2008 Santa Ema Amplus Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Thank God for the wine buyer at my local Costco and their ability to bring in amazingly priced gems like this particular wine. Priced just under 17 dollars, this particular Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon might seem a little overpriced for those of you that frequently purchase South American wines. And that would be a valid point if this wine wasn’t as balanced and complex as it is. I am a huge fan of Chilean Cabs and Carmeneres as well as a big fan of Argentinean Cabs, Bonardas and Malbecs. And while those wines are frequently very inexpensive, they just as frequently display a limited level of complexity even at the 15-20 dollar range. This particular bottle brings out some of the best qualities of the Chilean terroir while limiting its shortcomings. 

This pours a lovely deep purple shade with rose shaded bubbles and a black core. The nose is sweet blackberry jam, creamy vanilla, golden butter and just a dash of lean green pepper. And oh, how this sips! Gorgeous black currant and blackberry flavors built on a foundation of vanilla and tar with shimmering walls of pencil lead and green bell pepper. The acidity, astringency and tannins, all perfectly balanced, morph this wine’s sweet-ish fruits into wonderfully semi-sweet/sour flavors. The finish is quietly long; what I mean by that is that it is a rather mellow, balanced finish that lingers quite some time. The flavors present here are green bell pepper, blackberry, currant, raspberry, vanilla, oak, tar, ash and just the smallest notes of black pepper, grass, and forest floor. This is a medium-to-full bodied wine that leaves an aftertaste of blackberry, grass and smoke. What truly sets this above and beyond the majority of Chilean Cabs is the fact that the green bell pepper flavors present in the Amplus are quite reserved and take a backseat to the fruits and other herbaceous notes in this wine. Most sub-15 dollar Chilean Cabs have a tendency to be overwhelmingly bell pepper flavored; limiting the versatility of the wine and my palate feeling abused. This has just the right amount of herbaceous flavors and a surprisingly heavy dose of fruit for a Chilean Cab.

Overall, I’d rate this a great QPR if you hold it up to its South American counterparts. Though you will find a slew of sub-15 dollar Malbecs that outshine this bottle you won’t find many Cabs from anywhere that taste like this does. It features just the right amount of savory characteristics while not overdoing the fruit. I haven’t found a Chilean Cab that is this balanced nor this inexpensive and I’ve sampled quite a few. I would highly recommend this if you enjoy drinking wines from Chile or want a pleasantly refined, yet inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vina Santa Ema 

2008 Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Carmenere 30%, Chile

Colored decadence…Deep dark red swirling to black at the center

Aromatically limited…Red plum, pipe tobacco, nail polish

Flavors that fade…I bounce around on pretty much everything Montes has to offer that I’ve sampled. I’ll like one wine but can’t stand the next and the third will be smack dab in the middle. There doesn’t seem to be any consistency in any of their sub-20 dollar bottles. I’m sure the more expensive bottles are amazingly complex, warm and textured, I just wish I could count on their wines to give me some kind of reliability where quality is concerned. This wine is no exception to that rule; except to say that this starts out very inviting but the longer you let it breathe the worse it gets. Wait too long (a few days) and you are left with a wine that doesn’t have anything in common with the wine you sipped upon opening the bottle. Sad to say, but this one doesn’t make the grade. If you drain the bottle before 24 hours goes by then you have a pleasant red wine with an attack personified by plums, grass, tobacco and some smoke. The mid-palate is smooth with tannins that ease in and out while the alcohol just brings a slight tingle to the gums and tongue and the astringency doesn’t really play a factor at all. The finish is long and brings back the plums, but adds dark cherry, blueberry and vanilla to the mix. In all it’s not a bad wine, but nothing spectacular. If you waited a day or two to finish the bottle you will now find the attack is a sickly, sweet mess of sugared plums and candied fruit. The mid-palate is thin, acidic and hot. And the finish is still long, but now shows off unripe berries, sour cherries, backed by plum preserves and a streak of paint thinner. Not a pleasant journey at all.(While I understand letting a bottle sit and get air can adversely effect a wine, a few days in the proper conditions should be possible for a red wine like this.)

Overall, this is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of red wines. You can guzzle it down and have an OK experience with the bottle, but if you wait too long it’s going to make you cringe every time you take a sip. I can’t recommend this wine in the least. It gets a poor QPR at 15 dollars for this bottle I overpaid by 10 bucks and honestly feel ripped off. Even had I finished the bottle that first night I would have felt this wine didn’t live up to its price point. For the money the Montes Alpha is much better. Be glad this is “Limited Selection” because it might just fade out completely and make room for something good on the shelves. Leave this one alone!

