Tag: Colchagua Valley

Chilean Cabernet featured photo

Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile: A Taste of Two Regions

Cabernet Sauvignon is so well known in the wine world it’s commonly referred to by just its first name: Cabernet, or even just Cab. It’s best known as a major component of Bordeaux blends and is successfully planted worldwide. Terroir in Chile has proven to be perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon. At just over 99,000 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon represents 20% of […]

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Three Affordable Wines from Chile — And They’re Organic

The three wines in this tasting have at least three things in common: organic viticulture, Chilean origin, affordability. And all three wineries, along with Neyen, are sister wineries. We received these wines as tasting samples. Organic wine choices are finally becoming more common and more wineries are putting their organic certification on the wine bottle, though not all do. That’s […]

Veramonte and Ritual featured photo

Organic Wines from Chile’s Ritual and Veramonte

The good news about these four wines just keeps on coming. All are imported into the US by González Byass USA, who sent these wines to us as tasting samples, and are part of the González Byass family of wines. That’s good news because these wines are widely available in the US and all are under $20, mostly by quite […]

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TerraNoble: A Fresh Version of Carmenere from Chile

The first versions of Chilean Carmenere I tasted years ago were often characterized by generous fruit flavors, dense color, chewy texture and distinctive flavors of jalapeño or green bell pepper. Those flavors of jalapeño and bell pepper were pleasing in moderation, but I found them overwhelming in many versions of the variety. Recently I was re-introduced to Chilean Carmenere from […]

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Ventisquero Grey: Two Chilean Red Wines to Compare and Contrast

Winemaking techniques and styles of wine are as varied as the terroir in which wine grapes grow and the personalities of the winemakers crafting those wines. All of that variety is one of the things that is most appealing about wine. Today’s tasting of Ventisquero Grey demonstrates that appealing variability in the most delicious way. We received both wines as […]

Montes: Dry Farming in the Colchagua Valley, Chile

Montes Winery was founded with the goal of producing truly premium quality Chilean wine for export. At a time when Chilean producers were producing wines mostly for local consumption, the two original founders Aurelio Montes, Sr. and Douglas Murray, had bigger plans. The year was 1987 and by the following year Montes and Murray were joined by Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand and the winery was founded.

2009 MontGras Reserva Carmenere

The 2009 Montgras Reserva Carmenere is from Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It has a dark ruby color and the nose is smoky, with dark fruit and vanilla. The flavors were dark fruit with a slight hint of vegetal and light vanilla. Lots of tannins with good acid and a long finish that Nancy found slightly bitter due to the tannins. There […]