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Wines of Chile Terroir Tasting Tonight

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I will be participating in the Wines of Chile online tasting. I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the evening at @vinegeek and you can follow all the action via the hashtag #BlogChile. Look for a full post from me by the weekend. Below are the wines we’ll be tasting:

 

Sauvignon Blanc

1. Vina Casablanca ‘Nimbus Single Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Casablanca Valley | 100% Sauvignon Blanc | $13

2. San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Leyda Valley | 100% Sauvignon Blanc | $19

3. Casa Silva ‘Cool Coast’ Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Colchagua Valley | 100% Sauvignon Blanc | $25

 

Pinot Noir

4. Emiliana ‘Novas’ Pinot Noir 2010 Casablanca Valley | 100% Pinot Noir | $19

5. Cono Sur ’20 Barrels’ Pinot Noir 2009 Casablanca Valley | 100% Pinot Noir | $32

6. Morandé Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2009 Casablanca Valley | 100% Pinot Noir | $18

 

Carmenere

7. Concha y Toro ‘Marques de Casa Concho’ Carmenere 2010 Cachapoal Valley | 100% Carmenere | $22

8. Carmen Gran Reserva Carmenere 2010 Apalta-Colchagua Valley | 95% Carmenere 5% Carignan | $15

9. Koyle Royale Carmenere 2009 Colchagua Valley | 85% Carmenere, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec |$26

 

Cabernet Sauvignon

10. Ventisquero ‘Grey’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Maipo Valley | 94% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Petit Verdot |$29

11. Maquis Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Colchagua Valley | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon | $19

12. Los Vascos ‘Le Dix’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Colchagua Valley | 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere, 5% Syrah | $65

 

Disclaimer: These wines were provided as samples from Wines of Chile for this tasting.

Commentary

40th Birthday Wine List

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My wife planned a great wine dinner at Vino Vino for my 40th birthday a couple of weeks ago. It was an outstanding meal! Below are the wines and pairings. I didn’t take notes (I was in celebratory mode, not wine-nerd mode), but my favorite wines of the night were the Jacques Puffeney Arbois Pinot, the Nebbiolo d’Alba and the Bandol (natch, #teammourvedre).

André Clouet Grand Cru Brut Reserve (magnum)
w/ mussels & fries
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Chateau Valcombe ‘Epicure’ 2011 Ventoux Rosé
w/ house-made charcuteries
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Domaine Wachau 2011 Gruner Veltliner
w/ butterleaf salad, shaved egg white, shallot confit and fried capers
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Jacques Puffeney 2010 Arbois Pinot Noir
w/ harrisa veal sweetbreads, white been puree and sauce vert
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Chateau Pradeaux 2006 Bandol
w/ herb-crusted rack of lamb and glazed root vegetables
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Roagna Igino 2009 Nebbiolo d’Alba
w/ sottocerne al tartufo with fig and marcona almond
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Cascinetta Vietti 2011 Moscato d’Asti
w/ my wife’s famous cheesecake

 

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Napa Cab & Grilled Lamb

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I don’t drink a lot of Napa Cab. Always on the hunt for something more interesting, it doesn’t even cross my mind to look in that aisle when I’m at a wine shop. “Point me to the Ribeira Sacra, good sir.” But a bottle of Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Napa Valley was given to me recently and tonight seemed like a good night to open it.

Dinner was grilled leg of lamb, marinated in olive oil, garlic and rosemary – just the sort of meal that can rein in a big wine like this. And it turned out to be a great match. The Clos Pegase is big and tannic, rich with black fruit, dark chocolate, cedar and spice notes.  There’s even a minty note on the nose that I imagine pinch-hitting for the classic mint jelly that used to be served with lamb.

Overall, I enjoyed this wine. It’s very easy to like and a good reminder not to completely ignore categories of wine you’ve “moved past”. If nothing else, it’s a good reference point for your palate – and you just might remember why you used to drink it in the first place.

 

Commentary

“Freshness” vs. Acidity

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W. Blake Gray has an interesting post up at Palate Press advocating for using the term “freshness” in place of acidity when talking about wine so as not to scare off or confuse non-geeks.

Acidity is scary. Acidity melts your teeth, burns your stomach, gets thrown into the faces of adulterers in Pakistan. It’s not something you enjoy on your porch on a hot day; it’s the fast, painful way to get rid of a wart.

I’m sympathetic to this point, but as pointed out by a few commenters, “freshness” presents it’s own problems. Does “fresh” mean recently made, as in fresh orange juice? Can a wine that isn’t “fresh” be good?

I like the terms “crisp” or “bright” to describe high-acid wines. Bright is probably an eye-roller outside of wine-geek circles. (I recall a non-geek friend giving me a hard time for using the term “round” to describe wines, which seems perfectly fine to me.) But crisp seems like something people can “get” more easily.

The more you try to deconstruct it the more you realize talking about wine is hard. Reminds me of this quote.

What do you think?