Casablanca/San Antonio Uncorked Wine Tour

Chile
Tasted Thursday, January 5, 2012 by BrandrB with 674 views

Introduction

These notes represent our tour of the Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys located just one hour west of Santiago, Chile. Our day long tour was lead by Jose Miguel, the owner of Uncorked Wine Tours (www.uncorked.cl), who specializes in customized and small group tours to botique vineyards in the wine regions surrounding Santiago. I most highly recommend Uncorked for anyone with limited time and an interest in a high-quality wine tasting around Santiago.

Flight 1 - Emiliana (4 Notes)

An organic/biodynamic vineyard in the heart of Casablanca Valley that also provides organic grapes to Concha y Toro. www.emiliana.cl

  • 2011 Emiliana Sauvignon Blanc Adobe Reserva 82 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Organic. Unoaked. Very pale yellow color. Tart citrus/grapefruit aromas. Falls short on the palate: lime and grassy flavors, but flabby and lacking anticipated crispness. Medium-short finish. Exact same wine as the Natura label in the U.S. – changed due to copyright issues with Adobe Systems.

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  • 2011 Emiliana Chardonnay Novas Gran Reserva 87 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Organic. 30% French oak. Light golden color. Nice lemon/citrus nose. Medium-bodied palate: lemon, roasted nuts, and a subtle minerality. Nice slightly creamy mouthfeel and well balanced acidity. Medium-long finish. Very good.

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  • 2009 Emiliana Novas Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points

    Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley

    Organic. 85% Carmenere, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Light garnet color with good legs. Ripe red cherry and pepper nose. Beautiful chewy light-medium bodied palate – deceptive considering the blend – with flavors of blackberry, cherry, spice, and light toasty oak. Medium length finish. Very approachable – a great quaffer! Superb QPR – $10 at the vineyard.

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  • 2009 Emiliana Coyam Los Robles 89 Points

    Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley

    Oganic/Biodynamic – this label was South America’s first organic wine. Six grape blend: 41% Syrah, 29% Carmenere, 20% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Mourvedre, 1% Petit Verdot. Dark red color. Slightly closed nose with cherry and olive aromas. Medium-full bodied palate, blackberry, earthy spice and hint of tobacco. Good tannins and surprisingly nice balance considering the 14.8% alcohol. Medium-long finish. Good aging potential over the short-term. Incredible QPR – probably the best value encountered on our trip to Chile and our favorite from Emiliana. Excellent!

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Flight 2 - Loma Larga (4 Notes)

A tiny estate tucked away in the hills of Casablanca Valley and specializing in cool climate red wines. www.lomalarga.com

  • 2009 Loma Larga Chardonnay B3-B4 88 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Light golden color. Nice expressive nose: pear, pineapple, honey. Medium-bodied palate: lemon, pineapple, and some buttery vanilla flavors. Beautiful medium-long finish. Fresh with a great mouthfeel. Good value – would compete favorably against California Chardonnays at nearly double the price. Delicious!

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  • 2010 Loma Larga Pinot Noir Lomas del Valle 85 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Light ruby color. Very fruity strawberry jam aromas. Light bodied with strawberry, cherry, green pepper, and a hint of oaky spice on the palate. Good acidity. Medium-short finish. Nice young profile. Solid quaffer.

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  • 2006 Loma Larga Quinteto 89 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Excellent! Blend of 42% Merlot, 34% Cab Franc, 21% Syrah, 2% Cab Sauvignon, 1% Malbec. Medium garnet color. Cherry/strawberry nose. Well rounded, medium-bodied palate: blackberry, cherry, pepper, mushrooms, and some light dusty earth on the medium length finish. Very nice QPR. Excellent – my favorite wine of the Loma Larga tasting. Somewhat surprising this hasn’t received higher professional reviews. Drink now.

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  • 2007 Loma Larga Cabernet Franc BI 87 Points

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Dark violet-purple color. Moderate sediment. Light floral and cassis nose. Dense dark berry palate with supporting pepper and chocolate flavors. Good tannins. Medium-long finish. Good QPR. I’m not typically a fan of single-varietal New World Cabernet Franc, but this one is very well structured and truly enjoyable.

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Flight 3 - Matetic (4 Notes)

Overlooking the beautiful San Antonio Valley, Matetic uses organic agriculture and a gravitational-flow design to produce three different families of wines. www.mateticvineyards.com

  • 2011 Matetic Vineyards Riesling EQ 82 Points

    Chile, San Antonio Valley

    Matetic’s first Riesling vintage. Pale straw-yellow color. Crisp nose with tropical grapefruit aromas. Light bodied acidic palate shows lemon, grapefruit, alcohol mid-palate, and finally a light minerality. Short finish. Very young. Not bad overall, just very tropical and with less minerality than desired. Tastes almost like a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.

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  • 2009 Matetic Vineyards Chardonnay Corralillo 88 Points

    Chile, San Antonio Valley

    Aged 6 months in French oak. Light golden color. Beautiful nose – aromas of pear, pineapple, and butter. Medium-bodied palate: lemon, spice, and buttery vanilla oak. Medium length finish. Excellent overall quality, perhaps the best Chilean Chardonnay I’ve tasted.

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  • 2009 Matetic Vineyards Corralillo Winemaker's Blend 86 Points

    Chile, San Antonio Valley

    Syrah blend with 16% Cab Franc, 16% Malbec, and 4% Merlot. Dark red-purple color. Slightly off-putting nose shows blackberry and green pepper aromas. Medium-light bodied palate: blackberries, spice, and some light chocolate flavors. Decently balanced with moderate tannins. Medium length finish. Very approachable, well suited for easy mid-week drinking.

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  • 2009 Matetic Vineyards Syrah Corralillo 89 Points

    Chile, San Antonio Valley

    Fantastic! Dark inky purple color showing thick legs. Nose shows beautiful aromas of dark red berries, black pepper, and oak. Full-bodied palate: blackberries, potpourri, licorice, and light oak. Nice chewy tannins. Well integrated oak. Medium-long finish. Good aging potential. My favorite wine from Matetic and the best wine of our daylong Casablana/San Antonio tasting.

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