Veramonte Organic Wines and Patagonia Provisions

Viñedos Organicos Veramonte is a leading producer of 100% organic and sustainable wines from Chile. A true believer in Living Soils, they maintain a natural balance in the ecosystem of their vineyards, and stimulate the soil's biodiversity using all natural practices. Patagonia Provisions out of California practices regenerative organic farming for their food products, from their grains to their fish. Sooooo... what a perfect pairing for Earth Day these two make!

Veramonte's vineyards are in Casablanca Valley, enjoying a cool climate close to the Pacific Ocean. I've got the Pinot Noir pictured with the Patagonia Provisions Black Pepper Wild Pink Salmon. Let me tell ya... that Salmon is AWESOME! It comes in two thin plastic packages inside the box that don't take up much space at all in a backpack or what have you. In fact, all of the Patagonia fish products here are perfect for camping and hiking. The Roasted Garlic Mackerel, Spicy White Anchovies, and Smoked Mussels come in classic anchovy cans.

The Veramonte Pinot Noir saw eight months in French oak barrels. It's light and bright with raspberries, cherries, and its perky acidity is met well with a balancing out of tannin. 15% of the Chardonnay was aged in oak barrels for eight months. It's creamy and shows notes of melon and pears. Both of these are delicious, but my favorite is the Sauvignon Blanc. I'm a sucker for a good Chilean Sauvie, and this one features oranges, lemon, and flowers. Yummy!

HAPPY EARTH DAY, EVERYBODY!

Get some Veramonte wine: https://vinedosveramonte.cl/vinedosorganicos

Get some Patagonia Provisions: https://www.patagoniaprovisions.com/

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Primus Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, and The Blend

I remember way back in the day when I was first getting into wine, the Primus Red Blend was staple of mine. And here I am being reminded why. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend with Merlot, Carménère, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc, and it's just SOLID. It's bold with a lush mouthfeel and soft tannins. Just a very well balanced red blend that shows dark fruits and spices. The Carménère is everything that you want out of a Carménère; medium bodied with cherries and green pepper. And the Cab? I mean, I love Chilean Cabs and this is just a classic Chilean Cab with a structured body, currant, and graphite. These are all delicious. Suggested retail price is around $25, but I bet you can find them on sale for less. If you see them, pick them up and enjoy!

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Terrunyo Block 27 Peumo Vineyard Carmenere 2017

This is the third of three Carmeneres made by Concha y Toro that I'm reviewing this month! Terrunyo is from Block 27 of the Peumo Vineyard in Chachapoal Valley, Chile. It's 100% Carmenere that was aged in French oak for 9 months, and it has an ABV of 14.4%.

I apologize because I need to make this one quick, and I'm pretty sure you prefer me to shut up and give it to you straight anyway. The color of the wine is legit purple. On the palate it's medium bodied with a lush mouthfeel, sweet tannin, and balanced acidity. For aromas and flavors there's black cherry, strawberry, black pepper, green pepper, caramel, and vanilla extract. It finishes with a smooth coating of black cherry and caramel and a smile.

I've learned that with the multiple vintages of this Carmenere that I've had you just can't go wrong. It's always fantastic, and that remains true here. So the next time you see a ribeye on sale at your local grocery market, pick this bad boy up to drink with it and treat yourself.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $40

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere 2017

This is the second Carmenere from Concha y Toro that I'm reviewing this month! Marques de Casa Concha's 2017 Carmenere is 90% Carmenere and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit is from Peumo Vineyard in Cachapoal Valley, Chile, and the vines were planted from 1994 through 1996 on alluvial silty-clay soil. The wine spent 14 months in French oak barrels and has an ABV of 14.3%.

The color of the wine is a deep cherry red and on the nose there's aromas of plums, red cherries, black pepper, and mint chocolate. It's medium bodied with a rich mouthfeel, grainy tannin, and mellow acidity. For flavors the red cherries on the nose turn to black cherries, and the plums, black pepper, and mint chocolate return with a new friend of belly-warming Ancho chile. Then it finishes with black cherries and caramel.

