Vina Chocalan Carmenere 2008

Every wants good wine at a great price.  Looks like this one doesn't quite make the grade.  Oh well, we'll just have to keep looking.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose- Green peppercorns, Veggies, Bell & Chile Peppers, Twigs and Burnt Marshmallows.
Taste- very heavy and syrupy. Capsium in a Cherry Slurpee.
Overall- a good Carmenere for the price, but no different than the Casillero del Diablo, Errazuriz, G7 Reserva at that price point. The real values are in the PNKT or the Sunrise Carm.

Value 2.5/5
Score 85
Price: $13.49
Chile, Maipo
Alcohol 14%
UPC #7804603660455

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2005

I too have been turned to the white side lately.  Here is peanutman's tale:

--- peanutman's review ---

Can't believe I'm drinking more whites than reds lately, but I like experience. Reds start back this Thursday with a Super Tuscan for my 41st Bday. Here is a wine that I loved, but for those reading please take into consideration that I don't know much about white wines.

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2005. Value 5 out of 5, score 92. $14.29 for a 375 ml. I have never paid more than $18 for a white, but this was well worth the money.

In the latest Tidings magazine, they give the 2006 a score of 90 and describe it as such: Bouquet is fresh, yet with complex citrus, honey and spicy notes. (My take on the 05, grapefruit and honey). Displays similar finesse on the refreshingly light palate, with lingering sensations of honeyed sweetness and deftly balanced acidity. Bears an extraordinary resemblance to Sauternes. My take on the 05 is pretty much the same but I'm not certain about the acidity. If this is what a Sauternes tastes like, I will have to try one. Not that I know what heaven tastes like, nevertheless this was heaven in my mouth. BTW, this has a beautiful golden color.

Concha y Toro Trio Chardonnay blend 2007

Here’s a good value white from a well-known producer – a bit surprising that it’s no longer available at ANBL.  Perhaps they’re simply out of stock, since 2007 seems to be the current release.  In that case we can look forward to the 2008 next summer.

— Peanutman’s review —

I'm not too much into white wines. I like Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, but other whites are not very appealing to me, especially when too dry. I'll have to expand on my tastes when summer roles around. I remember buying the Trio with the Sauvignon Blanc and another that had Chardonnay for my birthday bash last year. I was really surprised with the Chardonnay version and found it better than the Sauvignon Trio. I guess I bought another bottle of the Chardonnay trio as I found one in my little cellar this past weekend. Really good wine for the price. The colour is pale yellow with some greenish tints. The aromas are of fresh fruit, a little bit of lemon and lime, but what I noticed mostly was honey. The taste is fruity and fresh, a little acidic (especially with salted pretzels)but with good structure. I forgot it in the fridge for a couple of days and it was still good on day three. Good value for money in my book but not available at NBLC anymore. 

Price:$15.79 (no longer listed)
Value: 5 / 5
Grape: Chardonnay (70%), Pinot Grigio (15%), Pinot Blanc (15%)

Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2006

I see the word “vanilla” appears many times in this review.  Doesn’t sound like my kind of wine, which is good to know - the mediocre reviews are as useful as the raves.

— Peanutman’s Review —

Smell - At the start, it was wonderful. Very blackberry(ish) with a hint of vanilla. Four hours later, very vanilla(ish) with a hint of blackberry. It was nicer at the start.

Taste - Very much a Chilean fruit bomb Cab at the start with a hint of vanilla. Decent tannins with a medium length finish. After four hours, same as the smell as it became very vanilla(ish), but it had a longer finish. It seemed smoother, a little less fruit bombish and a little better. For a wine that spent 8 months in American Oak, I found it a little surprising that it was so vanilla(ish). I'm wondering how this wine would taste in a year or two as it evolved a lot over four hrs.

I have a hard time rating this wine as I was not expecting that much fluctuation in smell and taste. Therefore, I'm not giving a rating. Having said that, it would be somewhere in the 80's for a Chilean Cab, but I don't know where in the 80's. I might make up my mind if I try it again; doubtful.

I was expecting more, but at the same time I wasn't upset with the wine. I just wished it would have had something to talk about (and no not a song). I believe the 2005 was a value red at a previous wine festival, but the 06 leaves me puzzled.

