(45% tannat, 25% cf, 20% marcellain, 10% pv)
Opaque. Fudgy dark chocolate with blackberry nose.
Full bodied, medium plus acid, high alcohol, high tannins. Bitter chocolate finish.

A good example of a ripe red wine style.

14.5% alcohol, 3g RS
20 months in 25 and 50 hl untoasted(?!) French oak.

Expressive estery and semi-terpenic nose (not Albariño-level, but closer to a ripe Pinot Grigio). Light nectarine.
14.5% alcohol! Holds it pretty well. Appropriate medium plus acid and slight bitterness. Good quality wine with great aromatics, if a little low in the terpenes compared to the best Spanish Albarinos.

Opaque purple color. Relatively low aromatic intensity - black fruit. On the palate there's some weedy, characteristically underripe Malbec plum. Tart medium plus acid with elevated tannins and high alcohol (14.5%).

Neutral nose with some underripe blackberry fruit. Harsh high acid. Hot at 14.5% alcohol. Short finish. A decent example of a very ripe style but not very aromatically complex or interesting.

Unusual nose of gingerbread and eucalyptus. Some clove (oak?). High acid and light midpalate.

(malbec - cab franc blend)
Very Cabernet-like. Black fruit but no weedy, plummy Malbec fruit character. Slight stewed bell pepper pyrazines.
High alcohol - feels 14.5%. Medium length. Medium plus tannins. Medium plus acid.
Pretty good overall.

Opaque purple color. Light black pepper. Blackberry. Slight underripe plum (recognizable Malbec - weedy fruit).
Ripe palate - possibly slight RS. Medium plus tannins and elevated tart acid. Heftier and longer than the Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella vista. Great value.

Pale ruby purple color. Strong carbonic - fresh candied cherry.
Medium tannins papery. Elevated alcohol. Light and floral.

20% whole cluster
60% concrete elevage, 40% in older oak.

Good quality - very cool-climate floral style of Pinot.

More wet leaves notes withthe fruit. Still notably carbonic - I'd guess 30% (actually 100% whole cluster).

Candied red cherry and watermelon. Light and fresh. Like a great Fleurie with cleaner winemaking.

Opaque purple, with typical blackberry and underripe weedy plum notes. Aggressive high tannins, bitter finish. High alcohol and elevated tart acid (a bit harsh). 100% new French oak, but doesn't seem quite tamed.

A fairly classic style of Malbec, if a bit aggressively structured.

Ripe vanilla and terpenic nectarine with ripe tangerine fruit. Fresh nectarine on the palate palate with well integrated oak. Not reductive. Medium plus acid. High alcohol 14.5%. Phenolic Bitterness.

Like an oaked Albariño with malo - peach yogurt. Interesting. A good wine in a super ripe style.

50% in 2nd use French oak, the rest in steel.

Dark purple color.
Ripe and structured but still pyrazinic and recognizably Cab franc. Floral blackberry fruit. Some oak spice. Ripe bell pepper.
Elevated acid, elevated tannins, elevated alcohol.

Neutral aromatics. Structured with a decent finish. Dense black fruit on the palate. Good acid and tannins and high alcohol. Finish is a bit brief. Maybe needs age?

Medium plus ruby color.
Savory nose - both vegetal (stewed peppers) and ripe (blackberry).
Sweet - possible 2g RS?
High acid. Slight oak - baking spices and vanilla - on the palate. Harsh medium plus tannins. High alcohol.
Overall juicy and sweet with a bitter finish.

(malbec-syrah)
Reductive plastic nose. Slight Brett. Ethyl acetate? Something is volatile here.
Hot and ripe palate, with a bitter finish. Medium plus tannins, high alcohol, medium acid.

Opaque purple color. Dusty nose - longer maceration? Ripe. Lots of spicy dusty oak.
Full bodied, with elevated acid, high alcohol, and high tannins. A bit sawdusty on the palate.

Ripe vegetal notes - tomato stew. Structured and ripe. Slightly sweet on the palate - possible RS.
Impressive palate. Sweet oak - polished modern winemaking with probably 100% new French barrique. Good integration with bright medium plus acid. Elevated tannins (a bit bitter) and high alcohol. Like heavy purple satin curtains.

69% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.
Even though there's no Malbec, this smells like Malbec. Ripe black fruit and green weedy plum. But then the palate hits with lots of vanilla spice and a polished impressive finish. Ripe structure. Feels like it has some RS but that could be ripeness and oak. Big. Plush. Not my favorite style, but a good example.

Less ripe than the 2015. Black fruit, but not obviously Cabernet in character. Structured and a bit tight still.

(48% Carmenère, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot)
M. Rolland consulting.
Intense, precisely-ripe, and detailed blackcurrant fruit on the nose, set nicely in oak spice. Slight pyrazines but very little - very surprising considering the large proportion of Carmenere.
Silky tannins. Very slight Malbec-y impression of weedy plum. Dark and glossy.

Very good, ripe Cabernet style. Like the Clos Apalta, shockingly low Pyrazines. Approachable. Ripe and ready tannins.
Full bodied, high alcohol, elevated acid, medium tannins - silky and polished.

Juicy and slightly oxidative. Bright apple. Simple juicy palate with low oak impact (mostly neutral oak?) and lots of lees - cheese rind and bread. Fresh midpalate. Slightly elevated alcohol and medium plus acid.

Medium ruby color. Earthy and pyrazinic (?!) with ripe red cherry, black cherry and slight meat.
Dry, medium plus body, feels 14% alc - correct. Elevated tannins and acid. Light stewed bell peppers. Good texture. Slight coffee - small percentage new oak.

Listed in Suckling's guide as "La Postolle Valle de Colchagua Red Blend 2014".
Deep black fruit with modest oak and slight cured meat. Medium acid, high tannins, elevated alcohol, a bit bitter on the finish.

