Panamera Cuvée Napa 2007, Napa Valley, California (N/A in the UK) OK dark deep baked berry, but overdone smoky bacon oak, which lingers when the fruit has begun to fade, ripe but overblown and clumsy, with nothing in the way of freshness. C- First Drop ‘Mother’s Ruin’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, […]
Maipo
Best set of mid-priced Chilean wines I’ve tried in a long time – very little of the reduced blackcurrant pastille character that blights so many of the country’s reds, lots of layers beyond the vibrant fruit, and a welcome absence of brash, winemaker-injected flavours. Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva […]
Wine Tasting Video: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
Yali National Reserva Cabernet Franc 2009, Colchagua (£8.19 Morrisons) Has the typical Chilean blackcurrant pastille character, along with quite rich, earthy, chocolatey richness, but ultimately misses out on the Cab Franc fragrance, and feels just too warm and rich. B- Torres Cordillera Carmenère/Merlot/Petit Verdot 2007, Central Valley (£11.99 Partridges, Gales […]
Wine Tasting Video: Seven reds from Chile
Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2007, Western Australia (£7.99-£8.50 Seckford Agencies) Vibrant, crunchy blackcurrant nose, then slightly pippy blackberry flavours, with a tar-like streak, easy fleshy wine, quite powerful and ripe but finishes dry. B Ferngrove ‘Symbols’ Cabernet Merlot 2008, Frankland River, Australia (£8.99-£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Fresher and tangier than the […]