$18.99
Valle Del Maipo, Chile
UPC 089419007152

Undurraga Sibaris Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007

The back label says this wine is dedicated to the citizens of Sibaris “an ancient city recognized for the refinement of its residents.” Well, they’ll be turning over in their 2500 year old graves if they can hear their names used to endorse this wine, which is overwhelming characterized by what Kelly simply calls “that cheap wine smell.” This stuff is truly terrible. The Partager from Barton & Guestier ($11/litre) that I’ve been using for cooking after it has been sitting opened on my kitchen counter for a week is better than the Sibaris. I’m not kidding. I gave them both to Kelly to taste blind and she agreed. I wouldn’t use the Sibaris for cooking. In fact, I didn’t. The sauce I was making needed red wine, but I wasn’t going to poison it with this stuff. Maybe it will improve with age – I’ll never know, because I won’t let any of it pass my lips again. This is a Wine Expo wine, and luckily for everyone, there’s hardly any left. Blech.

Price: $20.29
Value: 0/5
Score: 75
Grape: Carménère
Region: Chile, Colchagua Valley
UPC: 7804315001997

Concha y Toro - Winemakers Lot 148 & Lot 54

A two-for-one review from Michelle.

--- Michelle's Review ---

Concha y Toro - Winemakers Lot 148 Carmenere - Chile $19.79

A two for one review! Since they were both from Concha y Toro, I thought I would do them together. First, the Carmenere. For some reason I get a certain thrill out of a beautiful violet, inky colored wine being poured into my glass. It gives a possible introduction to the nose and the palette will be. This one did not disappoint. My boyfriend, who will tell you right off the bat that he has no palate for this type of thing, said it was a "nice wine". Nice indeed! Beautiful on the nose with violets and chocolate. It had a deep dark fruit, coffee and balanced out with almost a fruit cake finish. Not last year's fruit cake but one that's warm and just out of the oven and topped in a butterscotch sauce. I really enjoyed this one. I am going to Dieppe to get some more before its gone. The price is definitely doesn't justify such a great wine. For $19.79 I suggest you pick up a few more. For dinner, I braised the roast beef in this wine with some chicken stock, garlic, onions and thyme. After the roast was done, I then added some sautéed mushrooms and lots of black pepper to make a reduction. WOW! Maybe it was the beef, maybe it was the wine, but the combination was dead on.

Concha y Toro Winemakers Lot 54 Syrah - Chile $19.79

Now the Syrah. I wouldn't say this was a typical syrah. It seems the Chilean's have a different idea on what that should be. Again, I was impressed. Of course the nose had the pepper and anise of a syrah. But on the palette it has a wonderful structure. Beautifully balanced chocolate, coffee, ending in a strawberry/plum finish. Again, an excellent price for a really great wine. Now to pick up more….

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada 2007

It seems to be the shoulder season for me - too cool for white, too warm for red. Soon, Kelly and I will be back to our regular glass of red in the evening. For now, it's good to know someone out there is still drinking wine - who else but Iron Chef?

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I was intrigued to read the label describing a blend of great Chilean vineyards, Pirque for the Cab and Peumo for the Syrah.
Nose- Warm vanilla oak with lots of Mocha and dark chocolate. A really dense nose of extracted cherries and ripe fruit.
Taste- Heavy and strong. High alcohol scented. Rich dark chocolate and Toasty vanilla oak. Highly extracted dark fruit- raisins and prunes. High Octane.
Overall: Some people that we tasted this with did not care for it, "too over the top" was a common statement. But I like it for what it was, a High Octane fruit bomb, and no nuances here.

Price: $20.99
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Region: Chile, Maipo Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grape: Cabernet & Syrah Blend
UPC: 7804320272252

Trio Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2007

Here's a companion to last week's review of the Trio Merlot

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

After the success of the Merlot Trio, I was excited to try this again. Also Norman's blog of astringent Cabs was ringing in my ears.

Nose- Heady with Alcohol. Black currants, Menthol Tobacco. Burnt sugar. Some stemmy aromas.
Taste- Hot and boozy. Bell/Green Peppers, Sun dried tomatoes. Jammy Currants. Sharpe after taste- lots of tannins mixed with resiny oak. Some nice caramel notes.
Decanted for 2 hours.

