2009 Chateau Los Boldos Momentos De Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Dark red

Nose – Green bell peppers, forest floor, blackberry, wet soil

Taste – This is a very nicely put together wine. I have to say that after tasting the Momentos De Chile Carmenere I was not impressed. So I wasn’t expecting much when I opened this bottle, I got more than I bargained for. This wine is nice and tight, and some might say a little too young. I happen to like the sharp contrast between the fruit and vegetable flavors and the very large tannin and alcohol hints. On the first sip I get a nice flavor of sour cherries, bitter blackberries, tobacco and licorice, the mid-palate is quite tannic with good heat from the alcohol. The former does a nice job leaving my gums feeling nice and clean, while the latter makes my tongue prickle just a little. The finish is medium-to-long with more tobacco and licorice flavors. Pretty decent effort all the way around, I didn’t expect to like this based off the sour and bitter flavors but they work in this wine and are rather pleasing.

Overall, I would say this reminds me more of a Carmenere than a Cabernet Sauvignon, which is funny because the Momentos De Chile Carmenere I tried resembled a Cabernet more than a Carmenere. Maybe it’s just me or perhaps it’s only this vintage that is a little funky but I think these wines are just a little off the normal path for their particular varietals. I do like this wine despite its strange flavor profile. It’s different enough to make me want to revisit it, and it is rather good as well. I’d say you should pick this one up at least once to see what you think and then go from there.

Vinas Los Boldos

2007 Beringer Founder's Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Blackberry, smoke

Taste - I'm not going to mince words with you, this is a fruit forward wine, close to being too fruit forward for my tastes. In fact, it's right on the edge and on a few sips tipped over the edge just a little bit. There are TONS of dark berries, plum, raisin, a tiny hint of oak, and a slightly smoky aftertaste. The fruit doesn't overwhelm the taste on most sips but is reined in with a good balance of alcohol and tannins (there were a few times were the fruit did seem to flood my palate, but I think this was more due to mis-pairing of food rather than the wine itself). This is a medium bodied wine with a pleasantly long finish. This wine is easily enjoyable without food, in fact, I would go as far as to say this wine is better without food than when paired. It is balanced and smooth without food and can be finicky, in my opinion, when you pair it. The only thing holding this wine back is the lack of complexity and depth in the flavor transitions and the tendency of the flavor in the mid-palate to show a little too much raisin and plum for my taste. This wine doesn't hold any surprises, so don't look for any, nonetheless it is a good offering of a New World Cab.

Overall, this is a good wine with a good QPR. If you are a fan of inexpensive California Cabs (fruity without a lot of herbaceous or spice notes) this one is definitely for you. It is close to the Washington Cabs I have tried recently as well, only falling a little short in the complexity department. I'd say this is a wine you would want to at least try and perhaps keep a bottle around the house for those times when you need an inexpensive bottle of red to round out a meal.

Beringer Wines

2007 Finca Flichman Paisaje de Tupungato, 70% Malbec/27% Caberet Sauvignon/3% Merlot, Argentina

Color - Dark red, nearly black

Nose - Blackberry, plum, molasses, alcohol

Taste - This wine is HUGE! Big, bold dark fruit flavors. Think of just about any dark fruit and that flavor is present here. Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, plum; the list goes on and on. Normally all of that fruit would chase me away, but the heat from the alcohol and very lively tannins come in during the mid-palate and finish and level this wine out quite a lot. I will say the alcohol is just a little too much in this wine and can come on too strong especially during the finish. The wine has a lovely mouthfeel, velvety and spicy at the same time. It's a full bodied red with a definite "weight" to it that you can feel on the tongue. The astringency is a little lacking or perhaps covered up by the alcohol, which is a shame.

Overall, I'd say take a pass on this big, red wine. The QPR here is only fair. I was hoping this would be similar to the Anakena Ona or Concha y Toro Trio. While this wine is big and bold like both of those, it's too alcohol-forward to be rated like the Ona or Trio. If you want a good red blend from South America try on of those two and pass this one by, while it's not a bad wine, it's not the best out there and it's price is higher than the decidedly better competition.

Finca Flichman Wines

2007 Waterbrook Merlot-Cabernet (56% Merlot/44% Cabernet Sauvignon), Washington

Color - Dark red

Nose - Plum, coconut, licorice, clove

Taste - I get spiced cherry, plum, tobacco and pepper right on the first sip. This is a great big red wine with huge spice box aromas that carry right over into the flavor. This is my favorite type of red wine; really big with massive spice flavors. I love the smooth flavor transitions between plum, licorice, tobacco, then lovely smooth warmth from the alcohol and finally a long finish personified by peppered cherries. This is a nice full bodied red with awesome mouthfeel and texture. It's got some rather nice astringency that blends quite well with the spices leaving a lovely tingle on my palate. As good as this wine is where flavor and texture is concerned the best thing about it is that I bought it for 8 dollars at my local supermarket. The last time I got this level of quality and complexity it was priced just over 15 dollars. The is a great wine.

Overall, this wine has great taste, texture and price. It should have a 20 dollar price tag, thankfully for you and I it doesn't. This wine isn't just a good QPR, it's a great QPR. I would say stock up on this wine by the case!

Waterbrook Wines