Just in time for the winter holidays, and the colder weather, three very interesting and affordable red wines have arrived on our shores. These wines are from Chile, a nation whose wines are gaining accolades at all of the professional wine tastings while still remaining in the affordable range.
Veramonte 2019 Organic Cabernet Sauvignon ($11.99). This wine, as the king in the play and movie “Anna and the King of Siam” observed, is a puzzlement. For the acknowledged king of the red wines to sell for so low a price, it can’t be real, or the wine must be pure junk. This wine is real and as far away from junk as a wine can get. It is a wine that offers quality usually found in wines that are much more costly. This wine comes from the Casablanca Valley, the Napa Valley of Chile, and its low cost is reflected in the much lower cost of producing the wine than it is here in the United States.
The proof, however, is in the tasting, and what incredible proof it is. The aroma is alive with ripe summer berries, cranberries, and dark raisins, with dark chocolate and spice and vanilla in the background. These carry over to the flavor and then on to the finish, where they last for a very long time. This is the final proof that price alone does not determine quality, and quality need not command a high price.
Ritual Organic Pinot Noir 2017 ($19.99). Here we go again, price versus quality. I am not going to go through another long-winded tirade on price versus quality with this wine too. Needless to say, the proof is there for the tasting. The first thing that should be noticed is that this wine has been well aged. That alone should indicate that it was not quickly made and just as quickly bottled and released to the public. The grapes for this wine come also from the heart of the Casablanca Valley. The cooler climate there lets the grapes develop slowly, allowing the fruit to develop more concentrated flavors. The flavor development on the vine, coupled with the careful selection of the grapes in the field, results in a pinot noir of classical dimensions.
This very nice wine exhibits a broad spectrum of flavors, with cherries, plums, and wild summer berries being the most prominent. There are also many other flavors lying in the background, with oak and an earthy mushroom being the most obvious. As a pinot noir lover, I must say that I enjoyed this wine and would put it up against similar wines selling for many times its price
Primus, The Blend 2018 ($18.99). It appears that the Chilean winemakers have taken a hint from the French, who love to tinker with their cabernet sauvignon by trying all sorts of blends. The Primus blend seems to have hit a home run. The wine is 55% cabernet sauvignon, 20% carmenere (a local red grape), 10% petite verdot, and 5% cabernet franc. While this is similar to many of the French and American blends, it is the carmenere that sets it apart from all the rest.
While it is the cabernet sauvignon whose flavor and aroma dominate, it is the carmenere that adds body and smoothness to the blend without suppressing any of the other partners in this blend. The flavors and aromas of currents, blackberries, and plum with an obvious background of oak and vanilla and a long finish are the hallmarks of this wine. If you are a cab lover or just curious, this is the wine for you.