Overall: I remember a number of years ago doing a Lindeman's Tasting blind- the Merlot, the Cab and even the Pinot Noir were remarkably similar, a certain house style refined the varietals characteristics into one indefinable taste. The Concha Toro wines don't seem to suffer that fate, the Merlot Trio and the Cab Trio are quite different, even though I may like one style much more than the other, I respect their differences.
The astringent qualities of the Cab blend was very evident, the palate was sharp, this was thankfully lessened with food, but present all along. A good example of this maybe Chocolate, it is often assumed that the higher cocoa percentage yields a better chocolate, but I have found that 75% or more cocoa just imparts a bitter flavour. Cabernet, like cocoa, needs other things to tone down the bitter parts, like oak or longer maceration or even Merlot.
I liked this wine, but in comparison to the Merlot Trio, it was lacking.

Retail Price: $15.79
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 86
Region: Chile- Maipo
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320143958

Trio Merlot Carmenere Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This picks up on our recent end-of-summer theme of value-priced reds.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I haven't had this wine forever, and I can't remember why I stopped drinking this.

Nose: Warm Oak, dark/ extracted cherries, Coconut, nutmeg and cloves. Nice white pepper aromas. Very full nose.
Taste: Plumes and other stone/pitted fruits. Nice spicy pepper tastes and sun tan lotion. Really enjoyable and long finish especially for this price range..
Overall a very solid wine that delivers a long finish with interesting aromas. For some reason lately Merlots have been tasting very good to me.
I won't make the mistake of forgetting this wine in the future. I will have to have the Cab blend next.

Price: $15.79
Value: 5/5
Score: 91
Region: Chile - Rapel
Alcohol: 14.5%
UPC: 7804320143941

Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay 2007

After I got this review from Iron Chef, I ran out to get a bottle of this. But I won't tell you what I thought of it right now - I'll post a comment instead.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

This wine always gets great scores from the Wine press, The Wine Advocate - 91 pts, Wine Spectator 91 pts and such, and I usually try the new vintage as it arrives. Tasted with Lobster Risotto, on NB date eve.
Appearance: Straw yellow with streaks of green.
Nose: Freshly churned butter, Pineapple, Pear and peaches. Some other tropical fruits - papaya maybe? Floral notes also. Some oak and pepper integrated into the various fruit aromas. Deep/ Rich nose with a pile of stuff going on. Just Great.
Taste: Butterscotch and Vanilla, and Tropical Fruits- papaya again and Pear. There was nuttiness also that I didn't smell until I tasted the wine. Honey and pepper mixed in late in the palate to make a great and long finish. Highly textured and beautiful wine.
Overall- This was always a great wine, but in the past the oak notes were first on the palate and now they are last and mixed more with honey. This wine has really advanced over the years, more refined, especially when it comes to integrating the oak into the background of the wine. The one of the best Chardonnays, for that matter, one of the best white wines I have had.

Price: $23.99
Value: 7/5
Score: 94
Region: Chile
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320411149

Aresti Reserve Pinot Noir 2006

Somehow it's no surprise that Iron Chef is first off the mark with a review to kick off the the new (post-vacation) season. Last night Kelly and I had the Banfi Cum Laude 2004, which we will review on Friday. The hot weather forecast for this week is great white wine weather, so I'll be waiting for more reviews. Remember, post your review in the "Make a Suggestion" thread, or e-mail them to me at nbwines / at / gmail / dot / com.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Herbal, warm oak, some hot flashes and extracted cherries.
Taste: Menthol like Cough syrup and Tooth picks. Way over the top oak with a resiny finish. Red Apple acidity.
Overall- did not enjoy this, tasted a lot like those mint flavoured toothpicks. Seemed to suffer from the same problem that the new Nottage Hill Pinot from Hardys, over oaked to hide inferior fruit. But again what do you expect for under $15 for a Pinot.

Price: $13.99
Value: 1/5
Score: 72
Chile: Curico Valley
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 677855001218

Errazuriz Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Remember, please send post / send me reviews of bad wines as well as good ones - knowing what to avoid is as useful as knowing what to buy.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

We have always enjoyed the SBs from Chile…

Nose: Asparagus, lime and some flinty and grassy notes.

Taste: Canned asparagus or peas, citrusy and gooseberries or some kind of field berry that I don't want to eat. No acidity- fat and flabby. Left a chalky film in my mouth.

