Chile’s Top 50: Unique, Good Value Wines

22 May 2016
Author: Jeannie Cho Lee

Valle de Colchagua

 

Chile may be having a bit of an identity crisis (click here) but this is good news for consumers. During my 10 days in Chile in April 2016, I was able to taste over 150 wines and the quality and diversity of the wines were impressive. From old vine Semillons, for example the Carmen DO Quijada No 1 Semillon which I fell in love with, to delicious Carignan and Pinot Noir, Chilean producers are making some of their best and most interesting wines now.

 

I am very hopeful about the future of premium Chilean wines. While the decreasing margin is bad news for an export-driven country that sells 75% of its production abroad, this is great news for us wine lovers. At nearly every quality level and price point, there are amazing values to be found in Chile.

 

Below are my top 50 wines from Chile out of over 150 that I tasted recently:

 

1. Sena 2013

A gorgeous, complex red that is composed mostly of Cabernet Sauvignon but has layers of spicy, herbal and violet notes with the addition of Carmenere (15%) and Malbec (12%). The wine is only just starting to show its potential. A complete, savory, deep Sena with velvety tannins and a long finish. This is one of the best vintages for this iconic Chilean wine that started out as a joint venture between Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi.

96 points

 

2. Concha Y Toro Don Melchor 2012

A complex, well made Don Melchor that has wonderful balance, savory herbs and most importantly, freshness. Although the wine has 14.5% alcohol, it is not heavy or big in size. There is a lightness to the wine and the finish is persistent with the flavors lingering on the palate for more than 15 seconds. Complex, beautifully crafted wine – one of the best from Chile.

95 points

 

3. Sena 2012

Vibrant, layered and quite accessible now even in its youth, this vintage shows the direction towards precision and finesse that Sena is headed. Cedar, savory herbs and spices mingle with firm, ripe tannins with a wonderful lingering finish. This wine is much more complete than when I tasted it last year.

94 points

 

4. Concha Y Toro Carmenere Carmin de Peumo 2012

A beautifully composed Carmenere that balances this variety’s minty, herbal side with dark berry fruit. Wonderful complexity and depth with layers of black pepper, peppermint and savory herbs. Velvety, plush with a long finish.

94 points

 

5. Montes Purple Angel 2012

A vibrant, well made red that is consistently one of the best balanced and delicious Carmeneres from Chile. The 8% Petit Verdot adds nice structure and firmness to its backbone. The flavors are seamless and the finish is fairly long. 14.5% alcohol.

94 points

 

6. Siegel Single Vineyard Carmenere 2014

This minerally Carmenere is from the Los Lingues area which imparts a minerality and wonderful array of savory flavors to the wine. Linear, focused with lovely detail. A wine with finesse and a long finish. 14% alcohol.

94 points

 

7. Terranoble Lahuen Rojo Carmenere 2013

A gorgeous blend of Carmenere, Syrah, Grenache and Malbec. Sumptuous, complex blend of spices, dark berries and herbs with velvety textured tannins and long length. Beautifully crafted and ready to enjoy young.

94 points

 

8. Sena 1996

A subtle, layered, elegant wine that is fully mature with sweet floral perfume. The palate is complex, generous and after 20 years, it is seamless. The wine keeps changing in the glass – from dried jasmine flowers to violets, cassis and sweet spices. Long finish.

94 points

 

9. Errazuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay 2014

When I tasted this wine only 5 months ago, it had much less flesh and depth than it does now. This Chardonnay combines the lovely stone fruit sweetness of ripe Chardonnay with the minerality from a cool site (Aconcagua coast). There is good depth of flavors and nice concentration from well handled fruit from a good terroir. Lovely length and focus with great precision.

94 points

 

10. Carmen DO Quijada No 1 Semillon SB 2015

Gorgeous Semillon with complex layers of flavors accented by minerality and seaweed/umami flavors. A special Semillon that has a touch of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend with only 13% alcohol. Intense flavors are derived from vines planted in the 1950s. Long finish.

