Best Chilean wines?

Heading down to Santiago Chile for a little bit, and will be hitting a few of the wine bars…

What are the very best Chilean wines right now?

Went to the region about 15 yrs ago… i recall names like:

• Clos Apalta
• Don Melchor
• Purple Angel (?)

Any other great stuff worth trying? new/upcoming goodies?

Thx!

I’m much less experienced than most people on here, but in addition to the ones you named, I really love Alamaviva (and to a lesser extent Almaviva’s 2nd wine “Epu,” although, that’s very hard to find outside of South America) and Clos Apalta Petit Clos (Clos Apalta’s 2nd wine, which is think is a great wine and great value).

Sena imo. 2016 vintage was outstanding.

I will vote along with that! It is delicious!

To round out my top three…

Los Vascos Le Dix (mui bueno.)

Domus Aurea, baby!

Just thinking about these three makes me want to drink them

Please get all three and taste!!!

P.S. Garcia

Is the wine named Garcia? Or PS Garcia? Sorry dumb question


Thanks everyone for the input so far!

COUSINO MACUL -

Legendary Cabernet Producer - their Riservas are still upper tier class - and a great winery to visit.

I was there in 2014/2015 and did tastings in the Maipo Valley at Concha y Toro and a full day in Colchagua.

Casa Lapostolle was very good.

We had an excellent tasting including a horse carriage ride around the vineyards at Vina Laura Hartwig

I have been happy with most of those listed above but have been repeatedly let down by Don Melchor. Another one to seek is a unique local grape blend under the label BoRoBo.

Prices there will be much higher than here IIRC since they subsidize the export market price a bit. If this is still true, the Lapostolle wine quality is very good across all price points.

To name a few:
Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
Montes Folly Syrah
Vik 2015 Milla Cala Millahue Red
Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Carmenère-Cabernet Sauvignon
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Puente Alto Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Santa Rita Casa Real Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon
Bodega Volcanes de Chile Tectonia Red
Santa Carolina Herencia Carmenère

I think Antiyal is outstanding. Their Carmenere is easily a 95pts wine, in my opinion.

Oh, I just noticed that you’ll be in Santiago. I highly recommend you eat at Borago if you like out-of-the-box fine dining. 99 Restaurante is also great. I’d bring back more Almaviva Epu if I went again, since I can’t find it in the States, but a lot of the other wines that they actually export are less expensive in the states (from what I saw).

I can get Almaviva Epu at 38€.

Deal?

Include the PS!

I’ve been really into Pipeños, I reccomend Aupa from Viña Maitia. Also A los Viñateros Bravos make great Cinsault from Itata, as well as Pedro Parra’s Pencopolitano.

Von Siebenthal has a great lineup, I like his Petit Verdot called Toknar. Tabali makes a great Pinot Noir called Talinay, and Errazuriz Las Pizzaras Chard is great.

Yup! Got Borago booked… 99 Restaurant was next, but they’re not open Sun/Mon which are the only other nights we’re in town (and not at Borago).

thanks!

Borago is quite the experience and is worth going to over 99. If you have time, 99 is worth going to for lunch (that’s what we did, since we also had scheduling problems). It was a casual, yet wonderful and sophisticated 3 or so course lunch. However, on Sunday, be prepared for 99% of restaurants to be closed. It’s kind of mind boggling.

Borago is awesome and had some excellent wines on my visit there (I do recommend the pairing option), including a stellar oxidative riesling hand bottled for the restaurant from Sierras de BellaVista. I dig natty unusual wines and loved Bodegas Re’s Pinot Noir velado - another oxidative style wine, more rose than traditional pinot, and 2012 was the current vintage release as of earlier this year.

Not wine - but I really dig Fuente Las Cabras for casual meals with good Pisco sours, a modern spin on old school Santiago diners. They might be open on Sunday afternoons. Baco was my Sunday go-to restaurant. Get the machas meunière! A table next to mine one night was drinking a 69 (I think) Dom they brought and offered a sip! The wine list is just OK, again the Pisco sours are very nice : )

Purple Angel is very good, almost every vintage

Is Don Melchor too expensive these days for what it is or out of vogue? I remember picking it up at Costco for $50 something but those days are probably gone.

Almaviva is the best I’ve tried out of Chile but the Purple Angel is nice too.

Nothing really mind blowing out of the region IMO.