Rooted in Cabernet - A Tasting of Iconic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

Tasting Notes from a Wines of Chile Masterclass taught by Fred Dexheimer, M.S in Houston on October 11, 2016.

Viña Santa Carolina - Luis Pereira 2012 - Sourced from the Central Valley (Maipo, Colchagua and Maule), this wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 3% other grapes from ungrafted 70 year old vines from vineyards ranging from almost 500 to to over 2100 feet above sea level. Named after the man who founded the winery in 1875, this iconic Chilean wine has a surprisingly moderate 12.5% alcohol by volume. Classic cassis Cabernet aromas with cedar and violet with matching concentrated flavors through the long slightly spicy finish. SRP $130

Santa Rita - Casa Real 2010 - Sourced from a single vineyard Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley, this wine is 100% Cabernet sauvignon sourced from vineyards over 1700 feet. It also has classic cassis Cabernet aromas and flavors along with a minty note but with a grittier tannic structure and a fresher mineral finish that Fred Dexheimer, M.S. attributes to the cooler vintage, he called this wine "one of the most elegant cabs in the world." SRP $70

Carmen - Gold Reserve 2009 - Also sourced from Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley, this wine is also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a more powerfully structured wine than the previous one. It was also more floral and contained a pronounced eucalyptus note and a spicier finish that was also attributed to the vintage and the longer aging period in new French oak. SRP $45

Cousiño Macul - Lota 2010 - Sourced from Alto Maipo Valley, this wine was crafted by Rosario Palma from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot sourced from a vineyard situated at over 1900 feet. This wine exhibited a greater freshness than the previous 2010, it also had red fruit aromas and flavors with a cocoa note and it was more tannic, this will be a great wine to revisit, it still seemed very youthful. SRP $85

Concha Y Toro - Don Melchor 1998 - Sourced from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley, this wine can only be called complex. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc from a vineyard area set at over 2000 feet, this wine is earthy, minty, mushroom-y and almost delicate seeming with silky tannins and a lingering earthy finish. It was still youthful appearing, just barely turning towards a garnet color. No price available.

Almaviva 2012 - Also sourced from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley, this wine is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenere, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot from a vineyard area at over 2000 feet with a higher clay component to the soil. The terroir and grape selection come together in a bold wine that shows dark berry fruit and Asian spices with a smooth, lingering finish. SRP $75

Montes Alpha M 2012 - Sourced from Apalta and Colchagua Valley, this wine is big, bold and flavorful, Fred Dexheimer, M.S. called it "a macho wine" and called the Apalta vineyard area "one of the greatest wine regions in the world. It had dark cherry/berry aromas and flavors with eucalyptus and a light toasted note through the long finish. SRP $85

Casa Lapostolle- Clos Apalta 2011 - Also sourced from Apalta and Colchagua Valley, this biodynamic wine moves away from the Cabernet-dominated style we had been tasting and into the realm of Chile's favorite adopted grape. This wine is a blend of 66% Carmenere, 19% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from 80+ year old un-grafted vines. This sophisticated red showed bright pomegranate aromas and rich flavors with an Indian spice note, silky tannins and a lingering mineral finish. Fred Dexheimer, M.S. called this wine, "Sexy". SRP $130

VIK 2011 - Sourced from Millahue, Apalta and Colchagua Valley, this wine was a big, chewy structured blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Carmenere, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. This wine has a ripe mixed berry character with a touch of eucalyptus, toast and spice in the long finish. SRP $140

All of these wines are highly recommended and worthy of the splurge!

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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