Ripe and tannic Chilean cab with good flavor development.
I don't notice the small percent Carmenere. Tannic - properly high tannins. Medium plus acid - stronger acid than the red blend.

Usually around 80% Cab, but couldn't find a tech sheet for this vintage.
Well put-together. Glossy black fruit with some floral notes and modest impression of vanilla (I'd guess 100% new French oak - typical of this wine). Balanced and plush palate. Good finish. 88 floral.

(92% carmenere, 8% pv)
Identifiably Carmenere - Coffee ground bell pepper pyrazines with very little fruit. They've coaxed a little blackberry out of the grapes, and the structure is as polished as one could hope for.
Elevated alcohol and modest oak treatment. Good acid and tannins. But still not compelling. Missing expressiveness of fruit and complexity. Good...for Carmenere

Tech sheet:
* 92% Carmenere, 8% Petit Verdot
* 14.5% alcohol
* 3.41g TA
* 2.9g RS
* 3.58 pH
* 0.64 g TA
* 34 mg/L free SO2
* 18 months in 100% new French oak
* “…double guyot trained for a yield of approximately 3.5–4.0 tons/hectare (1.4–1.6 tons/acre). The leaves closest to the fruit were vigorously pulled in early January to leave the fruit completely exposed, which allowed us to achieve even ripening, and more importantly, to reduce the amount of pyrazines.”

(malbec-carignan-cab-syrah)
(blind).
Tastes like a cab-dominant blend with ripe pyrazines and strong black fruit. I guessed a cabernet blend with merlot. Slight spice from new oak. Elegant for the style. 14.5% alcohol, medium plus acid, medium plus tannins - polished.

Classic green bell pepper and coffee grounds with medium plus alcohol and aggressive medium plus acid. Medium tannins. Ripe still vegetal.
Slight possible RS on the palate attack.

Reductive - slight struck match, crushed rocks, and a little plastic.
Slight baking spice consistent with 20% new French oak.
On the palate, lemony with good acid and well-contained 14% alcohol. Medium plus acid. Good oak spice integration on the palate. A good example of a New World style, cool-climate Chardonnay.

20% whole cluster - didn't particular register as stemmy or carbonic though.
Ripe black cherry with some earth. Notably not floral - more earth and cherry driven.
Medium body, 13.5% alcohol, medium plus acid. Flat and a bit yeasty on the palate. A fairly good example.

40% whole cluster. Slight herbal tea notes - stems? Ripe cherry with some forest floor and leaves.

Nice medium tannins - the texture of fine paper. Forest floor finish with restrained cherry. Strong high acid. Like Otago Pinot but less ripe.

Floral and ripe with slight vanilla (some American oak). Notable cream / cheesecake note. 13.5% 2.44g RS.
Medium acid but light, so it's relatively in balance.

Nose of gingerbread and eucalyptus. Moderately pyrazinic. 14.6% alcohol. Light for the structure, and a bit hot.

Black and weedy plum, which I associate with Malbec fruit - they used more Malbec this year. Juicy, sweet, warm, and tart on the palate. 2.2g RS. 13.5%. Slight oak and pyrazines. I'm not a fan.

(58% cab, 15 carmenere, 15 merlot, 7 pv, 5 cf)
22 months in 75% n.f.o.
Well-managed oak. Brett spice with depth of black fruit and ripe pyrazines. Slightly sweet tamari tertiary notes. On the palate richer and sweeter than expected, with structure a bit plush for Bordeaux. Right Bank structure with Left Bank aromatics. Slight balsamic too. Very cool.

Classic Chilean cab. In the context of Chile (pyrazinic, elevated alcohol, medium tannins, medium plus acid), this shows modest pyrazines and good acid.

Malbec-like underripe plum fruit.
Sweet palate with possible RS. Strong high acid. High alcohol. Medium tannins that seem plush and Cabernet-like. Hot and a bit thin. Some French oak impression of vanilla and baking spices.

(cab, carm. syrah, merlot, cf)
Ripe like a mid-level Napa cab with good acid. A bit juicy. Ripe fruit.

(cab, carm. cf, merlot, syrah)
Dark aromatics of coffee, liquorice, blackberry, slight raisination. Slight pyrazines. Rich. Slight bruised apple oxidation. This wine seems to be tiring.

(68% cab, 18 carm. 9 malbec, 5 pv)
Deep purple color. Cabernet blackcurrant fruit with some blueberry and cedar. Restrained ripeness for this full-bodied style. Good medium plus acid and well managed alcohol - feels 14%. Medium tannins - plush. Well balanced and open.

Fresh, New World slightly reductive chard with a tiny amount of oak - 10% new. Juicy and light. 13% alcohol. Ripe lemon finish.

Reductive, light and juicy with bitter harsh tannins. Light fruit. A bit short.

Black Syrah - opaque color. Bacon and ham. Overripe fruit - raisinated blackberry. High alcohol, medium acid, low tannins. Mushy overall feel.

Less aromatic than the 2012. Dark bell pepper pyrazines. Dense blackberry fruit. More dark coffee than the '12. High minus tannins - still polished.

Savory pyrazines with vanilla oak and black fruit. Integrated and clean winemaking. A bit sweet on the palate. Rich and good acid. Polished medium plus tannins.

(cab, carm, syrah, malbec)
Tart red fruit. Pyrazines are not super prominent - this is ripe, fresh Carmenere. Light Brett. No overt oak. 14% alcohol. High acid. Medium plus tannins - a bit rustic/coarse in texture.

Light and low in fruit. Not aggressively pyrazinic. Elevated alcohol, medium tannins, high acid - acidified? Tart and a bit bitter.