Overall- Dull and boring. Canned Vegetables is not an appealing taste in a wine. And the lack of acidity was disappointing. A poor example of a very interesting region of Chile.

Price: $15.79
Score 64
Value 0/5
Region: Chile- Casablanca
Alcohol 13.5%
UPC #089046777329

Undurraga Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Welcome back Chris! We haven't had a review from you in a while. This wine sounds like a perfect inexpensive summer patio wine - if the sun ever comes out again, I'll try a bottle.

--- CMacdonald's Review ---

Light straw in color. Mild to moderate pleasant aromas of lemon and lime. Nice mild taste that gets better with every sip. The wine is dry with just enough acidity to make your mouth water.

I want to try this wine again with some goat cheese.

Price: $11.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 87
Alcohol: 13%
Region: Chile, D.O Central Valley
Tasted: June 2009
UPC: 7804315010012

2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot

I suppose it is true that we rarely review Merlot - clicking on "Merlot" under "Reds by Grape" only brings up one varietal Merlot. I think the varietal craze is overdone - some wines are best as varietals, but others are usually better in a blend; Merlot is great blended with Cab, but I have to admit that I haven't found too many varietal Merlots that I've enjoyed. In any event, here is a review of an (almost) varietal Merlot from Vasco da Gama. I'll certainly be giving this one a try.

--- Vasco's Review ---

Here is what is apparently a rare Merlot review for this Blog; the 2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot. I bought a couple of bottles of this wine in Halifax this past winter, and this is one of them. (These have since shown up on the shelves of NBLC).

"I looked upon the cherry tree and there did I see,
A plum growing on a cherry branch, but how could that be?
The scent of plum and cherry, and a bit of anise too.
It lured me into it's embrace, as I smelled, swished, and chewed".

This wine is another great Chilean value at $23.99...so much character, it inspires me to write. This needs a few minutes to open up, but not that long really. My first smell had a typical Chilean layer of soil and very obvious plum. As the wine aerated a bit the cherry came through and a bit of anise, but the tannins seemed to takeover the show a little too quickly. As the glass disappeared, so did the overt tannins, being replace by more licorice and dark chocolate with smoother tannins. A nice finish and a warm feeling makes me wonder why I haven't been drinking more Merlot.

This is a wine that could probably cellar for a while and get even better, but it is also fine just the way it is.

Marques de Casa Concha Syrah, CabSauv, and Merlot have all been winners. Hard to go wrong with these wines.

Price: $23.99
Value: 4/5
Rating: 90
Grape: Merlot (with a touch of Carmenere)
UPC: 7804320253480

Aresti Pinot Noir 2007

Continuing in the vein of value-priced wines, here is a review from Iron Chef.

--- Iron Chef ---

Nose: Restrained, not bombastic - earthy, mushroom s- bright strawberry fruit. Some floral or hay notes.
Taste: Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry Rhubarb pie. Some steamy-ness late in the palate. Wonderful food wine. Good acidity.
Overall a very pleasant wine for foodies on a budget - liked it more than the Cono Sur, but less than the Castillo de Molina.

Price: $9.99
Value 5/5
Score: 87.5
Region: Curico Valley, Chile
Alcohol 12.5%
UPC #677855000716

Marques Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

I like to try a variety of different styles of wine, but a solid cab or shiraz with a few years on it is still a classic favourite. When you can find one of those in the low $20s, that's gold. I'm thinking of wines like the Gallo Cab or Wynns Shiraz. From this review, it sounds like this wine might be another one in that category.

--- A Review from Peanutman ---

The sommelier in the Moncton Vaughn Harvey Blvd store recommended this one to me. Great recommendation. I did a search on the internet to see what people were saying about this wine and most of the reviews are very similar. Bouquet: blackberry, chocolate (I got those two), black tar and smoke (missed those). My first impression of this wine was that it was very smooth, silky and with an good flavour. I noticed a little vanilla with some nice tannins that aren't too aggressive. While the internet search revealed most of this as well, the bottle mentions coffee which I couldn't taste (probably because I drink too much coffee as is). Wine Spectator rates this wine as a 90 and it is hard to argue the contrary. I thought this was different that the Carmen as I didn't find it as aggressive and I thought it was more "polished" than the Carmen. I gave the Carmen an 88 score and a 4.5 for value, therefore I'll go with WS and give it a 90 and a value score of 4.6.