Vina Montes 

2008 Francois Lurton Hacienda Araucano Carmenere, Chile

Simple shades…Dark purple that lightens at the rim

Fruit fragrant…Blueberry, boysenberry, cherry vanilla

Two-toned taste…I ventured outside my usual “wine stores” and purchased this bottle at the Whole Foods around the corner from my house. They stock a lot of the same wines that I see at my local grocer, but they have a decent selection of wines I’ve never come across. Most of them are organic wines and I had a quite pleasant conversation with an organic wine drinker that was deciding whether or not to try Syrah for the first time. That’s neither here nor there but it makes for a good story for another post. On to the review. Basically this wine is what I’d call a two-tone wine all the way around. The aromas are of blueberry/boysenberry and cherry vanilla. The attack features two distinct flavors blueberry/blackberry and licorice/tobacco. I’m not saying it tastes bad; it’s just pretty simple. The mid-palate lacks any real astringency, but shows a decent amount of alcohol heat and tingle on my tongue mixed in with some very playful tannins as they bring just a hint of pucker but serve to make the mid-palate and subsequent finish taste of wood/oak/smoke. The finish is medium in length and carries those same berry flavors, mixed now with the wood/oak/smoke and finally just a dollop of chocolate and cinnamon. The wine itself feels heavy in my mouth but it’s really only a medium bodied effort with an aftertaste of oak and apple (I know that sounds weird in a red wine but that’s what’s left on my tongue between sips).

Overall, I think this is just a bit too boring for me. I’d purchased this in hopes of finding yet another intriguing glass of wine from the Carmenere grape, instead I didn’t really find anything that reminded me of what I’ve come to expect from Carmenere. It lacks the signature herbaceous, green bell pepper and black pepper savory-ness of most Carmeneres; instead showing characteristics of a full bodied Malbec. That’s not saying this is a bad wine, merely an average wine and not a clear example of what this grape usually tastes like. It gets an OK QPR, and a weak recommendation from me only if you want to try something new or are bored with your usual Malbec. If that doesn’t describe you, steer clear of this and seek out nearly any Anakena Carmenere or Chateau Los Boldos Carmenere priced over 12 dollars.

 Francois Lurton

2007 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

In the Crayola crate…ruby red with a garnet rim and tinges of black throughout

Pleasant potpourri…Strawberry, oak, compost, damp earth

Taste the textures…I was tempted by this from the first I laid eyes on it at Costco, but I couldn’t bring myself to fork over the 16 dollars when I’d only had average experiences with Montes wines thus far. I stopped by three or four times before I finally broke down and purchased a bottle. Truth be told this wine is a little bit average, but it’s also a little bit complex, and just a tad bit adventurous. It’s something of an enigma because it goes through so many phases it makes it hard to review; but I’ll do my best. The attack is pretty straightforward and powerful; burnt blackberry jam silkiness married to dense dark flavors of leaves, loam and cedar smoke with a backbone of leather and anise. The mid-palate boasts crisp acidity, subtle astringency and moderate alcohol heat. The finish is pronounced and long, pulling in flavors of currant and blackberry mixed with tar, ash and charcoal. This finish seems overwhelming until your second or third sip and then you realize just how complex and wise these flavors are; truly showing off the wines subtle age and intensity without losing the buoyancy and bravado of the attack. Definitely a full bodied wine with evident weight and an aftertaste of wet, sour leather and cherry pips.

Overall this wine can seem “friendlier” on the attack and mid-palate than on the finish; however it is in the finish where you find all the hidden flavors and complex nuances that truly make this wine special. The bold, heavy flavors of tar and ash pull down a rather fruit forward finish; and while they might confuse your palate on the first sip by the third or fourth sip these same flavors are what your palate is drawn to. You begin to look for the dark, heavy edges of this wine and find them in all textures and flavors and throughout the wine. I recommend this wine as a good-almost-great QPR. It needs time to breathe or a Vinturi but given the chance this is a wonderful bottle of wine that defies its price tag, don’t pass this one up.

Vina Montes

Mini-Review : 2010 Siegel Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Chile

Mini-Review

And so starts my “mini-reviews”. Wines that get mini-reviews will be run-of-the-mill wines that don’t really stand out either for the good or the bad. Basically there was nothing about this wine for me to write beyond one paragraph. Let’s begin.

This wine is dark purple edging to black with a violet rim. It smells of blackberry, blueberry and sugar cookie. The primary flavors are sour blackberry, raspberry, tobacco, and hints of green bell peppers and licorice. Thankfully the mid-palate is soft alcohol and relatively tame tannins otherwise this wine would get a full review, albeit a poor one. The medium finish is just a little harsh due to some sour berry flavors that come in rather strong, thankfully they fade quickly into a mélange of green bell pepper, leather and tar; not a threesome you want to stick around and these linger just a tad into the aftertaste but it mainly highlights some blueberry/blackberry flavors and not much else. Overall this wine is priced right at the top as far as quality goes. If you were to tack on a quarter, to the 9 dollar price tag I’d say you paid too much. So at 8.99 this is the peak that this wine should ever reach. This fares right in the middle of the pack of most 9 dollar Cabernet Sauvignons; it’s not great and it’s not terrible, it just is. Anakena’s Cab offerings are better, Casillero del Diablo is worse and Penfolds is about the same. I’d say pass on this and go buy a 9 dollar Malbec where you are sure to find better quality for your money.

