Wine Review 2010

Lot # Wine Year M D Comment
Cellar Offering 186
4890 Cornellana Sparkling Rosé, 2008 9 10 The bubbles hide the fruit, aroma and flavour.
Cachapoal Valley This is a fun drink, have fun soon.
4891 Cornellana Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 8 10 Green. Stalky. Gooseberry and kiwi. Ready to open today.
Cachapoal Valley
4892 Cornellana Chardonnay, 2008 7 8 Not creamy, but easy. It has lovely lime juice acid, melon,
Cachapoal Valley peach and earth. Very good now.
4893 Cornellana Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 8 9 Free run juice taken off the red grape before crushing.
Rosé, Cachapoal Valley It has plenty of lively acidity, fine but light fruit flavours and
should not be kept.
4894 Cornellana Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 8 8 Lovely green leaf and cassis notes. Clearly a wine from
Cachapoal Valley perfectly sun-ripened fruit.
4895 Cornellana Merlot, Cachapoal Valley 2008 8 8 Spicy, cassis and damson flavoured. Drinking well now.
4896 Cornellana Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, 2008 7 9 Big, fat, rich and surprisingly forward. Can be enjoyed now.
Cachapoal Valley
4897 Cornellana Merlot Reserve, 2007 7 8 Oh my Gosh, if only half of the Saint-Émilions were as good
Cachapoal Valley as this. It really has got everything you like in a red wine.
4898 Cornellana Carmenère Reserve, 2007 7 8 This grape takes time to mature and this one is only
Cachapoal Valley just beginning to show any sign of softening. Drink, but enjoy
with some caution – if not ready, put it away.
4899 Cornellana Chardonnay, Barrel Reserve, 2008 7 8 Marvellous, a confection of figs, dates, lemons and bananas
Cachapoal Valley – and a few melons thrown in. A lovely, but full-bodied white.
4900 Cornellana Barrel Reserve Selection, 2007 7 7 Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère
Cachapoal Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot. See notes above.
(2 bottles each grape variety)
4901 Cornellana Cuvée Grand Reserve, 2007 7 8 Fruit leads the way, the tannins in support. Delicious.
Cachapoal Valley [Wooden case]
4903 El Noble, Botrytised Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 8 8 Thierry Villard is a brilliant winemaker, and this unusual wine
Casablanca Valley (did it start life as a mistake?) is a wonderful, “sticky,” pudding
wine. Utterly delicious already.
4904 Expresión Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 8 9 The best of the characters all flood the palate. Full of the
Casablanca Valley jungle’s finest fruit and a lot we have never tasted before.
4905 Expresión Reserve, Pinot Noir, 2008 8 7 It is hard to make a decent Pinot Noir. Thierry does it with
Casablanca Valley applomb. This finely ripened fruit succeeds every time. This is
very good.
4906 Grand Vin l’Assemblage 2006 8 9 All the fun of the fairground. Red fruit. Acidity. Tons of tannin.
Cassis. Grapes. Blackberry. It is now very good.
4907 Tanagra Syrah, Casablanca Valley 2007 7 8 Like many “special” wines, this cost a packet, but now it is
[Wooden Case] in the cellar and the price forgotten. It is a joy. A supple,
complex, constantly long-flavoured beauty.
4908 Casa Nueva Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 8 9 Stalky and green. Sappy and balanced. Very fine tropical fruit
Molina, Curicó Valley acidity.
4909 Casa Nueva Chardonnay, Unwooded, 2008 8 8 Developing fine flavours. Not huge, but balanced. Integrated
Molina, Curicó Valley with quite a lemony feel to the flavours.
4910 Casa Nueva Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 7 7 This is a big wine and needs more time.
Molina, Curicó Valley
4911 Casa Nueva Merlot, Molina, 2008 7 8 Strong. Flavours of black stone fruit and plums. Ready to
Curicó Valley enjoy, but it will keep.
4912 Casa Nueva Carmenère, Molina, 2008 6 8 Strong and powerful. Black as a stove pipe. Wonderful
Curicó Valley integration of oak with fruit.
Wine Review 2010