Montes Alpha Syrah 2015

 

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of the wines from Montes & Chile in general.

I recently had the pleasure & honour to attend a dinner in Toronto hosted by the Profile Wine Group. The guests that made the evening special were Aurelio Montes Jr. & Sr.

They both were engaging, told great stories, & fielded questions throughout the night. Aurelio Jr. spoke about their efforts in Dry Farming (a topic for another day).

Many Montes wines and a few Kaiken wines (they have a partnership on some projects) were paired during the event.

Anyway, this wine was not poured that night, but when I found it at the LCBO, I knew I had to try it. I wasn’t disappointed.

 

 

Eyes: you’ll notice deep purplish hues.

Nose: you may find hints of ripe cherries & blackberries, all-spice, pepper, & woody undertones.

Mouth: you may find it medium, but leaning towards full-bodied. It’s a well-balanced wine with slightly chewy but not overbearing tannins.

 

Note that this wine is not 100% Syrah, it’s a blend of 90% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, & 3% Viognier.

According to the winery, it can be enjoyed now (decant for up to 1 hour) or cellared for up to 10 years.

Overall, I recommend this smooth wine. Plus, it falls under my Maginot Line of $20 for an everyday wine at $19.95.

 

Rating: 3.75 stars

Alcohol/Vol: 14.5%

Made in: Colchagua Valley, Chile

Sugar Content: 4 g/L

Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity

Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz

Vintages #: 612

Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008

Everyone has his or her favourites.

The Preamble
For me, for the price-point, I’ve always loved the Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. The 2009 was recently released and I already have two cases! I think we first had the 2003 or 04, and since then – we’ve been hooked.

I’ve written about our trip to Chile before; this wine was another reason we went there. My friends at Lifford Wine Agency had set up a tasting for us – and by some kind of miscommunication (I have to take to the blame here), we missed it. When we got to the Echeverria Family Winery, no one had any idea we were coming (as we were supposed to be there the day before). I apologized profusely, up and down, in as many languages I could, and in the very most of broken Spanglish I could muster.

Needless to say, they were not prepared for us. My wife had that look on her face that likely all wives do when their husbands screw up. Anyway, and I honestly think that because of how horrible my Spanish was/is, they did a tasting for us right there in their office. They brought out the accountant, who spoke the best English, to facilitate (and two other very kind folks).

We were enjoying our tasting and to our surprise, the wine maker showed up near the end. We had a lovely conversation with him. He asked which year (of the Reserva) we enjoyed the best and I had said the ’05 was my fav (he liked the ’07).

Anyway, they were too kind to us (even though I think a few people were not happy with us at Lifford and at the winery). At the end of it all, we left with half a dozen bottles or so.

My Review
In the glass: deep red, almost dark purple colour.

On the nose: woodsy, peppery, black fruits.

On the palate: cedar, peppercorns, plums, cherries and chalk with a smooth, medium length finish.

The Echeverria Cabernet has always been fairly well balanced and is considered a medium to full bodied red made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes and has 13.5% alcohol per volume.

Every year has been a little different, but overall the quality has remained high. I have no doubt in my mind that the 2 cases I recently purchased – I’ll enjoy!

I’ve never had a problem recommending this wine.

3.25 Stars

Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

NICE SURPRISES.

The Preamble
I likely picked up this bottle last July or August (by looking at the release date on the LCBO site). I can’t remember 100%. No biggee though.

Between our house and cottage, at any given time, we have somewhere in the range of 130 – 180 bottles of wine. Sometimes more, almost never less. That’s just the way I roll.

Anyway, this means is I forget some bottles that I’ve purchased. That’s ok, but I’m glad I purchased it. It’s always a nice surprise to have a tasty bottle and look up to find you only paid $16.05 for it!

You can find it at the LCBO in the Vintages section with this number 606764. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Syrah. The alcohol level is 14% alcohol/volume and the sugar content is 6 g/L (although the technical data on the winery site shows it as less). This is considered an extra dry (XD) red wine.

The Review
In the glass – a deep ruby-red.

In the nose – it was woodsy, hints of dark berries, cocoa and vanilla.

In the mouth – it was full bodied; had a touch of acidity, but still very flavourful with the fruit coming through, it was chewy and a touch chalky, and it had a medium length to the savoury finish.

Like I said, we were pleasantly surprised with this wine. We didn’t decant it, but could have. I was quite happy with the nose off the bat as well as the first sip (and glasses).

It could use a few more years on the shelf and that’s ok. I’ll be back at the LCBO today (hopefully) to pick up a few more bottles!

I can totally recommend this wine.

