Category Archives: Tasting Notes

Notes on wines I have tasted

April 15, 2013 · 8:38 pm

Casa Marin – 6/12/2011

Cartanega Sauvignon Blanc 2010
One of the most green I’ve ever seen, capsicum kiwi gooseberry and herbs. Very delicate but far from simple, superb acids and clean fruits, good texture and length, very long tropical finish.

Cipreses Sauvignon Blanc 2008
More subdued shy complex nose, appears richer on the nose. More weight and rich viscosity, texture and mid-palate acidity, fuller yet more delicate, layers of complexity.

Miramar Riesling 2009
Steely flinty citrus, oodles of richness depth and texture.

Lo Abarca Hills Pinot Noir 2008
Rustic potent earthy style, wild ferment natural malo, old-world dark fruit, great wine but not my style.

Litoral Syrah 2009
Quite delicate muted spice and pepper, fascinating and took me by surprise. Amazing depth, great acidity, lacks a bit of depth, but it will be interesting to see it develop.

Casa Marin wine

Casa Marin wine

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April 15, 2013 · 8:20 pm

Emiliana – 5/12/2011

Adobe Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Nice tropical lime and coconut husk. Very tight crisp acidity, zesty bright and fresh, citrus and apples.

Adobe Gewurztraminer 2011 (Rapel Valley)
Very musky rose water turkish delight. Good viscosity and texture, not heavy but fresh and clean, good balance and liveliness.

Signos de Origen Chardonnay Viognier Marsanne Roussanne 2010
Coconut & lime milk, extremely bright. Very sharp and tight, fresh citrus apricot and spice, a tad acidic and disjointed.

Novas Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2010
Quite closed nose, fairly dark and intense, a tad dark and bruised, hard to pick out fruit.

Novas Carmenere Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Colchagua)
Nice dark cranberry spice, incredibly well balanced, nice dark fruit and firm tannins.

Coyam Syrah Carmenere Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Mouvedre Petit Verdot 2009
Great depth of flavour and complexity, quite intense and young, very interesting blend, harmonious and hard to pick varieties.

Emiliana Coyam

Emiliana Coyam

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April 15, 2013 · 8:08 pm

Veramonte – 5/12/2011

Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Nice bright fresh tropicals, good acidity and zesty minerals. Quite concentrated yet light, slightly grassy passionfruit, pleasant balance, not simple but unpretentious.

Chardonnay Reserva 2009
Good expressive peach citrus, lees contact adds dimension. Hints of toffee and lightly oaked, good peach apricot fruit, hints of tropical, balanced without weight or oak.

Ritual Sauvignon Blanc 2008
More subdued, complexity of green fruit and spice. Zesty and fresh for age, holding together very well, slightly woody talcy complexity.

Pinot Noir Reserva 2009
Robust dark cherry nose, slight black forest cake. Nice balance of fruit ripeness, soft mellowness yet not simple fruit.

Ritual Pinot Noir 2009
Juicy slight clove spice, more refined and restrained. Savoury gamey red cherry currants, better for aging.

Merlot Reserva 2009
Bright violet blackcurrants, perfumed and dark. Juicy broad and soft, very smoky toasted oak, a bit of structure and balance, but pretty basic.

Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009
Very good soft structure, not heavy, very mellow, fantastic balance of tannins, pleasant full and soft.

Carmenere Reserva 2009
More elegant and subtle nose. Good acidity and structure, tannins disappear nicely, very bright and tight, length but clean finish.

Primus 2007
Darker earthier mellow notes, velvety tannins, soft delicate nose, great depth and spectacular for the price.

Veramonte sign

Veramonte sign

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April 15, 2013 · 7:56 pm

William Cole Chile – 5/12/2011

Mirador Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Lovely tropical passionfruit, bright aromatics with slight herb. Light pleasant fruit, not full or concentrated, a little too simple.

Colombine Special Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011
More fig skin and guava, more concentrated herb nose. Texture and mouthfeel, fuller richer weight, still not heavy, a bit of length, good drinking.

Bill Chardonnay 2008
A tad overwrought, interesting banana fritters, slight tropical pineapple. Texture without weight, a little butter and cream, good minerality and balance, nice length.

Colombine Pinot Noir 2010
Dark spicy cherry, nice earthiness and intrigue. Good balance and weight, lighter more silky style, little structure but good fruit spice characters, very clean finish.

Colombine Carmenere 2010 (Colchagua)
Great balance, juicy soft and full but well structured. Hints of spice and clove, great finish, not cloying or aggressive, generous weight and tannins.

William Cole wines

William Cole wines

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April 15, 2013 · 7:05 pm

Errazuriz – 2/12/2011

Aconcagua Coast Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Lovely and juicy, tropical kiwi and guava. Fantastic balance and cleanliness, pure acids and surprising length for an unoaked style.

Arboleda Chardonnay 2010
Citrus peach apricot nose. Integrity of fruit and solid acid, pleasing finish with hints of leesy lemon curds.

