Chile

Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with tons of black olives.  Also some black raspberries and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, some black olives and a bit of black pepper.  Good finish.  Blind, I would have guessed this was a Crozes Hermitage in large part from all the black olive notes.  Drink over the next five years.  A nice wine with food off the grill (except for seafood).  

This is 100% Pinot Noir from northern Chile.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has sour cherries with a bit of sandalwood.  Medium  bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cherries and sour cherries.  Easy drinking.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and would work well with grilled salmon.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Another impressive Carménère from Chile.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with black cherries, cherries, spice, slight cigar box and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Plenty of depth.  Flavors of black cherries with black pepper.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but will improve.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years.  While it would work well with a steak, this would also work great with (vegetarian) chili.  

This is an impressive wine.  It is not inexpensive but not crazy either especially for the quality.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco, slight fig notes and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It has depth and complexity if still tight (and young).  Flavors of black cherries with some char and a bit of leather.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but will improve with a bit of cellaring.  Old for a couple years and drink for ten to fifteen after that.  Great on its own, but t

Another very nice Carménère from Chile and a great value.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, cherries, slight green pepper, some black pepper and char.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance with nice acidity.  On the palate, there is some depth here.  Cherries and black cherries with underlying spice and slight smoke.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another five to ten years.  This would be a nice match with meatloaf or burgers.  

This is a wonderful value in red wine.  It has 5% Cabernet Sauvignon in addition to the Carmenere.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is peppery with black cherries and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is very tasty.  Some depth.  Cherries, black pepper and some baking spices.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should for the next five to eight years.  Nice on its own, this is a great wine for Pizza or burger night.  

Another great value coming out of Chile.  This is 100% Carmenere grape which is fast becoming one of the stars of Chilean wines.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, sorrel and spice.  Full bodied.  Very nice almost lush texture.  Good balance.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black currants, slight coffee and a hint of chocolate.  A slight bitter cherry nod on the finish.  Obviously young, this is drinking well now, but would be better with another few years in a good cellar.  Drink ove

Earthy tannins leads to blackberry, blueberry, plum, and violets. Made from mainly Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon, there are small amounts of Syrah, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. This has always been a solid wine for a very reasonable price. It deviates from much oak treatment and instead promotes the raw, earthy flavors of its organic vineyards. The aging consisted of 66% of the wine placed in French oak for 18 months, therefore the oak is supporting and not dominate. Nicely balanced this is a great go-to everyday drinking wine. ORIGIN: Apalta, Chile. ALCOHOL: 13.5%

A new wine for me.  This is an Antinori project in Chile.  A blend of 81% Cabernet sauvignon and 19% Carmenere.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with plums, black cherries, herbal notes and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Black cherry fruit with slight rosemary note.  A bit bitter and drying on the finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  Good on its own, this will work well with heavier foods.  Lamb chops and mashed potatoes would be a nice match.  

This is one of the top wines from Chile.  The bottle was decanted prior to tasting.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cherry candy, slight bell pepper, cedar and forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis, cherries, and bell pepper.  Nice finish.  This is lighter in style that say Napa or even Bordeaux, but it is almost seamless.  The green bell pepper may be distracting to some, but it drinks more like a Napa Cab from the 70's or 80's.  It is drinking well now with a decant, but may improve with