Category: Wine Reviews

Wine Review: 2018 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Reserva Merlot Central Valley

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Concha y Toro is one of the most recognizable wine brands out there on the market. They are an enormous company with many, many varieties and styles at their disposal. I wanted to take a closer look at one of the more available wines where you can find nearly anywhere from your local grocery store, to even the sketchy corner market that doesn’t even have a name above the door. This wine is from the Chilean Denomination of Origin (D.O.) of the Central Valley. It’s Merlot, a Bordeaux French variety and one of the world’s most planted grapes. This particular wine comes from a region where many varieties are planted. The soil here is riverbench and benchland soils, while being aged in American oak barrels for a short time. Continue reading

Wine Review: 2018 Ventisquero Grey Glacier Single Block GCM Colchagua

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I’ve been down this road before with this blend, and wanted to have a revisit. What we have here is the Ventisquero Grey [Glacier] Single Block 2018. This is from the D.O. Valle de Colchagua specifically the Apalta Vineyard. It is a Mediterranean styled blend of garnacha (62%), cariñena (19%) and mataro (19%). The Apalta Vineyard is located not far from the Tinguiririca River. The soils consist of stone and sand, with red clay making it ideal for these particular varieties. It spent six months in French oak. Continue reading

Wine Review: 2017 Villard Expresion Reserve Pinot Noir Casablanca

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Less than 25km from the Pacific lies Villard Fine Wines. Here the cool ocean breeze and morning fog make it perfect for Pinot Noir. The French but Swiss-raised founder, Thierry Villard, met his wife in Chile and eventually created his own winery in 1989, when Casablanca was still largely underdeveloped as a wine region. Despite its high quality, it remains a small family boutique winery and is part of the independent winemaker movement, MOVI.

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Wine Review: 2017 Vita Vitis Aglianico Maule

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Vita Vitis is a collaboration between Italian winemaker Maurizio Castelli and Chilean winemaker Andres Sanchez. Both have worked in Italy for such producers as Grattamacco in Tuscany. Their mission is to introduce lesser known Italian varietals into Chile rather than just the typical French varietals. That’s what makes this wine unique because Aglianico is rarely found outside of Italy. Besides Aglianico, they have planted other reds like Montepulciano, Sagrantino, Primitivo, Cesanese, Dolcetto, Terrano (Refosco), Barbera and Cannonou (Grenache). They’ve also planted whites like Fiano, Falanghina, Incrocio Manzoni, Pinot Blanco, Verdicchio, and Grechetto de Todi. Production here is small and they currently don’t export outside of Chile. Continue reading

Wine Review: 2019 Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc Maule

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The 2019 Laberinto Cenizas de Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc is from the eastern part of the Maule Valley closer to the Andes where you can find volcanic soil. Winemaker Rafael Tirado actually has part of his vineyard planted in the shape of a labyrinth, hence the name. Most Chilean Sauvignon Blanc comes from the coastal regions of Casablanca and San Antonio, so this wine is already unique in that it comes from Maule. The different terroir makes a huge difference in this wine. Typical Chilean Sauvignon Blanc tends to be generous in fruit and citric freshness along with some notions of minerality, salinity from the ocean air, and herbal notes. However, the Laberinto is dominated by minerality and acid with a bit of fruit in the background. The nose is complex: flinty and minerally with some herbs and spice. No doubt this is from the volcanic soils. The palate is very acidic with saline minerality along with a touch of herbs and something bitter. There’s a faint underlying green apple fruit. It’s a little fuller and more complex than an average Sauvignon Blanc although it sees no malolactic fermentation. It does spend some time in lees to gain complexity. Continue reading

Wine Review: 2018 Volcanes de Chile Tectonia Grenache-Petite Sirah-Mourvedre Central Valley

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Bodega Volcanes de Chile is an interesting project using only grapes grown on volcanic soil. Although they source grapes from all over Chile, their wines tend to be fresh because they are at higher altitude and are minerally reflecting the volcanic soil. There are over 2,900 volcanoes in Chile for them to explore. Winemaker Maria del Pilar Diaz works with 3 main vineyards in Cachapoal, Maule and Malleco. This is owned by the same company that owns Undurraga, so you can find their wines at the Undurraga shop in Maipo, and they have the ability to distribute in many Chilean wine shops, the US and the UK. Although it’s listed at around $20 elsewhere, I found it for less than half the price in Chile. Continue reading