Aconcagua Coast Pinot Noir 2010
Not quite right for the climate, soft and full but a tad dark and dirty.

Colchagua Carmenere 2009
Dusty spicy nose, slightly earthy currants, good vibrant black fruits, restraint and balance.

Aconcagua Syrah 2009
Bruised fruit, full and hot, either compromised or unsuited to the vineyard.

Aconcagua Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Very soft and mellow, juby juicy, good drinking. Not the best example of the variety, prefer Maipo, too hot here?

Errazuriz tasting

Errazuriz tasting

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April 15, 2013 · 6:51 pm

Santa Rita – 1/12/2011

Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Casablanca Valley)
Lovely and herbaceous, nice concentration of fruit, very light and fresh, grapefruit and kumquat citrus.

Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2009 (Leyda Valley)
Rich and creamy, melons and peach. Textured, full, some sweet oak characters, fairly heavy malo character on the nose.

Medalla Real Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Maipo Valley)
Dark brooding cassis, nice toffee chocolate. Good texture and structure, very velvety tannins, sweet ripe spot and clean finish.

Triple C 2006 (Maipo Valley)
Earthy savoury aromas, leather and coffee. Intense and bright but softens on the palate, good chewy astringency, awesome finish.

Triple C 2007 (Maipo Valley)
Slightly leaner tighter lines, cigar box notes, good length, very young and a touch warm, fruit needs time to express.

Phuen 2007 (Apalta)
Hauntingly complex, totally unexpected, lovely dark and rich, balance and depth, best Chilean wine so far.

Santa Rita tasting

Santa Rita tasting

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April 15, 2013 · 5:58 pm

De Martino – 28/11/2011

Legada Reserva Chardonnay 2011
Nice rich sulphurous pineapple toast. Quite soft and rich, full frtuiy and toasty but not fat nor hot.

Viejas Tinajas Cinsault 2011 (Itata Valley)
Great spice, tight green pepper. Superb balance and great acidity. Made partially through carbonic maceration in amphorae.

Alto de Piedras Carmenere 2009
Quite juicy nose, fairly earthy savoury fruit. A little meaty, nice red fruit, not heavy but full flavour.

Legado Reserva Syrah 2010
Juicy blackberry spice, very light and clean. Lacks a little depth but easy drinking, not simple, refreshing.

Legado Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Great roasted capsicum. Good depth and weight, nice balance of fruit and savoury, good character.

Las Cruces 2008 (Old bush vine field blend)
Very bright dark fruit, interesting texture, ripe banana peel and some bottled aged character.

Alto los Toros Srah 2008
Very subtle aromas. Intense bright acids and tannins, young and shy, much more structure and balance, a truly great wine.

De Martino wines

De Martino wines

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April 15, 2013 · 4:38 pm

Tawse – 11/11/2011

Robyn’s Block Chardonnay 2009
Very delicate nose, slight celeriac apple cinnamon. Insanely well balanced and complex, lacks depth somewhat, subtle oak and lees notes.

Sketchs Riesling 2009
Nice mineral kerosene, very concentrated rich and zesty style. Lime zest and peach.

Pinot Noir 2009
A little sour, not enough fruit. Too dry and bland.

Barrel-aged Iced Chardonnay 2008
Rich viscous, volume and caramel.

Iced Riesling 2009
Quince paste, sharp and yet rich.

Tawse ice wines

Tawse ice wines

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April 15, 2013 · 4:30 pm

Hidden Bench – 11/11/2011

Felsock Vineyard Riesling 2008
Concentrated bright fruit, bold fruit profile and good lines.

Tete de Cuvee Chardonnay 2008
Very bold bright peach and lime fruit, with a complex floral and pear nose. The palate is very rich and layered, yet quite light and clean. Citrus complexity and balance would be even better with food.

Locust Lane Pinot Noir 2008
Dark cherry and game notes combine to create a very savoury fruit nose. Subtle yet opulent and rich, silky and soft. Hits an amazing sweet spot between fruit and savoury elements rarely achieved in new world pinot noir, but very youthful.

Hidden Bench Tasting Room

Hidden Bench Tasting Room

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April 14, 2013 · 9:01 am

Max Ferdinand Richter – 2/02/2012

The wines from the Mulheimer Sonnenlay vineyard, which is a monopol owned exclusively by the estate, are more vibrant fresh and zingy in their acidity.

The Brauneberger wines tend to be more concentrated and subtle, with distinct minerality coming from the brown slate soil.

Moving up through the quality and sweetness scale, the wines began to exhibit some elderberry and tropical fruit characteristics with nice delicate viscosity to coat the mouth.

The Veldenzer Elisenberg wines contribute a further element of spice and herbs to them.

We finished with an Eiswine from 2010 (there will be no Eiswine from the 2011 vintage as the first frosts for winter only happened this week), which was extremely concentrated and syrupy, but having great acidity carries the flavours across the palate beautifully.

Max Ferdinand Richter wines

Max Ferdinand Richter wines

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