Siegel Winery

2008 Cameron Hughes “Lot 233” Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Purple with a ruby rim

Nose – Black and red currant, green tomatoes, celery

Taste – Right on the attack there is a lot of dark fruit but more in the way of stewed fruit with less sugar and lots of earthy characteristics in the mid-palate and finish. The flavors start with black currant, licorice, and blackberry and smoothly transition to damp soil, forest floor, and pencil lead with perfect heat and astringency, and finally a long finish personified by burnt caramel, coffee, bittersweet chocolate and a hint of green, herbaceous vegetables. This wine is medium-to-full bodied with a nice “warmth” to it that runs through the entire wine. I prefer this slightly chilled, decanted for at least 30 minutes and paired with steak and buttered, salted vegetables.

Overall, this is more balanced but also more complex than the recent Chilean Cabs I have tried. It’s both noble and accessible with warm, deep, dark flavors that don’t smother the wine but add to the overall level of complexity and accessibility of this particular wine. I’d rate this as a good QPE with the quality definitely equal or above the price. Buy this when it’s available, in bulk if you have the funds. Simply put it’s that good of a red wine!

Cameron Hughes Wines

2009 BrisAndes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Dark red with a violet-tinged rim

Nose – Strawberry, red currant, slight green bell pepper

Taste – I purchased this while spending some quality time amongst the bottles at Total Wine for under 10 dollars. I wasn’t expecting much from this wine, I just wanted to judge it against other Domaine de Rothschild wines from South America. This one is slightly better than the Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (not reviewed due to the loss of my tasting notes, sorry.) It has a simple nose of red berries and minimal herbaceous notes. The attack is a little darker, featuring dark cherry, strawberry and green bell peppers with behind the scenes tastes of pepper and oak. The mid-palate is nearly invisible with barely any recognizable alcohol or tannins and light astringency. The finish is medium-long and borders on the unpleasant as the berry flavors turn sour and what can only be described as “dark”. I can taste sour cherries, bittersweet chocolate, burnt molasses and leather. The aftertaste teeters on the edge of overbearing and pungent, but never really falls over. All of that having been said when tasting this wine by itself, the flavors don’t change too much when paired. I did, however, notice nice changes when I paired this with a grilled top sirloin. The rare cut of beef complimented the wine, or vice versa, very well, mellowing the sour flavors and adding a “buttery” characteristic to the finish. It wasn’t good enough to change my opinion of this wine, but it made the wine drinkable.

Overall, I would rate this a poor QPR. It tastes better than the flat and bland Los Vascos, but the flavors here don’t taste good. The overall feeling I got from this wine was that it was too young and pungent, with flavors that made me cringe especially during the finish. I wanted to like this, but even upon revisiting this wine after four days in my wine cellar it was just as unpleasant on day one. I highly advise passing on this wine; you can probably chose another wine while blindfolded and get a better wine than this.

2007 Anakena Ona Limited Edition Malbec, Chile

On the Crayola chart…Blackish red with a garnet rim

Olfactory allusions...Black currant, brown sugar, Concord grape juice

The taste buds are a-tingling…I have talked up the Anakena line of wines for quite some time now, with the only real disappointment being their Single Vineyard Malbec. So when I saw this on the shelves of my local Total Wine & More, I just had to try it out. I had hopes that I would find a decent Malbec from Chile; sadly that’s not the case here. While this wine does better than the Single Vineyard Malbec, it still falls short of my expectations for an Ona labeled wine. The attack is marked with blackberry, black currant and plum; other than those flavors there doesn’t seem to be any other layers which threw me for a loop to say the least. The attack to mid-palate transition is very smooth; the mid-palate showing shy tannins and over-friendly alcohol heat. The heat lingers into the medium-to-long finish; mingling with darker flavors of molasses, tobacco, black tea leaves and sugared black plums. There is a lingering aftertaste of black plum and molasses, that sours just a tad right before it fades. All of this after the wine had been open for a day. I did sample a glass fifteen minutes after I popped the cork; much like the Single Vineyard Malbec this wine tastes better right after opening than it does after breathing in some air. I don’t know if the terrior in Chile doesn’t favor the Malbec grape or if my palate doesn’t enjoy just how much Chilean Malbec tends to mellow after breathing, but I didn’t enjoy this wine as much as I’d hoped to.

Overall, this rates a mere OK QPR. It tastes big and somewhat herbaceous if you sip it right after opening, but mellows into a rather boring, warm red wine if given the chance to touch some air. That’s not to say it tastes bad, merely that it makes this wine an over-expense when there are much cheaper Argentinean Malbecs that are more pleasing and complex than this wine. If you are taking a journey through the Anakena Wines as I am attempting to do you will still want to sample this wine, but I don’t think you will be keeping it around the house afterwards. This does not earn a recommendation from me unless you just want to try out a Chilean Malbec, all the rest of you purchase something else.

