This week's tasting came from Chile and Argentina and ranged from simple drinkable reds to stylish concentrated, showy wines, velvety smooth, with lush fruit and a firm grip. Unusually for a tasting these days, 14 of the 15 bottles had corks.
Chile grows a wide range of grape varieties, but a special one is the red carmenere, once thought to be a type of merlot. Argentina is becoming famous for its malbec, a red grape that can make powerful wines. Both carmenere and malbec originally came from the Bordeaux area of France.
Trapiche of Argentina includes in its wide range of malbecs a handsome series of single-vineyard wines worth exploration.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz [1]
• BEST UNDER $15
Aliwen Reserva
Cabernet Syrah Chile
2006 (about $14) has a hint of toast and spice, sweet,
dark red fruit,
full-bodied with firm tannins. Good with spicy meat and
barbecues.
3 stars (out of 5)
Good Value
Trapiche Oak Cask
Malbec Argentina 2005 (about $15) is fragrant with lush
dark fruit with a hint of spicy oak and dark chocolate,
mouth-filling with a firm grip on the finish. Ideal for an
Argentine asado (barbecue).
3 stars (out of 5)
Good value
Undurraga Chile
Carmenere 2007 (about $11) is perfumed with a hint of
pepper and herbs, sweet fruit and smooth finish.
Simple, cheap and cheerful.
2 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Montes Classic
Series Chile Malbec 2006 (about $20) has lots of spicy
oak, hints of chocolate and toffee and dark, rich berries:
this firm, lush wine is easy to like.
Lovers of rich Australian reds will enjoy this.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Trapiche Broquel
Argentina Malbec 2005 (about $20) is full of dark fruit
with a hint of blackberries, spicy oak with a suggestion of
coffee, and a firm finish. Match with well-flavoured red
meats.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Trapiche Tributo
Felipe Villafane Argentina Malbec 2003 (about $49 Rating)
is the top of Trapiche's range, this intense rich wine oozes
dark berries, cherries and blackcurrants, with a hint of dark
chocolate, and oodles of spicy oak all cushioning big,
gripping tannins, and finishing with a lingering aftertaste
of rich fruit.
A big, showy red built to impress.
4 stars (out of 5)
Good value
Links:
[1] mailto:charmian.smith@odt.co.nz