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South of the Border Wines from Chile

Written By: ClassicWines.com Team on Thursday, January 24, 2008

Brian Freedman: Welcome to the Wine Showdown brought to you by ClassicWines.com; I am your host Brian Freedman, and today we are in the Wine Room in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and we are tasting Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

Wine #1 is the 2006 Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It never hurts to give wine a little bit more air. They've been cooped up in those bottles too long. Huh, it prevents drips, alright.

So, Wine #1 is a pretty classic cabernet nose. You get currents cassis. You get a little bit of chocolate in there which is the result of that interaction between the tannins and the grapes and the tannins and the oak, and that's how you get chocolate in wine.

I have got to tell you, I've always loved this bottle. Well not this bottle, I don't tote this around with me, but this bottle is, it's fruit forward, there's a great tannic backbone to it. It's not too effusive. It's not in your face. It's not like some of those other less expensive cabernets get. Little bit of cedar in there, some like pencil shavings which you want in your cabernet. It is actually quite a pleasant wine, great food wine as well.

Wine #2 is the Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Apalta Vineyard 2005 Cabernet, also from Chile. And this one is definitely darker in appearance which again we always talk about this on the Classic Wines Minute. It doesn't necessarily tell you much. So, let's see what information in the nose it has for us.

Now, this one has much darker fruit. It's much riper, it's more intense on the nose. I am getting a little bit more of that graphite that I was from the Concha y Toro. That is a big mouthful of wine. I am glad we gave it a little extra air because it certainly needs it. The tannins, they're well integrated, are absolutely right there in your face, which tells me that this is the kind of wine you would want to open up with that ribeye, that strip steak.

I enjoy them both. I think that they both really have qualities that recommend them, but personally I love the Cuvee Alexander for a food wine. I love the Casillero Del Diablo to drink on its own. The winner for this week however, because I prefer my wine with food, has to be the Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Apalta Vineyard 2005.

From all of us here at ClassicWines.com, I am Brian Freedman. Thanks to the Wine Room in Cherry Hill with the Soirée for helping open up our wine a little bit today. Cheers.

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