cherry fruit, light tobacco, plenty of zing.
2018 Apaltagua Carménère Rosé Maule Valley
Very much a fan of high acid wines, and this pale salmon pink wine is that but it didn't have quite enough fruit to hold my attention, at least not without food.
2017 El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza
Hated the '16--heavily oaked, sappy--but this is very different. Dialed back in weight with more elegance and an unusual aroma/flavor I couldn't put a name to but liked a lot. After reading that this is made under flor, I get it. Quite beguiling, actually.
2017 Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc Max Reserva Aconcagua Valley
The usual Sauvignon Blanc flavors (grapefruit, gooseberry) are tucked back in there but the sweet vanilla/marshmallow flavors of Errazuriz' trademark lavish oak greet you first and the sweetness becomes cloying with time. Not my thing.