BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

grape and price should smell like. The palate is
medium in intensity, with herbal flavors, dark
berry fruit notes and leather. Call it basic but
comfortable, with varietal correctness. Imported
by Kysela Père et Fils. Best Buy. —M.S.
85
Santa Alicia 2007 Gran Reserva de
los Andes Carmenère (Maipo Valley);
$12. Not as dark and sticky as many wines
of this variety; the nose is defined by cherry and
raspberry along with barnyard and animal hide.
At first the palate seems sharp and acidic, but
with time it settles on fuller, more creamy cherry
and raspberry along with mocha. Narrow on the
finish but fresh and forward. Imported by Halby
Marketing. —M.S.
85
Tamaya 2009 Reserva Carmenère
(Limarí Valley); $16. Herbal from the
beginning, with bell pepper, olive and brambly
fruit aromas. Round and full in the mouth, with
flavors of wild berry, green pepper, carob and
spice. The mouthfeel is mostly positive but acidic,
and the green element is more than a bit player.
Imported by Ecosur Group, LLC. —M.S.
84
Aresti 2007 Equilibrio Made With
Organically Grown Grapes Carmenère
(Maipo Valley); $12. Solid but
earthy and damp on the nose. The palate is more
lean, fresh and sharp than you might expect,
while the flavor grouping of herbal fruit, coffee,
mocha and leather is normal for the grape type.
Toasty on the finish, with a touch of bite and tang.
Imported by Broadbent Selections, Inc. —M.S.
84
Errazuriz 2009 Estate Carmenère
(Central Valley); $12. Herbal, brambly
aromas mix with dark berry, mocha and
vanilla aromas, while the palate is creamy and
soft, with herbal, almost vegetal flavors and not
much defined fruit or clarity. Finishes as herbal as
it starts, with coffee and green tobacco flavors.
Imported by Vintus LLC. —M.S.
84
Las Lomas 2008 Carmenère
(Maule Valley); $12. Neutral black
fruit and herbal, leathery aromas are generic,
while the palate is fleshy but short on flavor, with
dried black fruit notes and a spot of herbal olive.
Lighter-framed for the grape type, and simple in
its overall approach. Imported by AMG Organic
Imports, LLC. —M.S.
84
Tamaya 2009 Carmenère (Limarí
Valley); $13. Sharp and jangled on the
nose, with a strong “varietal” aroma package of
olive, herbs and stem. The palate is forward and
less thick than the winery’s reserva from 2009,
while the flavors are lean and a little green, with
finishing acidic bite. Imported by Ecosur Group,
LLC. —M.S.
83
Chono 2007 Reserva Carmenère-
Syrah (Elqui Valley); $15. The
combo of Carmenère and Syrah isn’t working in
full harmony here. The wine is a heavy load of
black fruit, fatty weight and weedy sweetness. It
tastes herbal and candied, with a soft, bulky feel.
Also a little bit stewed. Imported by Montecastelli
Selections. —M.S.
83
Viña Tarapacá 2008 Gran Reserva
Carmenère (Maipo Valley); $19.
Aggressive early on, with foxy, briary aromas of
turned earth, olive, rhubarb and green tobacco.
The palate is fleshy, soft and welcoming, but the
flavors are a sketchy amalgam of bramble, leather
and herbal raspberry. Mouthfeel is the best part.
Imported by MHW, Ltd. —M.S.
82
Apaltagua 2008 Envero Gran
Reserva Carmenère-Cabernet
Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley); $15. Disappointing
considering how much I’ve liked this
wine in the past. But the ’08 is funky and very
much from the old school of Carmenère, meaning
it’s dull-edged, thick, herbal and overly earthy
on the nose and palate. Just too heavy, roasted
and peppery for my liking. With 7% Cabernet
Sauvignon. Imported by Global Vineyard
Importers. —M.S.
82
Santa Alicia 2009 Reserva Carmenère
(Maipo Valley); $9. Murky
and soupy at worst and “earthy” at best, this soft,
beefy Carmenère is loaded down with green,
herbal flavors that can’t be saved by touches of
mocha and coffee. The finish is downright green,
and overall the fruit is weak. Imported by Halby
Marketing. —M.S.
81
Casa Silva 2008 Reserva Carmenère
(Colchagua Valley); $12.
Soupy and herbal smelling, which is what naysayers
claim is Carmenère’s scarlet letter. A little
horsey, as well. In the mouth, it’s loose and wet
but not well structured, and the flavors are
herbal, murky and foxy. Casa Silva claims to be
the king of Carmenère but this wine leaves me
unimpressed. Imported by Vin Divino. —M.S.
MALBEC
85
Caliterra 2008 Tributo Single
Vineyard Malbec (Colchagua Valley);
$20. Vanilla, wood shavings, charcoal and
floral berry aromas come with a hint of minty
green. The palate has a healthy but common
grabbiness to it, with flavors of black cherry, cassis
and herbs. Almost cloying on the finish, with
candied notes and vanilla. A strange wine that
doesn’t fully come together. Imported by Buena
Cepa Wines. —M.S.
83
Viu Manent 2008 Estate Collection
Malbec (Colchagua Valley); $9.
Starts out with grassy, gamy aromas that are not
up to what I’ve tasted from Viu Manent. This
wine is bulky but also clumsy and regular at best.
It has a simple, grassy set of generic berry flavors
followed by a heavy finish. Granted, it’s $9, so
with tempered expectations it’s not a deceiver.
Imported by Baystate Wine Co.. —M.S.
83
Viu Manent 2008 Secreto Malbec
(Colchagua Valley); $14. Quite
charred and hard, which is something I can’t
remember in tasting VM’s wines for the past
decade. It’s also plummy and thick, with a flat
palate that doesn’t register on the mouthfeel
meter. Flavors of black fruits are lemony from the
oak and generic, while the finish is round and
basic. Imported by Baystate Wine Co. —M.S.
80
Calcu 2008 Malbec (Colchagua
Valley); $12. Smells like Kool-aid and
pine needles, with some sweat thrown in. The
palate follows suit, showing a choppy, scratchy
mouthfeel and flavors of tart red fruits and funk.
Is that fish I smell? This wine proves that not all
Malbecs are wonderful. Imported by Global
Vineyard Importers. —M.S.
MERLOT
91
Casa Lapostolle 2007 Cuvée
Alexandre Apalta Vineyard Merlot
(Colchagua Valley); $24. Black in color,
with sweet, full-force aromas of cola and black
fruits. There’s staunch acidity on the palate,
something that will barely be noticed if drunk
with food. Meanwhile, the flavors are flashy but
smooth, with a play toward coffee, blackberry,
chocolate and herbs. Dense and deep; very nice
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