Price: $23.99
Score: 90
Value: 4.6/5
Region: Chile
Grape: Cabernet Sauvingon
UPC: 7804320333175

JF Lurton Araucano Clos Lolol 2003

Here is a review from Iron Chef.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Stewed Berries and currants. Black Licorice. Touch of white pepper and a wonderful bouquet of dried flowers and baking spices. Very Herbal with Mint and Rosemary. I like the nose it was spicy and flowery - a bit hot with alcohol.
Palate: Lots of fruit - black berries but not jammy or candied.Nice tannins that coated the month. Dried flowers and minty. I would say that this is ready to drink - might benefit from more time but the elements have come together. Very nice taste but did not completely deliver the promise on the nose. Finish was long but the palate was less complex. Good solid wine, but not great - especially for the price.

Price: $29.29
Score: 88
Value: 2.9/5
Region: Chile, Colchagua Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape: 50% Cab and 50% Carmenère
UPC: 635335676318

Aresti Late Harvest Gewurztraminer Reserva 2007

Iron Chef asked last week for some more reviews of value priced wines - and now he has answered his own plea. (Well, value priced for a desert wine, anway). Too bad it wasn't a winner - but for the rest of us, a tip on wines to avoid is as important as a tip on ones to buy.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

An odd wine. Thick and sticky without the alcohol.
Nose of Spicy fruit- very Gewurzty and honey honey honey.
The palate was sugary with Pineapple and Citrusy notes and heavily textured. But most of all it felt clumsy and over ripe. There must have been a ton of residual sugar. It represents a lot of what I don't like in wines- bombastic and sweet without the structure or refinement. Not enjoyable.

Price: $11.49 / 375 ml
Score: 78
Value: 2/5
Region: Chile, Curico Valley
Grape: Gewurztraminer
Alcohol: 13%
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 7809579800379

Santa Rita Floresta Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Aaron at the Prospect St ANBL recommended this wine to us. He's one of the product advisors there, which I gather is a relatively new phenomenon at ANBL. He seemed very knowledgeable, and this wine is a winner.

The nose is mostly floral notes, kiwi fruit and maybe melon, minerals, and spices. It is crisp and clean on the palate, with great acidity and length. I find that there's a bit of a hard edge throughout, but then I get that with almost all whites, so I can't complain about it. It reminds us of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in style. Our usual "standby" whites are the Kim Crawford and its ilk, and the Floresta is worth the extra $5. We rated both 88, but like this one better.

Price: $26.29
Score: 88
Value: 3/5
Region: Chile
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 086785470344

Santa Rita 120 Chardonnay 2007

Yesterday Anon posted a comment to the effect that fancy wine is all well and good, but what most people want most of the time is something quaffable at a reasonable price. I couldn't agree more, so here's a review from Iron Chef of a reasonably priced winner. Kelly will have a review of a bargain red coming up next.

But remember, THIS IS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB. Anyone who drinks wine from ANBL and has an opinion is welcome to post a review in the "Make a Suggestion" thread (or comment on a wine that has already been reviewed). This is all about getting the conversation going.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Tropical Friuts of Pineapple, mango, kiwi and caramilk bars greet the nose- faint oaky aromas of vanilla. Palate was complex- lots going on. Velvety Creme- creme brulee. Mango gelato, tonnes of vanilla but without that mouth scratching woody popsicle stick stuff that sometimes goes hand in hand. The fruit was vibrant and fresh. One drawback was a touch of Anti-acid mouth finish like Tums. Liked it more than the Aresti but not as much as the Medalla.

Retail Price: $12.99
Score 89.5
Value 4.5/5
Region: chile, Maule Valley
Grape: Chardonnay
Tasted: Jan 2009
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 089419007183

PS- Thinking about Santa Rita- I do not think there is a line-up of wines that is more solid than the Santa Rita at ANBL at this time. Of the wines that I have had, Santa Rita 120 Sauv Blanc and Chardonnay, Reserva Line of Sauv Blanc, Cabernet, Medalla level Cab and Chardonnay, and the Florestas Sauv Blanc and the Petite Syrah they have all been highly impressive. I would recommend this group of wines over any other at the appropriate price points.