$25 and worth every cent. This is a fruit-forward, juicy Carmenere that I continue to recommend to my customers vintage after vintage.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Carmenere 2017

I’ve got three Carmeneres by Concha y Toro to review this month, and this is the first! Gran Reserva’s 2017 Carmenere is 93.2% Carmenere, 6.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.6% Merlot, and it has an ABV of 13.7%. It spent 10 months in oak barrels (80% French and 20% American) and 5,000 liter casks.

It’s a garnet leaning more towards purple in color. On the nose there’s aromas of blackberries, strawberry candy, dusty cement, vanilla and chocolate. On the palate it’s medium bodied with super smooth mouthfeel and soft but chalky tannin. There’s flavors of blackberries, plums, green peppers, black table pepper, and caramel. Then it finishes with smooth blackberries, tart cranberries, and a bit too much sweet caramel.

This is some big juicy fruit, which I was not expecting, and quite enjoyable. And for $17 it’s just the right price.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $17

Rating: 3/5 = Satisfying (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was provided free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Wine Review: Kalfu Kuda Pinot Noir 2017

Kalfu means "blue" in the language of the Mapuche, the indigenous inhabitants of Chile, and for the Mapuche, Kalfu is synonymous with the magnificent Pacific Ocean that borders Chile's western coastline. A coastline blessed with an exceptional cool climate, constant refreshing breezes and early morning fogs that enforce a slow, steady ripening period for grapes, helping to create balanced, elegant wines. Kalfu is produced in Chile by Ventisquero, a winery dedicated to creating outstanding wines in a sustainable fashion.

I'm reviewing two wines by Kalfu this week. I already reviewed the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc on Thursday and now it's time for the 2017 Pinot Noir. For some reason Chilean Pinot Noir isn't really something you see much of around here, unless it's the lesser quality stuff. But this one isn't a $7.99 magnum or a 2 for $12 deal; it'll will run you $19 in a standard bottle.

This is 100% Pinot Noir from the granitic clay soil of the Las Terrazas Vineyard in Leyda Valley, Chile. The grapes were harvested early in the morning of March 20th to 23rd, were further selected and destemmed, underwent cold fermentation for 7-10 days, and saw fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 12°C and 15°C. Then 100% of the wine spent 12 months in French oak (10% new, 20% in second use, and 70% in third or fourth use). It has a 14% ABV.

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Wine Quickie: Casillero del Diablo Reserva Merlot 2018

October is #MerlotMe month and today I've got the first of a bunch of Merlot quickies! Casillero del Diablo by Concha y Toro is always just solid and reliable for the price, and that's what you should expect out of this Merlot. It's medium bodied with a lush mouthfeel, moderate acidity, and soft tannin. There's nose and palate descriptors of plums, blackberries, a little bit of cherry, and toasty oak. It beats the hell out of some other $10 Merlots that I know, which shall remain nameless!

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Wine Review: Kalfu Kuda Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Kalfu means "blue" in the language of the Mapuche, the indigenous inhabitants of Chile, and for the Mapuche, Kalfu is synonymous with the magnificent Pacific Ocean that borders Chile's western coastline. A coastline blessed with an exceptional cool climate, constant refreshing breezes and early morning fogs that enforce a slow, steady ripening period for grapes, helping to create balanced, elegant wines. Kalfu is produced in Chile by Ventisquero, a winery dedicated to creating outstanding wines in a sustainable fashion.

I'm reviewing two wines by Kalfu this week. Today it's the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and then on Sunday it's the 2017 Pinot Noir. I feel like it's been awhile since I've reviewed a wine from Chile. Lots of French and Italian stuff lately, and a bunch of Spanish stuff coming up. You know what I don't do a lot of reviews for? South Africa and Australia. I need to see if that can be remedied.