Anakena Wines

2006 Veramonte Primus, Chile

Color – Purple with a dark red rim

Nose – Blackberry, brown sugar, black currant, raisin

Taste – This turned out to be a stellar deal that is currently available at my local Costco for 14 dollars. I call this a stellar deal because this wine is quite good and sells for 20 dollars at Total Wine, you do the math. On to the wine review! First off you need to know that decanting or aerating this wine is a must. I recommend a minimum of an hours decanting if you truly want to enjoy this wine, but overnight decanting is probably best. This wine is HUGE in the flavor/texture department and if you don’t let it get some oxygen you will get a kick in the palate. That being said, if you decide to sip this after some decent breathing, this wine tastes fantastic. The attack is full of dark fruit/berry flavors; blackberry, plum, dark cherry and black currant with veins of brown sugar and chocolate present as well. The mid-palate is all about balance. The fine balance of firm tannins, alcohol heat and smoky, astringent leather flavors/textures; all of these blend into a long, pleasing finish. The finish tastes again of dark fruits (mostly plum and raisin) with some spice (vanilla and anise), tobacco, chocolate, brown sugar and just a hint of oak. All of these flavors blend effortlessly together into a very pleasant mélange of playful tastes. I enjoyed the finish so much more than the attack and mid-palate that I would close my eyes as I swallowed every sip and let the tastes wash over me. This is a full bodied wine that benefits from being served at or just slightly above room temperature and the weight of it changes when you serve it warmer, so I advise sampling it cooler and warmer so you know what you are getting.

Overall, this is a really good wine for the money. I wouldn’t hesitate to spend 20 dollars on this bottle and at 14 this is almost a great QPR. For a red blend with lots of flavors, complexity and textures going on this one still manages to take my palate on a journey without being pretentious or losing sight of the final destination. I would recommend this wine to anyone that enjoys big, bold red wines; you won’t be disappointed with this effort.

Veramonte

2008 Chateau Los Boldos Cuvee Tradition Carmenere, Chile

Color – Deep purple, nearly black

Nose – Currant, blackberry, sugared plum

Taste – I was in the mood for a Carmenere and had sampled most everything from Total Wine with a sub-ten dollar price tag; so I picked up this bottle for 13 dollars instead. I was hesitant at first due to my dislike of the Chateau Los Boldos Momentos line of wines, but figured there Cuvee Tradition offerings might be more to my liking. Was I ever right? Whereas the Momentos wines are acidic, alcohol-forward and almost overbearing; this Carmenere is smooth, flavorful and surprisingly complex. The wine sips pleasantly directly after the cork has been pulled with just a little overabundance of tannins and some sharper green bell pepper flavors; if you let it decant for 30 minutes or so the tannins calm down in the glass and the green bell peppers become just hints around the edge of the other flavors. The attack is black currant, blackberry, and molasses with minimal flavors of green bell peppers, damp earth and coffee grounds. What I notice first in the mid-palate is an intense astringency that mingles with perfect tannins and some alcohol heat, but these textures easily blend into a wonderfully long finish that is chock full of blackberry, black plum and dark cherry notes and floating at the edges flavors of vanilla, leather, cut grass and bittersweet chocolate. The wine is medium bordering on full bodied with a very pleasant berry/cherry aftertaste. This may be one of the most balanced Carmenere’s I’ve ever tasted and for the price is my new favorite from this varietal.

Overall, this is a pleasing, complex offering from a grape that is oftentimes too green or barring that too Cabernet Sauvignon-like. The QPR here is good-to-great with the flavors and texture truly being worth more than the price tag. I wouldn’t have picked this up had there been any other options in this price range that I hadn’t already tried, that’s how much I disliked the Momentos wines, but this is a winner. I highly recommend this if you like Carmenere, or just want a balanced red, sipping wine. This is a must try.

Vina Los Boldos

2009 Urban Maule Red Blend (50% Cabernet Sauvinon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 5% Carignan), Chile

Color – Very dark purple, almost black in the glass

Nose – Blueberry, pepper, herbaceous nearly green bell peppers

Taste – This wine is really something of a conundrum to my palate. By the looks of the color I’m expecting big flavors. The nose hints at fruit, but pushes more in the realm of sharp and savory vegetal notes. And the flavor is basically a mish-mosh of both. The fruit comes on quick and is gone just as quick, personified by smoky, somewhat charred blueberry and blackberry flavors. This is very quickly overtaken by some very herbaceous flavors; sage, thyme and pepper as well as black tea leaves. These flavors linger through the mid-palate which is fairly acidic from the alcohol and equally astringent. The finish is medium-long and is the most straightforward part of the wine with flavors equal parts tart berry, smoky pepper and savory herbs. The wine leaves and aftertaste in my mouth of cherries and a spice cabinet, as if I’ve been licking the lids of every spice/herb container I have on hand. Not that pleasant of an experience. I will admit that I tried this over several days and only sat down to take the majority of notes on the last day rather than the first. My memories of day one are more pleasant, though the wine tasted very young with big tannins and flavors more closely in line with blackberry, green bell pepper and some hints of sage. That being said it wasn’t an amazing glass of wine then but it was slightly better than it is right now.

