Tag Archives: South America

April 15, 2013 · 9:25 pm

Viu Manent – 7/12/2011

Segreto Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Casablanca)
Combines herbaceousness and tropicality, juicy fig kiwi and guava, nice herb and spice, great varietal character.

Segreto Viognier 2011
Lighter colour and body, freshness of fruit, texture and a bit of volume, nice white florals.

Segreto Pinot Noir 2010 (Casablanca)
Nice dark sweet fruit, nice soft full yet light, dark fruits.

Segreto Carmenere 2010
Nice soft plump dark fruits, good length and balance, mellow yet structured, nice firm and supple tannins.

Segreto Malbec 2010
Spicier and brighter, more intense yet lighter.

Gran Reserva Malbec 2010
Perfect example of blending, powerful depth, velvety rich and structured, sumptuous and supple.

Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Bold tannins and structure, not heavy, great tannins, long living, age of vines impacts.

Single Vineyard Malbec 2010
Extremely intense, very fruity and youthful, still new-world exuberance.

Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lovely dusty earthy, full bodied yet dark, really beautiful juicy and dark, amazing depth and soft, generous tannins.

El Incidente Single Vineyard Carmenere 2009
Good structure but a little hot, intensity and balance, not enough vibrancy.

Viu Manent tasting room

Viu Manent tasting room

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April 15, 2013 · 9:06 pm

Casa Lapostolle – 7/12/2011

Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Rapel Valley)
Nice bright fresh clean, nice tropical notes with some pear and peach. No green notes, plenty of broadness, a little fruit sweet, warmish compared to NZ.

Cuvee Alexandre Merlot 2008
Nice structured focus, good finesse and length, very unjammy.

Clos Apalta 2009
Dark floral lavender nose, very rich black intensity. Very concentrated, huge depth of fruit, big bold and oaky, much longevity.

Clos Apalta winery

Clos Apalta winery

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April 15, 2013 · 8:54 pm

Amayna – 6/12/2011

Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Very bright and fresh, green kiwi. Quite rich volume and weight, very textural and warm spice, developing in the glass, waves of texture and cream notes.

Chardonnay 2009
Creamy citrus approaching pisco sour, rich nose, minimal oak. Nice minerality crispness, some texture without weight, length and balance, almonds and vanilla.

Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Crushed herbs and ginger, richer fatter tropical shellfish. Wild rich nutty texture, walnuts amazing length, full citric lemon curds, astonishingly good food wine.

Pinot Noir 2009
Earthy slightly spicy dark cherry pomegranate. Great volume and depth, quite warm, fruit character difficult to articulate, full robust yet soft tannins, fairly juicy.

Amayna wines

Amayna wines

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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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