3.25 Stars

Laura Hartwig Carmenère Reserva 2010

The Preamble

When we were in Chile a few years ago on our anniversary trip we tried to get to as many wineries as possible. On our journey, we had a few obstacles to overcome trying to get to tastings.

First off, we were there in (their) early spring and because of that a lot of wineries weren’t prepared for visitors. Secondly, the wineries don’t have a lot of walk-up tasters. Most of the wine tourism, it seems, is run by tour companies – big buses and big groups of people. Not my thing. I’m used to just showing up during regular business hours, whatever those are, and having a tasting – like the places I’ve been to in Ontario, BC, Oregon and California.

Fortunately at Laura Hartwig, we did not have that problem (although we did show up a little early in the morning). The estate was charming, the tasting room was small, but that was fine for us. For some reason I cant link the website this time, you can try it for yourself with this link – http://www.laurahartwig.cl –hopefully it works for you.

What you get here is 100% carmenère. Look for it at Vintages with this number 213512. The alcohol is 14% alcohol/volume and the sugar content is 4 g/L, and it’s considered an extra dry red wine.

The Review
In the glass – it had a very deep purple colour.

In the nose – it showed dark berry fruits and had hints of vegetables.

In the mouth – it was plumy; spicy and had a very dry and incredibly long finish that lingered.

This was a quite smooth and savoury wine, we both enjoyed it and it took us back to Chile and our trip.

I can easily recommend this as another fine example of Chile’s carmenère grape.

Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Carmenere 2010

The preamble:

My trip to Chili revisited.

I had a religious experience deep in the cellars (4 stories deep in the side of a mountain) of the Lapostolle winery drinking their high-end wines like the Borobo and the Clos Apalta. I was brought to tears – I enjoyed that moment so much. If you are ever in Chile, you must go – it’s a gorgeous place.

This bottle comes from Lapostolle’s mid-range brand. Of note, all the wines in the brand are produced organically and bio-dynamically.

I remembered this wine was good and was happy to pull it out of our wine keeper to have a few nights ago. Every time we open one of those bottles we brought back is like going on our trip again. It’s a pretty decent representation of what you can expect from a slightly above average Carmenere – I’ve had a few better, but also, a lot more that were not as good.

This bottle is actually a blend of 98% Carmenère and 2% Syrah.

The Review
In the glass – it ha deep garnet colour.

In the nose – there was light smoke, woodiness, herbs, spice and dark berry fruits.

In the mouth – it was savoury and smooth, the fruit came through on the finish and it had a medium length finish.

I’m not sure if you’ve been turned on to Carmenere yet, but I sure am. You can’t go wrong trying this I can easily recommend this wine.

Concha y Toro Reservado Sauvignon Blanc 2011

We (wife and kids) went to Cozumel in January with some friends and their children. We all stayed at the incredible Hacienda Izamal. I would totally recommend this place; it’s a touch out of the way from the main square – like 20-25 minutes, which is fine if you’re into walking (we were). We ate, drank and had a wonderful time.

What was interesting to me was that we ended up drinking a lot of Chilean wine (I thought we’d find more American wines there, specifically Californian) and supper and this one tasty Sauvignon Blanc during the day.

The Review
I can’t tell you how many 2011 Concha y Toro Reservado Sauvignon Blanc’s we drank during our stay – one thing I can add though is – we loved it!

In the glass – it was a pale yellow with a hint of green.

In the nose – I got tropical fruits, apples and hints of peach.

In the mouth – it was light, crisp and super flavourful. It was fresh in the mouth and had a descent finish.

Best of all, if I remember correctly, this bottle was like 79 pesos. We enjoyed it mostly on its own but had charcuterie with it one afternoon. It was simply delightful. I’ll see if I can dig up a picture to share.

A Wine For A Special Occasion

People have a wine, or wines, that they have set aside for a special occasion. The Purple Angel from Montes is one of those wines for me.

Montes has been producing the Purple Angel since 2003 and I was fortunate enough to buy one from that first release. Funny thing was, I was in Vietnam on my honeymoon when I found it. My wife and I were in an amazing little wine bar and browsing the cellar when we saw the label. Purple is one of our favourite colours and it had that kool splatter effect on it that reminded me of Ralph Steadman’s art. Plus, the bottle is heavy, with broad shoulders and a deep bunt – all things I’m a fan of.

We held onto that bottle for 5 years and when we had it, we were floored. Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for more. Ultimately, that bottle had a lot to do with us choosing Chile as a vacation destination for our anniversary – we wanted to go there and try more wines!

Anyway, since then, I’ve picked up a few bottles from each release and have stowed them away for special occasions.

The Purple Angel is composed of 92% Carmenère and adds 8% Petit Verdot to round it out.