94 points

 

11. Santa Carolina Luis Pereira Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

This is a beautiful, elegant Cabernet with layers of violets, blackberries and blueberries. A medium bodied beauty with a refreshing edge and fine-grained supple tannins. Although this was a warm year, the grapes were harvested early so there is still a wonderful vibrancy and freshness in the wine.

93 points

 

12. Concha Y Toro Don Melchor 1988

A beautifully balanced, mature Don Melchor with firm, chewy tannins and an intriguing array of flavors. Find tobacco, black tea leaf, dried blackberries and savory herbs. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in French barriques with 60% new oak.

93 points

 

13. Concha Y Toro Don Melchor 2010

Beautifully balanced, seamless and elegant. This vintage of Don Melchor is all about elegance and harmony. Tannins are velvety and supple with dark berry and black tea leaf flavors that are just starting to open up now.

93 points

 

14. Casa Silva Casa Silva MicroTerroir de los Lingues Carmenere 2008

This Carmenere has aged beautifully with layered flavors of leather, blackberries and plums. The tannins are seamless and ripe with lovely herbal and savory flavors on the palate and finish. Well balanced and generous – 14.5% alcohol. 100% Carmenere with no other varieties in the blend.

93 points

 

15. Concha y Toro Carmin de Peumo Carmenere 2013

Love the floral and violet notes along with juicy blueberries and spices on this top Carmenere from Concha Y Toro. This wine is from Peuomo, one of the top areas for Carmenere. The wine is attractive now but should age and evolve beautifully over the next decade.

93 points

 

16. Errázuriz Kai Carmenere 2013

A generous yet restrained Carmenere that has both ripeness and restraint. While the body is full and the alcohol at 14.5%, the palate is still fresh and not heavy without any jammy or overripe characters. This Carmenere successfully walks that fine line between a big, ripe style and a lively, fresh red.

93 points

 

17. Morandé Gran Reserva Carmenere 2012

A harmonious Carmenere that has lovely layers of savory, aromatic herbs – thyme, bay leaf and rosemary. This wine is beautifully balanced and well crafted with supple, velvety firm tannins and a fairly long finish. 

93 points

 

18. San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Carmenere 2014

There is lovely intensity and nice depth in this Carmenere from a single vineyard in Maule. Layered flavors of bay leaf, thyme and blackberries make this an intriguing red with a long finish.

93 points

 

19. Siegel Special Reserve Carmenere 2014

This Carmenere is minerally and filled with graphite, earthy flavors. It borders on being austere and stony but there are intriguing flavors here that can easily be missed. Full bodied, 14% alcohol and best after 2017.

93 points

 

20. Errazuriz Don Maximiano 2013

This wine is shy on the nose but the palate is incredibly intense – more savory than fruity with ripe, generous tannins, an earthy, savory core with a minerally finish. This wine can easily age and evolve over the next decade or two.

93 points

 

21. Errazuriz Las Pizarras Pinot Noir 2015

This is a pretty, serious Pinot Noir, one of the best I have tasted from Chile. Wild strawberries meet thyme, bay leaf and spices. The mid palate has good intensity and freshness with a fairly long finish. The wine is tightly knit, focused and linear in structure. A wine to revisit in 5-6 years.

93 points

 

22. Undurraga Vigno Carignan 2012

Great minerality and depth in this full bodied red with layers of slate, graphite, savory herbs and dark berry fruit. There is 88% Carignan and 12% Cinsault in this wine from a dry-farmed vineyard. The grapes are treated gently and put into large used barrels for 16 months. 14.7% alcohol and high acidity (3.3 pH).

93 points

 

23. Undurraga Altazor 2012

This is Undurraga’s top red blend. A lovely red with elegance and restraint. The palate offers herbal hints, tobacco and cassis. There is freshness here with 14% alcohol; the wine spends 16 months in French oak barrels with 20% new oak. Made from 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carmenere and 4% Carignan.

93 points

 

24. Carmen Carignan Gran Reserva 2014

Deep purple ruby. An intense, concentrated blackberry and cherry-flavored red with amazing acidity and lift in the finish. This wine does not see any oak – only cement fermentors. The palate has freshness and purity with wonderful intensity. This 65 year old vineyard is in Maule. 14.2% alcohol with very high acidity (3.4 pH). Total production 2200 cases.