Overall, I’d say I wasted about 10 bucks on this bottle, and advise you don’t even bother with this wine. It’s a poor, nearly bad, QPR. Maybe it’s the blend, maybe it’s the grapes, maybe it’s me; but this wine just doesn’t work at all. It tastes convoluted on the attack and mid-palate, the finish is just barely passable, and the aftertaste is downright bad. For the same price you can find a myriad of good-to-great red blends, most of them available in your local supermarket (yes even the supermarket red blends taste better than this). Trust me, this is one wine you want to skip.

Bodegas y Vinedos O. Fournier

Head to Head to Head: Three Cabs

Being limited in my posts-per-week due to lack of internet, my next few posts will be multiple bottle reviews. We'll start with three Cabs (2 from California and 1 from Chile). This review will lay them out from least expensive to most expensive (not taking into account coupons or sale prices) and at the end I'll give a recap as to my preference of the three taking into account flavor, cost and availability. Without further ado, on to the review!

2008 Santa Helena Vernus Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Blackberry jam, blueberry, raspberry, green bell peppers

Taste – This bottle of wine showed up at my local Costco, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to sample yet another Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. After this wine had decanted for nearly 30 minutes I decided to take my first sip, and I was nicely surprised. This wine seems simple, but in reality is far from it. The attack bears lovely notes of black currant and blackberry with just a hint of bittersweet chocolate. The mid-palate is rather “warm” with firm tannins, astringency that is nearly perfect and acidity from the alcohol but not a lot of heat. The finish is long with heavy flavors of licorice, burnt caramel, tobacco and leather. This wine is full bodied, fruit forward with a finish that balances the fruit notes with “sharp” flavors and leaves a pleasant after taste on my tongue. For under 10 dollars this is a pretty good purchase as this wine holds up to a lot of different flavors (I personally tried it with burgers, steak and pizza on three different occasions and this wine went great with all three).
Overall, this wine shows a good QPR as the flavors are complex enough to allow this wine to hold up to multiple kinds of foods. This Cabernet Sauvignon is also very drinkable by itself. I was surprised that this is as good as it is. I am truly perplexed by the number of superior Chilean wines that are priced in the sub-10 dollar range is so large; perplexed but very happy. This is a must try, pick it up on your next trip to Costco because it might not be on the shelves for long.

Santa Helena Winery

2008 Dominican Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Dark red, with a near black core

Nose – Black currant, licorice, chalk dust, caramel

Taste – This was a recommendation from one of the Total Wine “Beverage Specialists” or whatever they’re called. He talked about it as if it were the best Cabernet Sauvignon for under 20 dollars, considerably better than the Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon I like so much. So at 17 dollars I went out on a limb and grabbed this bottle. I won’t say that he’s completely wrong, but his palate and mine differ quite a bit. This is a very silky, smooth red wine in the beginning that transforms into something of a mangled beast in the middle, then reforms again after the finish back to silky, smoothness. The attack is “warm” (reminding me almost of a liqueur or cordial) and somewhat heavy for my tastes. I can taste cherry, currant, raisin and licorice. The licorice holds on a long time, all the way through the mid-palate. Speaking of the mid-palate this one is a little rough for my palate; with the majority of it coming on as strong alcohol heat/acidity and puny tannins/astringency. As I said before the licorice comes through the rough but short mid-palate and right into the medium-length finish and is joined by blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla, black pepper and oak. The finish tapers off into a smooth, warm, silky mouthfeel that is full of cherry skins and red plum flesh. This is a medium-to-full bodied wine, and at warmer temperatures the medium falls right off that and this wine takes on a weight of its own that can seem rather cloying at times.
Overall, this is not my cup of tea, or glass of wine as it may be. I am sure this is a quality wine, I can tell by the mouthfeel and texture of the wine that runs throughout the entire sipping experience. It might even be a pretty good QPR, but for my palate I’d give it a fair QPR rating. I won’t be coming back here again even though this wine went well with steak and a hearty salad, it failed with simpler foods (spaghetti marinara on one night and grilled chicken breast with rice au gratin on another night). It’s just too much money for what I would consider a rather confused red wine. It starts yummy and smooth, and finishes yummy and smooth; but the middle is one big yucky “hot” mess. I’d recommend passing on this and getting the Courtney Benham I mentioned above for a few dollars more or maybe the Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon for the same amount. Either of those are just as complex and far more balanced Cabernet Sauvignons. You let me know what you think.

