Truth be told, I don’t buy or drink many wines from Chile, with Clos Apalta being the exception. I purchased 3 bottles of the 2003 Almaviva upon release and they have been perfectly stored. Popped the cork on the first one today and with one sniff, the wine screamed Chile: under-ripe, bug spray, and green. Hopes that it would blow off did not happen. Buying the best from Chile when it comes to wine is an oxymoron.
Hi Michael
My personal experience is that if you want a cheap but decent wine (maybe <$9) they’re often very good indeed.
However trading up has yet to be rewarded, so I gave up trying. Too many instances of clumsy and overpowering oak and bigger fruit with no great additional complexity. Less enjoyable than the cheapies.
There will I’m sure be exceptions, and improvements may already have happened, but for me the damage was done about a decade ago.
regards
Ian
It seems to be kind of hit & miss. I personally would not buy any pricey Chilean wines, but I had a pretty good Dos Andes “Porto” or something like that a few months ago. I’d get it again. Don’t care much for the whites of region.
Cousino Macul’s CS reservas are also pretty good, but taste like they are from other regions of the world.
I’ve liked Montes Alpha M and Don Melchor, particularly as they get more age, but frankly both are priced now to probably above my indifference point for buying them relative to many other cabs and BDX at those price levels.
I’ll buy a Chilean wine sometimes as a good value off a restaurant list (I randomly ordered an inexpensive Odfjell Carmenere once and really liked it), but I don’t find myself seeking them out at retail in recent years. There’s a lot of solid value, but most of the wines aren’t distinctive enough for me to want to chase them.
I rather liked Almaviva in the past and though I haven’t had one in a while, I purchased a 2003 on the secondary market just to see how they are doing.
Different strokes…
Dismissing Wines from Chile because of one overpriced wine may be one of the silliest things I have seen in a while. The under $20 bargains coming out of Chile are nothing short of terrific.
Is this meant to be tongue in cheek?
I had the 04 Alma Viva twice in the past year and it was excellent.
My limited experience with wines from Chile is that they often if not usually have an under-ripe, green, profile and often demonstrate a chemical aroma which I refer to as bug spray. It was at the higher end that I found this to be less likely, thus my disappointment with this wine. You may have all of my under $20 bargains from Chile; I’ll get mine from Spain.
I enjoy many Chilean wines. The rustic Pipenos from Louis Antoine Luyt, the bold, harmonious Matetic EQ Syrah, Maule Valley Carignan, C&T Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc…
To discredit an entire nation’s wines simply because several “top” reds failed to deliver on the long game is to ignore so many exciting things happening in the fringes.
My next taste will hopefully be the unusual blends from Bodegas RE…
I lived in Santiago for a year and enjoyed a myriad of visits to wineries. I would look into Casa Marin’s Riesling and Sauvignon Gris as two examples of what Chile is getting right (at least as far as whites are concerned).
Unlike many of their neighbors on the other side of the Andes, there is a growing undercurrent of boutique labels with access to good fruit sources that are exploiting (for good) some of the cool climate sources. I would expect to see more progress on this front in the Leyda and San Antonio Valleys.
The trend of the Chilean Peso (and all of LatAm currencies) is awful so perhaps all the wine will soon be cheap enough… The Peso has depreciated approx 50% in the past 2 years so for US (and UK) buyers, it is coming your way.
Maybe it has improved…
- 2004 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva - Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (9/15/2008)
Too acidic, bitter tannins, dry spices and not much fruit, what’s to like here? (75 pts.)
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I liked Los Vascos cabernet when you could buy it for $3.25 per bottle. Sadly, those days are gone, in more ways than one.
Perversely I could see this most benefitting the more expensive wines. The cheapies may become very slightly cheaper, but Duty and Vat remain paid in UK, so a 50% reduction in in bond price, might end up being less than 10% reduction in price for the cheapest wines.
For the more expensive wines, the movement in exchange rates may make new barrels very expensive, so a bit more re-use may be prudent, and (IMO of course) actually better for the wines.
Maybe my experiences are with riper vintages, but I’ve not run into the greenness. I would certainly never call Don Melchor “green”. I have gotten a green pepper note from 2005 Clos Apalta, but it was more of an interesting counterpoint. My worst Chilean wine was actually hot and too ripe for my palate.
I don’t doubt your experiences. Mine are admittedly limited.
Anybody found any Chilean Pinot Noir they like? They scant few I’ve tried weren’t to my taste.
Sure- what Chile imports (as material to produce finished goods) becomes more expensive but the barrel should be a very small part of the cost by historical standards for premium wine so not significant (est $2-$5). This increased barrel cost may only be +25% anyway if imported European barrels as the peso v euro has only depreciated by 25% over the same period of time. So, again, the currency effect should have the greatest impact on the premium space- in dollar terms. Conversely, Chilean and Argentine premium export wines become ‘inflation protected’ for Latam producers (in their local currency) if they can keep exported $ pricing constant. Anyway, discounted pricing may be near.
It’s been a few years but there is a Argentinian wine - Luca Pinot Noir (a family member of Catena owns it) that I had a few times years ago that was decent but I can’t say I would seek it out.
I’ve had great bottles of Don Melchor and Almaviva. If you’re looking to get rid of some of either, please let me know.
I only drink Chilean wine with Chilean Sea Bass. Which is not really Sea Bass. So I don’t eat it.