92 points

 

25. Carmen DO Melozal el Bajo Cuartel 5 Portugais Bleu 2015

An attractive nose of smoke, roasted herbs and sweet blackberries. The palate is herbal, intense, filled with earthy, smokey flavors. This intriguing, unique wine was unfiltered, unclarified and made with wild yeasts. From Maule. Wild yeast fermentation in 600-litre used barrels. Flavors are somewhere between old vine Grenache and old vine Zinfandel. 250 cases produced per year.

92 points

 

26. Santa Rita Triple C 2011

A beautiful wine with lovely layers of fruit – roasted herbs, earth, violets and cassis. This is a full bodied, suave, well made red with intense flavors and high alcohol – 14.5%. For a big wine, it is well done with the majority variety being Cabernet Franc. Tannins are firm and elevated but should mellow with time.

92 points

 

27. Santa Carolina Luis Pereira Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is an elegant Cabernet with wonderful aromatics that are more akin to Pinot than Cabernet. Medium bodied, lean and focused with layers of violets, jasmine and blueberries. Tannins are moderate with the acidity providing the structure and backbone. Best with several more years of bottle age.

92 points

 

28. Concha Y Toro Don Melchor 2001

Lovely graphite, mocha and ripe plums flavors on this youthful, vibrant Don Melchor. Generous, full bodied and quite intense on the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon benefits from the 9% Cabernet Franc added in this vintage – it adds an herbal, savory character to the wine. This is a wine for long term aging.

92 points

 

29. Viu Manent El Incidente Carmenere 2013

Attractive aromatics with an intense herbal note. The palate is ripe with supple tannins and no green flavors – the herbs are coming from cool conditions in this vintage for Carmenere. 13.9% alcohol. Aged for 16 months in French oak and then aged in concrete egg for 5 months. 97% Carmenere with the rest being Malbec.

92 points

 

30. Casa Silva Gran Terroir de los Lingues Carmenere 2014

This lifted, fresh Carmenere is very intense with a lovely aromatic profile – filed with violets, herbs and blackberries. Tannins are well handled with supple texture and long finish. Beautifully composed with fresh, lively acidity.

92 points

 

31. Santa Carolina Herencia Carmenere 2011

Lifted flavors of blueberries and thyme with supple firm tannins. All the elements are in balance with nice restraint and detailed layers of flavors. Harmonious – drinking well now.

92 points

 

32. Terranoble Costa Carmenere 2013

A delicious Carmenere that combines the herbal and savory characters of this variety with the dark berries and firm tannins. A wonderful expression of freshness and depth for Carmenere made from the coastal mountain range of Colchagua Valley with 14% alcohol.

92 points

 

33. Ventisquero Grey Single Block Carmenere 2013

A seamless, supple Carmenere with lovely ripeness on the palate without any heaviness or jammy flavors. Balanced, supple and well crafted with elegance and finesse in mind.

92 points

 

34. Errazuriz Don Maximiano 2012

Lush, full bodied and filled with ripe cocoa, mocha, cassis and plum notes. The palate is generous, exuberant and although it is young, the wine is wonderful to drink now.

92 points

 

35. Errazuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay 2015

A pretty, approachable Chardonnay displaying beautiful minerality and focus. It is more savory and restrained than the 2014 and may just need more time to express itself. For the moment, the wine is linear and quite angular but with nice depth and lively acidity.

92 points

 

36. Santa Rita Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

This vintage of Casa Real is balanced, earthy with notes of cassis and cedar. There is a seamless character and a freshness to this vintage that is attractive. Enjoy now.

91 points

 

37. Viu Manent El Incidente Carmenere 2010

Vibrant and fresh on the nose with layers of spices, herbs and bay leaves. Full bodied, herbal and spicy with juicy blueberries, thyme and exotic spices on the finish. Well balanced, layered red made from mostly Carmenere with the rest being Malbec and Petit Verdot. Aged 15 months in 70% new oak.