2008 Wheelhouse Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Ruby red with violet hints at the edges

Nose – Plum, cherry, licorice, vanilla

Taste – This delightful Cabernet Sauvignon was nearly half off at Cost Plus, and when I can pick up a 20 dollar bottle for almost 10 dollars I jump at the chance. It only solidified my decision when several employees and a customer informed me I’d made a good decision on my wine choice. I am happy I listened to them, though I’m not completely sold on this wine’s qualities. Don’t get me wrong this wine tastes good, but it’s not 20 dollars worth of goodness. There is some complexity and it starts off right as the wine passes the lips. The attack is evenly layered dark fruits and berries; plum and blackberry mixed with dark cherry and red and black currants. These fruit flavors aren’t overwhelmingly sweet but rather dark, smoky and rich with underlying spice flavors when the wine is moved along the palate. The mid-palate is full of firm tannins, bright acids and pleasing astringency. The tannins run into the long-ish finish in the form of ripe fruit skins, but the finish is also rather dark; the predominant flavors being those of licorice, leather, tobacco, cloves and smoke. This is full bodied, though it tends to feel “lighter” when it’s chilled just a little. It tastes equally well slightly chilled or at warmer temperatures, though it fares best when paired with some charred beef and at room temperature.
Overall, this is a good wine and at the price I purchased it, I would rate it a good-nearly-great QPR. But I don’t think I would pay 20 bucks for this bottle. It doesn’t give Courtney Benham’s Napa Cab a run for its money, but falls far short of the quality of that wine. I admit that this is better than 95% of any wine you will find under 15 dollars. But if you do a lot of tasting you will find those 5% bottles crop up even at your local supermarket. In all honesty I have to recommend that you try this wine because it is a very flavorful and complex wine, that being said; seek, find, and buy – but attempt to do it on the cheap!

Wheelhouse Wine Cellars


In closing, all of these wines were drinkable though the Dominican Oaks almost got cut from the trio due to it's messy and confusing mid-palate. In my opinion, the Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon is the best wine for the money easily containing the most complexity and depth for the price. If you can get the Wheelhouse Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon at a reduced rate (15 dollars or less) than you are getting the best of the three, but at full price this wine comes in second. It does taste good and offer considerable complexity and flavor, but 20 dollars a bottle is just a little off-putting. Coming in last is the Dominican Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon and truly this wine was close to being taken off this list altogether. If I could focus just on the attack and the finish this wine would tie the Santa Helena for first, but the sheer brutality of the mid-palate knocks this down to third place and that's not even taking into account the 17 dollar price tag on this bottle. The Dominican Oaks and Vernus are probably the easiest wines to find. Though I purchased the Vernus at Costco, I believe you can find it at Total Wine & More which is where I purchased the Dominican Oaks. I have only seen the Wheelhouse at Cost Plus and it might not be available at the Cost Plus in your region due to the purchasing tendencies of the Beverage Specialist at your local Cost Plus. In all I hope these reviews help you on your journey with wine.

Two Wines from Santa Alicia Vineyars & Winery

What follows are two reviews of Santa Alicia wines that I purchased and tasted about a month ago. Due to my lack of internet I have a sizable backlog of reviews so I figured I would post these two reviews together. Hopefully these reviews make sense and assist you on your journey with wine.

2007 Santa Alicia Anke Blend 2, Chile

Color – Ruby red with violet hints on the rim

Nose – Raspberry, strawberry, green bell pepper

Taste – This jumped right out at me as I scanned the shelves at Cost Plus World Market the other day. A blend with Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Shiraz, I had to try it. Despite the fact that this is just a little more than I like to pay for wine, I went ahead and purchased a bottle. The wine looked good in the glass after I’d poured it, it swirled nicely and the aroma was pleasant enough, but the flavor lacked what I expected. It has Carmenere leanings for sure (blackberry/black current with pepper and spice notes). But it doesn’t have a lot of other flavors. It tastes more like just another Carmenere than a blend. That’s not to say it’s a bad wine, just not a lot beyond normal. The attack is spicy blackberry/black currant flavors. The mid-palate is mild astringency, delicate tannins and invisible alcohol. The finish is medium in length with dark fruit skins, leather, green bell pepper and cut grass. The wine wants to be full-bodied but falls short only reaching medium-bodied weight and a texture that is a little watery in the mouth.
Overall, I would rate this a poor QPR, just missing out on and even rating. This doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t taste bad, but it purports itself to be something special, something a little more than your normal Carmenere. But it lacks anything that a 7 dollars bottle of Carmenere will give you and it’s twice the price. It’s not bad if you want something to sip on that can hold up to food or being enjoyed by itself; but I wouldn’t pay the price for it again there are far too many other red blends that are superior to this one and a lot of those are several dollars cheaper than this one. In short, pass on this one.

2005 Santa Alicia Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Chile

Color – Very dark purplish red

Nose – Blackberry, currant, brown sugar

Taste – A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a little shopping at Cost Plus World Market and this wine just about jumped off the shelf at me. ‘A 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for less than 10 dollars?’ I thought to myself ‘That’s got to be a joke.’ After talking with Larry the Beverage Specialist, I decided to purchase a bottle and see what this wine was all about. I expected this to be an earthy, bold Cabernet Sauvignon. Something that goes beyond the normal Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon flavors of either ripe dark berries and fruit or wet soil and green bell peppers. I got some of both of those flavors when I took the first sip. The attack features blackberry, burnt brown sugar and pepper. The mid-palate is largely a blend of alcohol warmth and ghosts of green bell peppers. The finish is medium-to-long, filled with flavors of spicy black pepper, more green bell peppers, fruit skins, coffee, and tobacco. This Cabernet Sauvignon is full bodied with subtle astringency and complex flavors and textures. As good as this wine is, I expected just a little bit more from something that has sat in the bottle for so long. But as I thought about it, this wine makes perfect sense. The flavors and textures have mellowed from what was most likely a very powerful, young red wine but the wine itself holds up nicely and is extremely drinkable.
Overall, I would rate this a near-great QPR, 10 dollars for a Cab Sauv with the complexity and flavor profile exhibited here is pretty hard to find. Drinking this wine is not only pleasant but also very fulfilling. This really pours a great glass of wine. Complex for the price, dark in color, a nose that is packed full of amazing characteristics and flavor for days you can’t miss with this one. I recommend you buy this before it clears off the shelves.