Visually it had a deep violet colour, almost black-red and on the nose it displays an intermingling of black pepper, oak, coffee, lavender, vanilla, earth, and a mixture of berries. On the palate, the fruit flavours were lush and concentrated. The acidy may have been a touch high, but the overall balance was excellent, and really chalky tannins rounded out a really long finish.

Speaking of that finish, it seemed to go on for minutes. I took my time between sips to savour the length, to chew on it, to take it all in – I did not want this bottle, that experience, to end.

I have to add this link because this guy is just great.

The drinking window on this wine is anywhere from now (definitely decant it if you’re drinking it now) to 2022 (although I’d wait another year or two to crack the 2007 and not wait until 2022 to enjoy it). All vintages of the Purple Angel have been scoring well – and the 2009 is no different. Like I said, this wine is something we bring out on special occasions as the price has ranged from $50 to $75. I definitely recommend this wine.

Update: Just purchased 4 bottles of the 2010 vintage!!!

***** 5 Stars

Quick 2-Star Ratings

** Union Squared Red 2010 – Ontario – Vintages 292359 – Price: $17.95

** Di Majo Norante Contado Riserva Aglianico Del Molise 2009 – Italy – Vintages 967208 – Price: $15.95

**1/2 Château La Grave Expression 2009 – Vintages 277053 – Price: $ 13.95

**1/2 Tossals Junior 2006 –Vintages 278135 – Price: $ 18.95

**1/2 Santa Ema Reserve Merlot 2009 – Vintages 642538 – Price: $ 16.95

**1/2 Alta Vista Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – Vintages 129957 – Price: $ 14.95

**1/2 Château Des Capucins 2009 (Blend) – Vintages 279992 – $19.95

Quick 3-Star Ratings

*** Bodegas Lan Reserva 2007 – Spain – Vintages 42929 – $21.95

*** San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 – Chile – Vintages 37911 –Price: $19.95

*** Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon (V) 2009 – Vintages 337238 – Price: $ 19.95

*** Marqués De Cáceres Antea 2010 – Vintages 518985 – Price: $ 14.95

*** Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc (V) – Vintages 316570 – Price: $ 18.95

*** Ramón Bilbao Reserva 2005 –Vintages 281097 – Price: $ 17.00

*** Secreto de Viu Manet Sauvignon Blanc 2011

*** Alamos Torrontés 2011 – Vintages # 81539 – $13.95

*** McManis Chardonnay 2010 – Vintages 265983 – $19.95

*** Ghost Pines Winemaker’s Blend Chardonnay 2010 – Vintages 308122 – $19.95

*** Tawse Sketches Of Niagara Chardonnay (V) 2010 – Vintages 89037 – $19.95

*** Finca Antigua Crianza 2008 – Vintages 981613 – $15.95

*** The Lackey Shiraz 2009 – Vintages 5199 – $17.95

***1/2 Torres Celeste Crianza 2009 – Vintages 210872 – Price: $21.95

***1/2 10Cabernet Sauvignon (Ernie Els Wines) – Vintages 278358 – Price: $ 23.95

***1/2 Summers Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – Vintages 279380 – Price: $ 29.95

***1/2 Shingleback Shiraz ‘Haycutters’ 2009 – McLaren Vale, Australia – $23

***1/2 Château Sénéjac 2005 – France – Vintages 286443 – Price: $36.95

***1/2 Summers Ranch Reserve Merlot 2008 – California – Vintages 279372 – Price: $34.95

Concha Y Toro Terrunyo Block 27 Carmenère

In this review I’d like to cover the Carmenère grape. Believed to originally come from France, but now is rarely found there. In the 1800’s it was transplanted in Chile, and because of Chile’s relative seclusion, the taste profile slightly changed. And now, Carmenère is considered Chile’s distinctive varietal. The flavour has been aligned as a softer Cabernet Sauvignon and it even has been confused as a Merlot over the years.

Simply put, it was sublime. For me, it’s one of the better bottles I’ve had in a long, long time. Looking at it in the glass; it had a deep, dark purplish colour. On the nose it was soft, yet deep; had current and blackberry overtones, a hint of oak and spice. In the mouth, it was smooth – oh, so, smooth. It was perfectly balanced, with a medium to long finish. At $29.95 it’s a little expensive for an everyday wine. This would easily be $75 to $100 in a restaurant or more.

From my research on prior vintages and what I’ve read up on the current one, all six previous vintages have scored between 93 and 97 points with Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate.

I’ve had the 2007, I have a 2008 and I will be getting at least one of the 2009’s.

They’re saying to decant it if you want to drink it now, but can easily hang onto it for 5-10 years. You can find the 2009 using the Vintages catalogue number 562892.

**** 4 Stars