2008 Radius Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Dark red

Nose - Blackberry, green bell pepper, molasses

Taste - On day one, glass one of this wine I thought it was going to be a nice even Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon that had dark fruits, oak and vegetal flavors. That's precisely what it was, though with less oak and more fruit. On day three, glass five this wine has lost most of the vegetal flavors and the bluberry, dark cherry and blackberry flavors have taken over. It's not bad, there's a nice bite right in the mid-palate and the finish is nice a smooth although only medium in length. There are some very subtle hints of brown sugar or molasses on the aftertaste which is very pleasant and fruity. The wine has a nice "warmth" to it that I've noticed in certain reds that I end up liking (perhaps a reaction of the acids and tannins, though I don't know).

Overall, I would say this is another wine that I've come to enjoy quite a bit. I would compare it to Columbia-Crest or Redwood Creek both in price and taste. It's an OK QPR, the wine is not complex but it's a great, smooth stand alone wine. Try it if you like fruitier Cabs or just need something pleasant and unoffensive for a get together.

2009 San Elias Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Raspberry, green bell pepper

Taste - On the first sip, I taste lots of sour red fruit, though not sour enough to give me actual pucker, but there is also quite a bit of bite from the alcohol and acidity from the tannins. This has a lot of astringency though it mixes well with the bite and sour fruit flavors making a melange of flavors and textures that doesn't overwhelm me. I can taste some raspberry, sugared blackberry, and plum and then some hints of burnt caramel on the finish. There is nothing special about this wine, it's medium bodied with a medium-to-long finish. It's not complex but still good in it's simplicity. I didn't expect much going into this tasting and got a little more than I expected, especially with the alcohol and tannins working with the flavors rather than clashing with them. I'd say this is better when consumed by itself, improper pairing wrecks this wine and it can be pretty finicky. Pizza overwhelmed it, creamy pasta didn't effect it at all, and savory meat just made the wine feel "flabby" and "bland".

Overall, this is an OK fruit forward, young Cabernet Sauvignon. It has no idea where it's going and neither will you. It's something of an adventure with every sip you take, but I'd advise you to skip this treasure hunt and look elsewhere. While it's an OK wine, and the QPR is decent as well, there are a myriad of better wines at this price point. Go ahead and look for anything from decent Washington, Chile, or reputable California vineyards with like-priced wines. They'll all beat this every day of the week.

2008 Anakena Malbec Single Vineyard, Chile

Color - Dark red

Nose - Raspberry, flowers, dark cherry, burnt sugar

Taste - I was curious about this Chilean Malbec when I saw it on the shelf at Total Wine. I am glad I gave in to my curiosity, as it is a pretty good Malbec. It is quite smooth with raspberry and cherry fruit flavors and some nearly-sour grass or vegetable flavors on the mid-palate and then a medium-to-long finish that has just a touch too much alcohol heat for what I would have liked. It's a pretty big Malbec if you drink it right after opening, but if given the chance to decant it mellows too much for my taste and subsequently loses it's intense complexity. If consumed right after opening, it holds up quite well to Argentinian Malbecs, but over time loses the big fruit flavors (raspberry, cherry, etc) of the Malbecs I most enjoy. Most of it calms down and can seem to run together as far as flavors go. It's not bad, as it retains its nose and color and is still very drinkable, I just think it's better right out of the bottle.

Overall, this is a good wine, it's just a little too overpriced but worth the expense to try something new. It's better if consumed prior to decanting as it loses too much of it's depth if given too much time to breathe. I think the big flavors it has right out of the bottle, even the alcohol heat, are better than the rather mellow fruits and nearly invisible tannins when it's decanted. It's not great and the QPR is only fair. There are many Malbecs that are better and cheaper, Alamos and Flechas de los Andes are the two that come right to mind, but this is still a good effort and probably the best you will find from Chile. In short, you make the call on this one.

Anakena Wines

2009 Chateau Los Boldos Momentos de Chile Carmenere, Chile

Color - Dark red with a black core

Nose - Plum, black cherry, wet soil

Taste - I get lots of plum that gives way to what I can only describe as fresh pepper-like and then quite nicely tannic with a mild alcohol heat. There are herbs on the finish which is medium in length and has hints of oregano and smoke (the smoke is present throughout the entire body of the wine). This wine is young and has a lot going on, probably too much going on as it can easily get confusing on the palate. While I get some of the typical Carmenere flavors this is more fruity than herbaceous. It's a medium bodied wine but feels "heavier" on the palate than I think it actually is, a lot of that in my opinion is due to the presence of alcohol and smoke. It benefits from decanting though you can drink it right out of the bottle and it isn't too offensive. It's good by itself or paired with savory dishes and steak, but doesn't really get any better than "good".

Overall, I'd say this is an average Carmenere. It's somewhat muddled and maybe a little expensive or perhaps not what I'd expected from a wine at this price point, 10 dollars. In reality it's an OK QPR and I'd say take a pass on this and pick up the Anakena Indo Carmenere or Santa Alicia Carmenere. This one's just average, those are blockbusters in comparison.

Chateau Los Boldos Wines