Santa Alicia Vineyards & Winery

2010 Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Merlot Reserva, Chile

Color – Dark purple with a violet rim

Nose – Blackberry, dark cherry, green bell pepper

Taste – Having tried the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet Sauvignon and being pleasantly surprised at how a 4 dollar bottle of Cab could possibly be quaffable, I was not surprised that the Merlot passed my test as well. I will admit that this is a little less to my liking than the Cab was. First off the wine has two big flavors that come through on every sip: black cherry jam and green bell pepper. These two flavors vie for dominance through the attack, mid-palate and the finish so there isn’t a whole lot going on in the forefront of this wine. There are some subtle flavors and textures under the surface but you might struggle to find them. The first is a decent amount of chocolate and tobacco in the mid-palate and some nice oaky smoke on the finish. There is also a decent amount of heat that runs through the mid-palate, finish, and aftertaste. This taste much better right at room temperature or slightly warmer, at cooler temperatures the green bell pepper becomes nearly overbearing. The mouthfeel is fairly smooth with near invisible tannins but just the right alcohol. The wine is medium bodied with a medium finish.

Overall, this is an OK QPR. I can’t honestly say this is any better than its price tag of 4 dollars. Sure the other 4 dollar bottles are wines you are going to dump down the drain whereas this one you will actually drink, but it really isn’t worth it. I would say save up 2 more bucks and pick up the Trentatre 33 or Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon or if you are desperate get the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet instead.

2010 Concha y Toro Xplorador Cabernet-Merlot (75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Merlot), Chile

Color –Dark red

Nose – Green bell peppers, blackberry

Taste – Having sampled nearly all of Conca y Toro’s inexpensive wines and being, for the most part, underwhelmed (besides the amazing Concha y Toro Trio); I was surprised that this wine is as good at it is. Simply put this is a great inexpensive, bulk wine. The flavors are very vegetal and herbaceous but also very pleasant and fulfilling. There are few transitions in this wine as far as flavors go. What transitions there are in this wine are as follows: green bell pepper, dark cherry, alcohol. The mid-palate is all cherry and raspberry, while the finish is rather short and personified with muted tannins, celery, and cut grass. This wine is medium bodied and a little “watery” at times. Normally I would say a wine of this “caliber” is poor, however, this wine is very inexpensive, 8.99 for 1.5 liters. And the quality is actually pretty darn good at that price point. There aren’t any surprises, it lacks anything close to depth, and there isn’t a hint of complexity in this wine at all. But it tastes good, and goes down really smoothly on its own or with food. So I have to say it’s a pretty good wine.

Overall, I would say this wine passes my tests for an inexpensive, bulk wine. It tastes good, a glass of this actually tastes like wine rather than fruit juice with alcohol mixed in. It doesn’t have any of the more off putting flavors that some cheap wines exhibit (jolly ranchers, chemicals, or sugar). While it does have some fruit flavors, it’s balanced by the predominant flavors of green bell peppers and celery and that makes it taste complex even though it is far from complex. All in all this is a good QPR and a wine that you should pick up and store because it is inexpensive and perfect for large parties or as something inexpensive to sip during the week.

Concha y Toro Wines

2007 Vina Falernia Carmenere Reserva, Chile

Color – Dark red, nearly black

Nose – Blackberry, black currant, vegetal notes, alcohol

Taste – I would love to be able to rate this Carmenere right up there with my favorites because it looks good in the glass, it smells pretty darn good, and even the initial sip starts off well, but everything goes downhill from there. There is a lot more fruit in this wine than I am used to in Carmenere; I can taste blackberry, plum, dark cherry right from the initial sip, but those flavors get eviscerated in the mid-palate with a massive dose of alcohol. It is so bad that the aftertaste is one that I am only familiar with in terms of cherry flavored Nyquil. Basically after the first hints of actual flavor the wine degrades into a mouthful of fruit flavored alcohol. You can still catch tinges of brown sugar and cut grass, but they are completely trampled by a long, Long, LONG aftertaste of alcohol. The tannins in this wine might be nice and firm or they might be flabby and flat, I honestly couldn’t tell you because I can’t find them. The only thing my palate can detect after the second sip is alcohol. I tried this over a period of five days and the wine didn’t get any better after decanting or being consumed at higher or lower temperatures. It is a fairly heavy bodied wine and that makes it even harder to slug down.

