Expanding my wine world - Wines from Ecuador

As always, we prepared and exchanged samples in the morning, and did the tasting late afternoon. I poured about half of each bottle as samples straight from bottle for my friends, recorked the bottles, and kept them in the recorked state until the tasting, without decanting or aeration.

• 2018 Dos Hemisferios Chardonnay Enigma 85 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 1 of 6. 100% Chardonnay, 20% aged in oak for 12 months. 12% ABV. €26. Pineapple, popcorn, and vanilla, with tart acidity and average length. The medium-bodied wine has limited complexity, and acidity and oak are disharmonious. On day two, the texture is creamier, but the bitterness from the oak remains. Disjointed.

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• 2015 Dos Hemisferios Cabernet Sauvignon Travesia Gran Reserva 85 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 2 of 6. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in oak for 18 months. 15% ABV. €20. Medium to dark garnet colour. Leafy black currant, red cherry, herbaceous notes, light chocolate and spices, with medium-level acidity, dry tannin, and good length. The fruit seems to be drying out already, the tannin is underripe, and the finish is disharmonious. Drink now, since the wine will not age well and is unlikely to improve. Not a fan.

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• 2016 Dos Hemisferios Malbec Travesia Gran Reserva 86 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 3 of 6. 100% Malbec, aged in oak for 18 months. 15% ABV. €20. Dark ruby colour. Sour nose. Sweet red and dark fruit and oak, with a dry and bitter finish. Drink now, since the wine will not age well and is unlikely to improve.

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• 2015 Dos Hemisferios Paradoja 87 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 4 of 6. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Malbec, aged in oak for 18 months. 15% ABV. Heavy bottle. €28. Medium to dark garnet colour. Restrained nose. Red fruit, black currant, chocolate, spices, some vanilla and a hint of mint, with good length of the slightly bitter finish. The tannin is dry and a little coarse and rustic, and the acidity seems a little artificial. Drink now and over the next three to five years.

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• 2015 Dos Hemisferios Almirante Edición Homenaje 88 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 5 of 6. A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec and 20% Merlot, aged in oak for 18 months. 14.5% ABV. Heavy bottle. €39. Restrained nose. Red fruit, black currant, cherry, plum, light herbaceous notes and spices, with good acidity, slightly coarse and mildly dry tannin, and very good length. Good balance. Drink now and over the next ten years. Price aside, the most enjoyable wine of the lineup. 88+

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• 2017 Dos Hemisferios Tomas Carlos 86 Points

  Ecuador, El Morro Guayas

  Wine 6 of 6. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Ancellotta, aged in oak for 24 months. 14.5% ABV. Heavy bottle. €56. Lightly reductive nose. Dark ruby colour. Red and dark fruit, kirsch, herbaceous notes, spices and vanilla. The acidity is slightly disharmonious, the tannin a little rustic, and the finish drying and alcoholic. Not a fan. Unlikely that the wine would age well.

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Always fun to expand the wine world and try something new, even if the wines in this Ecuador lineup even underdelivered against my low expectations. I am sure that improved canopy management, more gentle extraction, careful handling of oak and maybe higher elevation vineyards may improve quality, but the pricing issue would remain. So, at this point, other than for curiosity, unfortunately I do not see many reasons for buying wines from Dos Hemisferios in Ecuador.