A Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

Having recently posted a wine from Argentina, I thought I’d keep up with the South American theme and move over to their western neighbour Chile. Chile occupies a strip of land that has the Pacific Ocean along its western coast line and the Andes Mountains on its eastern border. They have had long history of wine making, with the introduction of European varieties such Cabernet Sauvignon in the 18^th century, their has been a real renaissance since the 1980’s with the introduction of modern winemaking techniques. To the extent, that they are now the ninth largest producing country, and the fifth biggest exporter in the world, according to Wikipedia.

Casillero del Diablo is one of the biggest brands on UK supermarket shelves today; produced by the Concha Y Toro winery and is one of many brands under their umbrella. The name Casillero del Diablo according to the website is supposed to translate to the cellar of the devil, however if you use Google translate, you get pigeon holes/box of the devil, I think their translation sounds much better.

They produce an extensive range covering all the major varietals, including the South American favourites of Malbec and Carmenère, and aromatic whites, such as Viognier, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. We went for the Cabernet Sauvignon, where the fruit comes from the Central Valley, about 70% of the vintage will spend around eight months in new American Oak before being bottled.

On pouring the wine, it had a deep, bright ruby colour, with nice aromas of cassis, plums and cherries, with a touch of coffee coming through in the background. On the palate all the aromas were there and came at you in waves, with a good length to them and a good level of tannin. Combining these together, you got an enjoyable fruit driven wine with a good body and is very well balanced. Would I recommend this wine, yes I would, and at around the £7 mark it shows excellent value.

A Great Little Gem from Argentina

Having read and enjoyed The Winesleuth’s recent postings of her trip to Argentina, I realised that this is another wine producing country that I’d unintentionally ignored on the blog. With this is mind, I paid a visit to my local supermarket just before Christmas to see what they had in stock, and I found, what I hoped to be an interesting bottle. The wine in question was a Torrontes from Vinalba, I know I’ve tasted the Torrontes grape before, but I could not remember what flavours you got, so this seemed like a good place to start.

The Torrontes grape is indigenous to Argentina, and the grapes in question for this wine are grown in the Mendoza region, which is in the foothills on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. The winemaker is a gentleman called Hervé J. Fabre, who was born in Bordeaux and was apparently one of the first foreigners to recognise the potential Argentina to produce great wine.

This wine is made from 100% Torrontes; it had a pale lemon/green colour with good aromas of tropical fruit, with a hint of citrus coming through in the background, which instantly started to make my mouth water. On the palate you got all the flavours to match the aromas plus you also got a touch of stone fruit thrown into the mix to add that little bit more complexity.

This wine see’s no oak at all, and it doesn’t need it, it has a good level of acidity and a good length of flavour. Combining all these together you got an exceptionally well balanced wine that was extremely enjoyable and very refreshing. Would I recommend this, absolutely, would I buy an Argentinean Torrontes again, most definitely.