Overall, I would say pass on this train wreck of a 10 dollar wine. It is not a good QPR, it is a terrible QPR. This wine is overbearingly alcohol forward and not a wine at all but closer to a cough syrup in flavor and nearly in texture. The wine is “heavy” on the tongue and with the predominant flavor of alcohol-cherry-chemicals it brings memories of taking Nyquil when I had the flu growing up. If that is your idea of a good red wine then this one is for you. For everyone else, dump this down the toilet and get ANY OTHER CARMENERE IN THE WORLD (that’s how bad this wine is).

Vina Falernia Wines

2009 Anakena Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Inky purple

Nose – Blueberry, cherry, blackberry

Taste – This wine is nicely fruit forward with blueberry, cherry, and other dark fruit right from the start. It’s not very complex, though the flavor transitions from fruit to soft tannins and muted alcohol, to a finish of caramel, oak, and chocolate. The tannins are larger and more pronounced upon first opening of the bottle, but they only mellow a touch, and the alcohol is really only present in the mid-palate and right at the beginning of the medium finish. The wine has a pleasant mouthfeel, though it tends to be “lighter” in weight in my mouth than I would have expected. There is also a small amount of burnt popcorn flavor right at the end of the finish that I have found I like in red wine. I would say this is medium bodied with a cool texture, and perhaps too few tannins for my taste, though the flavor itself is pleasant and inviting.

Overall, this is a decent performer in the 8 dollar bottle section of Cabernet Sauvignon. It doesn’t jump out at me with immense flavors or complexity, but it has solid flavors, depth, and mouthfeel. I would say the QPR is good for this wine as the quality is definitely present and the price is perfect. In my opinion, there are few 8 dollar reds that would fare this well, I would challenge you to find one and bring it to my attention. I would say this is a must try and one to keep in mind when planning any get together or for a house warming gift as this wine is good enough to give to just about anyone.

Anakena Wines

2009 Anakena Pinot Noir, Chile

Color – Opaque red

Nose – Strawberry, raspberry, cut grass, celery

Taste – I went into this tasting with an open mind mostly because I’d never sipped Pinot Noir previously, I am quite glad I decided to pick up this bottle as it was a very nice wine though different than anything I’ve tried up to this point. The initial sip has interesting flavors, beginning with raspberry, sour cherry, and chocolate. I know chocolate is a little bit strange, and it’s not small hints of chocolate, but quite a decent taste of chocolate right before the mid-palate. The mid-palate itself is characterized by minimal heat and tannins, what alcohol there is manifests more in the form of pinprick tingles and the tannins show up more towards the finish. The finish itself is medium in length and features more raspberry flavors as well as what I can only describe as “spicy fruit”, something like peppered cherries. The spicy flavor isn’t overwhelming just a tinge of pepper towards the end of the mid-palate. This wine is good, but not superb. As I have never tasted Pinot Noir before I reviewed this solely based on what I like and dislike in any wine. This wine makes the grade but isn’t something I am going nuts about, It’s a good wine for 8 dollars with consistent flavor and depth.

Overall, I would say this wine has a good QPR. It’s nothing fantastic or groundbreaking. You aren’t going to taste a tidal wave of flavors or find a lot of complexity here. It’s rather straight forward in its flavor transitions and while the flavors themselves are strange to me they seem to fit the wine. The rather muted tannins and alcohol do well here as the wine is light-to-medium in body and would not do well with large tannins or an overabundance of alcohol. I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase this wine if I was looking for something light but would probably find a slightly more expensive Pinot Noir, something to judge this against. It’s a decent wine, not bad, just a solid middle-of-the-pack red wine.

Anakena Wines

2007 Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Plum, blackberry, cherry

Taste – I picked this up at Costco recently, having already tried the Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon, I was curious what it’s slightly more expensive older brother might offer. This doesn’t disappoint, I expected good things and this definitely has good things. On the initial sip, I can taste plum and cherry with a nice tinge of green bell pepper, these flavors fade into a mid-palate that tastes of sour blackberries and a little more alcohol than I would have liked, this leads to a long finish of cocoa and possibly some tobacco. There is a strong aftertaste of fruit skins (most likely the tannins coming through) though it’s not unpleasant. The wine itself lacks the depth I expected here and the mouthfeel is a closer to medium-bodied than full-bodied; I had hoped that this wine would be much better than the Santa Rita 120 unfortunately it’s not that big of an improvement. Don’t get me wrong, this wine is still good. Is it better than the Santa Rita 120? Probably not enough to make this have a better QPR, but it’s still a really good Cabernet Sauvignon for the price.

Overall, I’d say this is just a fraction better than the Santa Rita 120 and it’s about three dollars more expensive. Is it three dollars better? That depends on your palate. For me I’d say it’s about dead even. Depending on where I’m shopping and my budget, I’d be just as likely to pick this up as the Santa Rita 120. This is slightly more complex, but that’s to be expected from the differences in the vintages and grapes. Compared to other Cabs at this same price I’d rate this one just slightly above average. I enjoyed it even though it’s not perfect; it’s still a solid wine.

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