Yet again a Chilean Cabernet found its way home with me. I’m tempted to do an overview of all the Chilean Cabs I tried… and I may yet do that.
This one is from Veramonte. You may recall that Veramonte Chardonnay was one of my top picks when I did a review of several Chardonnays last summer.
The Cabernet didn’t fair quite as well as the Chardonnay, but it still was OK. This Cabernet is from the Cholchagua Valley, an area from which I’ve already found a couple nice Cabernets. Root 1 and Los Vascos both were quite tasty, but interestingly both also were very intense—if not somewhat peculiar—on the nose. I didn’t find quite that same intensity—nor intrigue—on the nose of the Veramonte. It was basically just a simple, and rather typical bouquet with tobacco and hints of fruit. Call it cherry tobacco if you will. When you smell this wine, you can almost imagine the sweet smell from an old man puffing his pipe of cherry tobacco.
I will say that this is a very earthy Cabernet. The palate has enough oak to drive a nail into. I like oak, but I felt like I was drinking it right out of the barrel. Black cherries, currant and plum also make up the palate. It may have a little bit more fruit than you would expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon. The finish is long and dry.
It ended up scoring an 84 and at $9.99 I think you can do better than this one. But if you’re really into Chilean Cabernet you might give this one a shot.
Wine: Veramonte Reserva
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Price Paid: $9.99
I recently tasted the latest Veramonte sauvignon blanc. What a delightful surprsie. Lots of zingy acidity w/ lemon and lime flavors. It reminded me of any very, very good new zealand SB. I’d rate it a 90+ and I think the price is around, and possibly under, $10.
Another delightful and surprising white I’ve recently discovered is the 2007 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier (80%/20%) with bright acidity again and a very, very agreeable flavor of red grapefruit. I’m down to 2 bottles from my first case and have already grabbed another. It’s young, alluring and full of brightness. I hope you get a chance to try this one from Napa Valley AVA and available here locally in Southern California at a price of $9.99. I don’t see how any other white under $10 can beat this one for wine of the year in my book.
Best,
Dan