Anyways, this is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the granitic clay soil of the Las Terrazas Vineyard in Leyda Valley, Chile. The grapes were harvested early in the morning on March 19th, were further selected and destemmed, underwent cold fermentation for 12-14 hours, and saw fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 12°C and 15°C. Then it saw three months on the lees with plenty of gentle battonage. It has an ABV of 12.5%

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April Wine Pick: Chono Single Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

April is going to be an awesome (and strange) month on the blog! Malbec World Day is April 17th so I've got plenty of Argentinian wines to review leading up to the day. I'll talk a little about the popularity of rosé. Then there's going to be Sake, wines from Gascony, Armagnac, canned wine, recipes, and more original memes. Also, Distill Wars will be making a glorious (and dangerous) return with Tequila.

Oh yes. It's going to be a fun month. And it all kicks off with my Wine Pick!

The Chono winery is named after the Chono tribe of Chile, of which there is not much information available. Charles Darwin said they were one of the bravest native tribes and the only to resist being conquered by the Spaniards. In 1946 writer Benjamín Subercaseaux Zañartu claimed that they were still surviving as an uncontacted tribe.

Chono the winery was founded by Alvaro Espinoza in 2004. Their goal is to make wine from Chile’s most interesting appellations. Each farm is carefully selected, allowing the different varieties to express themselves at their best with all of their varietal character and fruit potential.

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Wine Review: Ventisquero "Grey" Glacier Carménère 2014

Back in February of 2016 I reviewed the vintage before this one, the 2013 vintage. It's quite an amusing review if I do say so myself, featuring a little history about Carménère and my opinion of it. I've actually reviewed four wine by Ventisquero on this blog before, so click here if you want to see all of them. This coming Thursday I'll also be reviewing the 2017 Garnacha Carinena Mataro blend.

The 2014 Carménère is 100% Carménère from their Trinidad Vineyard in Maipo Valley. Only 50% of the grapes are ground, and a pre-fermentative maceration is made at about 8° for 5 days, when the temperature starts to rise, fermenting between 22 to 25°C. After about 32 days, it's transferred directly into French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and 18 months of aging. 34% of the oak is new, and 66% is of second or third year. Then it spends 8 months in the bottle before being released. The ABV is 14%.

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Wine Review: Ventisquero Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

I'm reviewing two wine by Ventisquero this week. The first was the 2016 Reserva Sauvignon Blanc and the second is this 2015 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.In the past I've reviewed their 2013 "Grey" Glacier Carménère and their 2013 "Grey" Glacier Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2015 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah out of Maipo Valley, from granatic and stony soil. It saw a low-temperature maceration before fermentation, and then fermented in stainless steel tanks. After that, 70% was aged for ten months in French oak and then bottle aged for four months. It has a final ABV of 13% and can be shelved for up to seven years.

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Wine Review: Ventisquero Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2016

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I'll be reviewing two wine by Ventisquero this week. The first is this 2016 Reserva Sauvignon Blanc and the second is the 2015 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. In the past I've reviewed their 2013 "Grey" Glacier Carménère and their 2013 "Grey" Glacier Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2016 Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc out of Casablanca Valley, from sandy-clay soil. It saw twelve to fourteen hours of cold maceration and a slow fermentation. Then it was aged for four months on the lees and gently moved with battonage. The final ABV is 12% and it can be shelved for up to four years.

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Wine Review: Valdivieso Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2015

This is the second of two wines that I'm reviewing by Valdivieso of Chile. The other day it was their Brut Rosé and today it's their be their 2015 Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc.

Valle de Leyda is a subregion of the San Antonio Valley region of Chile. With the coast visable from the vineyards, the cooling breeze from the ocean and poor soil (offering minerality), its terroir makes it mostly a white wine producing region and is particularly regarded for Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Valdivieso's Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is from Valle de Leyda and is 100% SB. It was hand harvested, steel tank fermented with temperature control, saw no malolactic fermentation, and sat on some of its lees for three months. It has an ABV of 12%.

Our baby dragon Miss Daisy has had quite the day and is having quite the night of breathing fire with her colic and teething and overall difficultiness, so this is going to be a quick one. 