91 points

 

38. Montes Taita 2009

A generous, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) that is blended with 15% other varieties depending on the year. The nose is complex and intriguing with layers of minerals, violets, cedar, cassis and mocha. There is ripeness here so the wine is big and opulent with a generous mouthfeel and great concentration. Palate is thick and offers plenty of cocoa and ripe fig notes. Only 300 cases made and the first vintage is 2007. A 3-hectare vineyard that is dry-farmed.

91 points

 

39. Carmen Winemakers Carmenere 2012

Wonderful fruit definition – plums, blackberries with an array of dark spices. Layered, well managed tannins with generous mouthfeel. A full bodied, delicious red with 14.5% alcohol. Ready to enjoy now.

91 points

 

40. Emiliana Signos de Origen Carmenere 2013

Lovely subtlety and herbal aromatics make this a wine for those who appreciate delicate flavors. The palate is gentle, tannins ripe with lifted aromatics of earth, bay leaf, cloves and thyme. A seamless, well made organic Carmenere. 14.5% alcohol but one hardly feels it.

91 points

 

41. I Wines I Latina Carmenere 2013

A very small producer making hand crafted, juicy, balanced Carmenere with freshness and lifted flavors at Peumo. Flavors are vibrant and fresh with tannins that are well managed and ripe. There is 15% Syrah in this blend. 14% alcohol.

91 points

 

42. Undurraga TH Sauvignon Blanc Lo Abarca 2011

Vibrant gooseberry and fresh herbal flavors. The palate is minerally and persistent with very good intensity.Chalky, stony finish. The wine has aged very well for a Sauvignon Blanc that is 5 years old. The vineyard is only 4 km from the Pacific Ocean. The TH range was started in 2007 to show the diversity and regionality of Chile.

91 points

 

43. Undurraga TH Cabernet Sauvignon Alto Maipo 2014

Vibrant, lifted Cabernet with freshness and focused cassis and blackberry fruit laced with herbs and cedar. Restrained, not fruity with 14.3% alcohol. Aged 14 months in French oak with 5% new. The TH range was started in 2007 to show the diversity and regionality of Chile.

91 points

 

44. Undurraga Trama Pinot Noir San Antonio 2013

A beautiful Pinot Noir with lovely balance and depth – find fresh red berries, floral notes and spices. There is a savory, minerally character and a chalky finish. The soil here is mainly limestone with granite and gravel. No barrels used here – all cement eggs.

91 points

 

45. Santa Rita Pehuen Carmenere 2011

Beautiful flavors in this old vine Carmenere – violets, cocoa beans and plums. Full bodied, generous, complex red with a long, earthy, minerally finish. 100% new French oak used for this wine. The vines were planted in 1935 on deep sand and clay soil; non irrigated vineyard. 14.5% alcohol.

90 points

 

46. Bouchon Las Mercedes Singular Semillon 2015

Lean and angular with layers of guava, star fruit and pomelo. This is a medium bodied quite restrained Semillon with green herbal flavors along with ripe guavas. Unique white from Maule with 13.5% alcohol.

90 points

 

47. Cono Sur Reserva Especial Carmenere 2014

Lovely aromatics of violets and blueberries with a freshness on the palate that is surprising for Carmenere which can be thick and heavy. Well managed tannins that are supple and ripe provide good backbone to this young wine with solid aging potential. 14.5% alcohol.

90 points

 

48. Pérez Cruz Limited Edition Carmenere 2014

Elegant, medium bodied Carmenere with supple tannins and generous body. Plums, blackberries and cassis mingle in this well made wine. All the elements are in balance with a seamless character. 14% alcohol. Vineyard is in Maipo Valley.

90 points

 

49. Valle Secreto First Edition Carmenere 2013

Vibrant and fresh with lovely cassis and blackberry flavors along with savory spices. The palate is modest and not that intense with ripe supple tannins – there is wonderful balance and elegance in this wine. Enjoy young but should keep over the next 5-6 years. 14.5% alcohol but one hardly feels it.

90 points

 

50. San Pedro Tierras Moradas Carmenere 2013

This generous, ripe, sweet Carmenere has plums and blackberry jam flavors along with cocoa and licorice. The wine is very ripe and focuses on the sweeter, fruiter aspect of Carmenere with 14% alcohol.

90 points