It Starts With A Grape

This refreshing Chilean Chardonnay opens with a nose full of crisp, ripe green apple, pineapple, bananas, and nuances of strawberry jam. Its got wonderfully balanced acidity, with a creamy mouth feel, and subtle oak lingering in the back round. Its clearly geared towards fruit, but manages to have that delicate buttery aspect everyone looks for as well. It displays vibrant tropical fruit flavors, accompanied by an underlying nutty taste, notably almonds, and just enough oak to give it some backbone. This chardonnay has all of the concentrated and structured flavors one would come to expect from Chile. Enjoy it with pecan crusted chicken, and a side of roasted red potatoes.

This particular Carmenere is what I’d like to call a mix of new and old world style. It has the smooth drink-ability of an old world wine, mixed with the up-front, in your face flavors and aromas of the new world. It opens with a burst of deep black cherries, ripe plum, subtle toasty oak, and hints of fresh cracked black pepper. Displaying a beautifully, deep, ruby color, and delivering a diverse mouthful of flavor much of which resembles its nose. It has a silky smooth finish of dark chocolate and warm oak. The back of the bottle told me this would be an ‘elegant’ wine, and i can not disagree. I couldn’t think of a better dish to enjoy this one with than a rare, lightly seasoned steak, off the grill. If your not in the mood to grill, it would also lend itself well to a pot roast, throwing about a cup of this wonderfully flavorful wine into your dish will ensure a perfect match.

There’s something to be said for Chilean Sauv Blanc. They stand out from others grown in California, or New Zealand, in that they posses highly concentrated flavors and aromas. They are heavier in body and pack more of a punch. If you haven’t tried one yet, this is a good place to start. I did find, however that this one in particular took a while to come into its own. Normally you wouldn’t want to leave a sauv blanc open for any length of time, but this one would benefit from being left open for a couple of hours, its a bit harsh otherwise. It has an extremely floral nose, comparable to what you smell upon walking into a garden show, complimented with hints of peaches, and wet slate. This super crisp and fairly refreshing white, has a definite herbaceous taste to it, making for an interesting drinking experience, and one you wont soon forget. Its would be a perfect wine for sipping in the park, on a summer afternoon, or paired with a tropical fruit salad topped with gorgonzola cheese.

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A little fun fact about Chile for you:

Chile remains as one of the only regions in the world unaffected by pyhlloxera, which is a disease that forced grape growers around the world to graft vines onto genetic rootstock which could resist the disease. Not to say that grafted vines produce lower quality wine, its just neat to think about how those vines have been growing un-tutched and un-altered for hundreds of years….

That being said…on to Root:1. Because this is a relatively young cab, i was surprised to find a nose of deep fig and brown sugar, complimented with a super smooth oak, usually reserved for older wines, and a dense ruby garnet color. The first sip glides over your tongue, delivering luscious black cherries, and ultra dark cocoa to your taste buds. Its got a super juicy finish, with hints of tobacco. A perfect pair for roasted black pepper chicken in a cherry glaze, with a side of sauteed red potatoes, and would have no problem standing up to almost any sharp cheese. link

A little back story:

Translated, Casillero Del Diablo, means Cellar of the Devil. When this winery, Conha y Toro, was first founded, the owner had a special reserve of wine he kept just for himself. He was having problems keeping people away from his ‘private cellar’, so he posted on it Casillero del Diablo, and it worked. If it had not, you may not be able to enjoy this most delicious wine today.

This Chilean Cabernet opens with a bouquet of blackberry jam, and cassis, on a blanket of toasty oak, accompanied by nuances of fresh cracked black pepper. This is a heavy duty red, full bodied and flavorful. With a deep garnet color, It boasts jammy fruit, tart cherry, and tobacco. It has a most pleasant earthy quality about it, plenty of that toasty oak carrying over to the palate, with a bone dry and quite lengthy cherry finish. Drink it alone if you dare….If not, it will match up with something as simple as burgers off the grill, or beef kabobs with green peppers and mushrooms.