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Wine Review: Valdivieso Brut Rosé

This is the first of two wines that I'll be reviewing by Valdivieso of Chile. Today it's their Brut Rosé and in a few days it'll be their 2015 Sauvignon Blanc.

Valdivieso was the first winery to make sparkling wine in Chile right when it was founded in 1879. It was even originally called Champagne Valdivieso. Their Brut Rosé is made from 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from the foothills of the Los Andes mountain range in Curicó, where the cool climate provides the grapes with the acidity needed to make great sparkling wine. The carbonation is produced using the Charmat method, and there isn't much time spent on the lees before it's dosed, filtered, and bottled. It has an ABV of 12% with 10 grs/lt of residual sugar.

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Sauvignon Blanc! It's the Ultimate Wine Club Theme

As a wine guy in the retail business, I get a lot of regular customers from various wine clubs that come around looking for suggestions. These people get together usually once a month and they each bring a bottle of wine and, sometimes, food to pair it with. Generally the cap limit is $15 a bottle.

They’re not only looking for suggestions and pairings to fit a theme, but whoever is hosting that month might be looking for a theme itself. It could be a region or part of the world. Northwestern United States is always a big hit, because Oregon and Washington produce great affordable wine and cover a bunch of different grapes and styles. One person is designated an Oregon Pinot Gris, another a Washington Merlot, etc etc. Or it could be different California red blends. Or it could be just one varietal from around the world, which is exactly where I’m going with this.

One theme that is always a smash hit, where everybody has the most fun and learns the most about wine, is Sauvignon Blanc from around the world. Every time I suggest it to those who haven’t done it yet, they come back raving about the results.

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Wine Reviews: Concha y Toro Fronterra Chardonnay 2016 & Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2016

Hello! How's everybody's week going? Did my fellow Americans have a nice Independence Day? Myself being in the wine retail business in a tourist destination, I can tell you that I did not. It's the busiest week of the year and I'm just beat, man. My feet are killing me. My arms are sore. But I love my job and I love this time of year. Talking to people from all over the world about wine and getting them the perfect bottle for their visit here makes me happy.

And, besides, a bit of wine at the end of the day will always make it all better. Because I'm just so run down I'm going to make this one quick. I've got two bottles here that you can buy in magnum format and are much better than your average Yellow Tail or Barefoot or Cavit. Let's drink 'em!

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Wine Review: Santa Rita 120 Merlot 2015

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com!

Hey there, everybody! This review will be quick and easy (something I'm sure you like reading but I don't enjoy writing). Due to unexpected events I had to rush this post faster than the CW Barry Allen can fuck up a timeline so I'm just going to get right into it!

 

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Patrick puts it somewhere else.

Why don't we take all the Malbec in Chile... and put it in Argentina where it's good.

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Wine Review: Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah 2015 and Montes Twins Red Wine 2013

On February 10th I participated in a Twitter #WineChat for Montes Wines. I love those things. You get to sit down at your computer and enjoy the same wine with people all over the world for an hour. Pretty cool. So the following day I looked at my leftovers and I thought "well, might as well write up some reviews!" Keep in mind that this was written the day after the #WineChat and not recently. Reviewing a wine a month after it's been opened would not be a wise decision.

What I've got is the 2015 vintage of Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah and the 2013 vintage of Montes Twins Red Wine. I'm going to make this rather quick. Think of it as a bonus review.

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Wine Review: Ventisquero "Grey" Glacier 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon

For the last decade or so the general rule of Chilean wine was that you can double the price of a bottle and that's what wine of the same quality would cost coming from one of those classy California appellations. For the most part that theory is still going strong, although it's no longer a guarantee.

There is no doubt in my mind that Chile is absolutely the top producer of quality Cabernet Sauvignon for your money. It's very similar to the style and quality of the Cab's from Napa Valley; lots of currant, big and bold and mouth-drying. Only they're, you guessed it, much less expensive.

Grey Glacier Cabernet is the second wine I'm reviewing from Ventisquero. The first was their Carménère, which I really enjoyed. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to like their Cabernet even more.

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