Chilean Wine – Value and Deliciousness Revisited

In the early days of this website, back in 2007 and 2008, Chile was one of my top wine regions to find good wines at bargain prices. At the time, it was a wine region that was going through a revival. In the late 1990s and early 2000s a number of new wineries were established in the country and investments in the industry increased the quantity and improved the quality of what was being produced.

Now, some 12+ years later, the Chilean wine industry is maturing. Winemakers have gained a deeper understanding of the different regions and terroirs — rethinking the Chilean wine map in some cases. Winemaking talent and experience from around the globe has informed producers in Chile, advancing vineyard practices and winemaking techniques. Old vines are being leveraged to create new wines. And a new generation of winemakers is up and coming, bringing a new perspective.

Said another way, the character and quality of the wine coming out of Chile has continued to improve over the past several years. And for bargain hunters, Chile is still an outstanding region for finding good great wines at bargain prices.

A couple weeks ago I had an opportunity to do a blind tasting of Chilean wines organized by Master the World and then a discussion led by Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein with other Master Sommeliers and winemakers about the wines. It was a great opportunity to revisit what’s happening in the Chilean wine world today and rediscover how much the region has to offer to wine lovers.

But before I get to the wines, I want to highlight Master the World. If you’re interested in training your palate to become a more educated wine taster, Master the World is an amazing resource. They assemble tasting kits of 6 different wines and send them to subscribers to taste blindly. They provide a structured approach to taste the wines, with an online interface for you to evaluate the wines step by step. Once you’ve completed your blind tasting, you submit your answers and can then see what the wines are and how your assessment compares to a panel of Master Sommeliers. They show you what you got right and where you differed from the panel or were wrong, so that you can learn from the tasting. Below is a glimpse of how the results are shown.

My experience using Master the World was great! It’s fun and educational. After just a couple wines, I started to notice some patterns with how the Master Sommelier panel interpreted aromas and flavors differently from my interpretations. I adjusted to that and was able to improve my results. I assume that’s part of the intent, to drive consistency with how different tasters interpret a wine. Tasting is inherently subjective to some degree, but training like this adds discipline and structure to how you approach tasting.

Getting back to Chile, the tasting highlighted 6 different wines. A couple of those wines are priced above my typical $25/bottle limit, but I want to highlight all them to showcase the types of wine you can find coming from Chile these days. Disclosure: The wines listed below were received as media samples.

Leyda Single Vineyard Garuma Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2019
Alcohol: 13.9%
Suggested price: $19.00

The first wine in the tasting kit was a Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve long been a fan of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc because the Chilean regions that produce it tend to have a significant diurnal temperature shift that produces stellar acidity in the wines. That is exactly what I found in this one from the cool climate Leyda region. And while Sauvignon Blanc from some regions can be overly grassy, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc tends to have more tropical fruit aromas and flavors, although there are still some green vegetable characteristics.

• Aromas: Grapefruit, Meyer lemon, nectarine, elderflower, lemongrass, green pepper and chive.
• Flavors: Grapefruit, nectarine, apricot.
• Acidity: Stellar.
• Mouthfeel: Nice and lean.
• Finish: Long with lingering citrus and saline flavors.
• Cheap Wine Ratings score: 90

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

Amayna Pinot Noir 2016

Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 14.5%
Suggested price: $35.00

If you went back 10 or 12 years, I would likely be skeptical of a Pinot Noir from Chile. There were a few good ones, but also some misses. But things have come a long way since then and Chile is producing some good Pinot Noir and I think it will continue to improve. Like the Sauvignon Blanc above, this Pinot Noir comes from the cool climate region of Leyda.

• Aromas: Sour cherry, raspberry, blackberry, mushroom, fennel, leafy greens and black pepper.
• Flavors: Sour cherry, raspberry, blackberry, earthy mushroom, almond and wet stone mineral.
• Acidity: Sufficient.
• Mouthfeel: Nice and lean.
• Finish: Long with lingering earthy, mineral and raisin flavors.
• Cheap Wine Ratings score: 88

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

Santa Ema Reserva Merlot 2017

Varieties: 100% Merlot
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 13.5%
Suggested price: $15.00

Now here’s an example of the exceptional value that can be found in Chilean wine. This $15 Merlot was the least expensive wine in this tasting and yet it was one of my favorites. It comes from the Maipo Valley region, which some refer to as the “Bordeaux of South America.” It’s no wonder this Merlot is so tasty. My only beef is the oak is a little heavy, so if you’re not into oaky Merlot this one might not be for you.

• Aromas: Red and black plum, red raspberry, blackberry, tobacco, black olive and black pepper.
• Flavors: Blackberry, raspberry, black plum and black pepper.
• Acidity: Good.
• Mouthfeel: Smooth with good tannins.
• Finish: Long, with lingering berry flavors.
• Cheap Wine Ratings score: 90

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

Odfjell Aliara 2013

Varieties: 65% Carignan, 20% Syrah, 15% Malbec
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 14.5%
Suggested price: $45.00

This wine is a Carignan blend, which is a blend I haven’t had an opportunity to taste often and threw me off when it came to guessing the variety in the blind tasting. Nonetheless, it’s an amazing wine and is an example of old vines in Chile being rediscovered as modern gems. The vineyards vary in age from 20-80 years. In addition to Carignan, the wine also includes Syrah and Malbec in the blend, resulting in a velvety, rich, concentrated wine that is simply beautiful.

• Aromas: Cherry, red plum, blackberry, black currant, rose, tea leaves, sassafras and dust.
• Flavors: Jammy sour cherry, blackberry, black currant, licorice and mineral.
• Acidity: Sufficient.
• Mouthfeel: Smooth with moderate tannins.
• Finish: Medium-long with jammy fruit and mineral flavors.
• Finish: Long, with lingering berry flavors.
• Cheap Wine Ratings score: 91

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Varieties: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% each Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 14.3%
Suggested price: $20.00

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted red wine grape in Chile, which holds 15% of the world’s plantings of this grape. If you’re a Cabernet Sauvignon fan, you should be checking out those coming from Chile. This one comes from the Maipo Valley. Like many of those coming from the region, this one seems like a nice balance between old world and new world, stylistically. The Syrah added to this one adds some lovely floral notes to the wine.

• Aromas: Cherry, black raspberry, black currant, rose, tomato leaf, tobacco, licorice and baking spices.
• Flavors: Jammy black raspberry, cassis, black cherry and licorice.
• Mouthfeel: Gripping tannins.
• Acidity: Very good.
• Finish: Long with lingering jammy fruit flavors.
• Cheap Wine Ratings score: 90

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

Viña San Pedro Sideral 2017

Varieties: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Carmenere.
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 14.3%
Suggested price: $25.00

Another Cabernet Sauvignon, this one comes from the Cachapoal – Andes Valley region. The restrained use of oak in the winemaking enables this wine to really showcase the fruit.

• Aromas: Ripe black raspberry, cherry, red currant, tobacco, black pepper, cigar and vanilla.
• Flavors: Ripe black raspberry, cherry, cassis, blackberry, coffee and hazelnut.
• Mouthfeel: Rich and smooth.
• Acidity: Beautiful.
• Finish: Long and with complex berry and spice flavors.

Get more info about this wine on Wine Searcher.

As you can see, these wines were all impressive. If you haven’t tasted Chilean wines in a while, you might want to revisit them.