Wine tasted Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 8:30 PM

Root 1,  Carmenere, 2011, Colchagua Valley, Chile. Purchased a bottle for $10.99 at  Crown Wine & Spirits. 13.5% ALC.

I had discovered this wine about a year ago at a wine tasting event. Since then, I have kept buying it  every time I see it at the store. I have to admit Carmenere is a typical Chilean wine, but some can be really good and some can be really awful. I have seen this wine is on sale at $8.99 or $9.99, depending on the store. I have noticed that the price has been steadily going up, however, perhaps as exchange rate changes or more demand emerges. I would say it might be the latter, since it is not easy to find it in stores. It has a good nose and nice dark velvet color. It has very simple, smooth, clean taste, not very complicated. This wine has little tannin, which makes it very drinkable by itself. Basically this wine can go with anything; I have had it with steak, fish, pizza or chicken. Considering the price and the quality, overall this is a very good value!

by

Wine tasted Dec.6, 2012 at 9:12 PM

Los Boldos’ Momentos de Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, Valle de Rapel, Chile. Purchased a bottle for $8.99 at Total Wines. ALC 14%.

This wine has a very dark red, ruby color. Not as heavy as some other Chilean wines, but it is very smooth. It has some legs, but not a very strong nose. The description at Total Wines said this wine has a medium body. I agree with that. It has some hard tannins also. After I drank it, I could taste tannins in my mouth, which I am not too crazy about. If you have this wine with meat, especially with a nice steak, it would stand up well and cut down the on the taste of tannins. The description said it features a touch of vanilla, which I could indeed taste. I also tasted some berries. The label informed that  this wine is aged for 6 months in French and American oak casks, which adds  smoothness to the taste.

I paid $8.99. I think it is a good wine for the price. I believe you would enjoy drinking this wine.

by

Wine tasted, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 at 8:46 PM

Innovacion by Santa Julia,  50%Malbec-50%Carbernet Sauvignon, 2011, Mendoza, Argentina. Purchased a bottle for $9.99 at Wholefoods.

Its spiciness overwhelmed the palate when tasted alone, but it was nevertheless smooth, with almost no tannins, really a typical blended wine with a very deep red color.  I believe this winery decided to blend two mediocre leftovers, a bad Malbec and  a OK Cabernet Sauvignon, and came come up with something very strange to the palate.

You would be well advised to drink this wine with a really heavy, creamy pasta or some other really heavy foods. In my view, I won’t buy this wine again unless I want to surprise my guests with an unusually weird wine. I admire that this wine maker is so committed to growing organic grapes, but he needs to improve quality. I love to promote organic wine, but they must taste as good, or better than other regular, conventional wines.

by

Wine tasted, November 29, 2012 at 2:27 PM

Buzzard Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, San Juan, Argentina. Purchased a bottle for $9.95 at Crown Wine & Spirits. ALC 13.5%.

This wine sports a strange name to begin with. However, I like the character and seeming independent streak shown on the label. When I opened the plastic cork, I thought this seemed appropriate for a cheap wine at under $10. I could taste tobacco at first, and blackberry a second later. It had medium tannin, a nice dark red color, nice legs and a medium body which made the wine not feel very heavy at all. It seemed to be a blend of different Cabernet Sauvignon grapes purchased from a number of producers without much concern for standardization a quality for the grapes, so it lacks a really strong character.

Since it was a Cabernet Sauvignon, it wanted to try with a dark chocolate (Lindt 90% Cocoa). It was a good combination. The bitterness of dark chocolate enhanced the wine flavor and made it heavier somehow.

Try with food or dark chocolate!

by

Wine tasted, November 26, 2012 at 8:33 PM

Errazuriz Reserva, Shiraz, 2010, Chile. Purchased a bottle for $ 25.95 at the restaurant at the Sheraton Panama City Hotel, Panama.

A very good, drinkable wine generally, but it was a little thin and lacked a  long palate. It will not provide a burst of flavor initially, but will  open up very slowly as it airs. It was clearly a better experience with food. A creamy dish such as  ravioli accompanied with this wine proved to be a very good combination; it would also be good with some creamy seafood.

by