Chile Red Wine ()

Clos Apalta, depending on your point of view, is arguably Chile's best wine. And this vintage is outstanding! Earth, minty spice, ripe berry, minerality and smoky aromas cover the bases. It's superbly structured, with a fine texture and depth. Tastes lush and complex, with blackberry, creme de cassis, fine herbs and tobacco. Finishes classy. Drink now through 2016.

Colour: Intense and deep purple red colour. Aroma: Very expressive fruit with outstanding mature berries, forest fruit joined with delicate hints of coffee and toast coming from the barrels. Palate: From the start, it’s a remarkable expression of Carmenere thanks to the typical fruit like plums, blackberries and some spicy touches. The tannins are polished and long with a medium body at the end. Food Pairing: It expresses marvelously well with game meat, garnished with sweet-and-sour sauces and berries.

A real beauty with graphite, minerality and rich, clean, exciting berry fruit and controlled oak aromas. Very pure and stylish Cabernet Sauvignon with fat but balanced cassis and sweet berry flavors. Big tannins lend structure and framework; young like a baby now; will be better and more evolved come fall, winter and over the next few years.

Showcasing a dark ruby color, this wine offers intense fruit aromas of berry, delicate cocoa, fresh herbs and light toast followed on the palate by harmonious flavors of ripe black plums and blackberry fruit. Medium-bodied, this wine has a persistent and complex finish and a structure that allows it to be enjoyed now or left to age for up to a decade.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 has a beautiful ruby red robe, a fresh, fruity nose, and notes of strawberry and raspberry that blend smoothly with notes of black pepper, nutmeg, and bay leaf. The mouth is juicy, full-bodied and persistent. A wine that shows great personality.

The 2010 Los Vascos Grande Reserve could give a number of well-known classified growths a run for their money. This impeccably made wine opens with a made-in-Pauillac nose of cedar, crushed stone, and toasty vanilla oak. On the palate, the artfully sculpted fruit of cassis, earth, and red berry, is densely layered, smooth and complex, with excellent cut and lift toward the crisply tannic finish. Although this wine has the structure to age for 3 to 5 years, drinking it now is a pleasure. The 2010 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon Grande Reserve is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenère, 10% Syrah, and 5% Malbec.

The 2009 Blend is composed 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Syrah, 25% Carmenere, and 18% Merlot. Aromas of toasty oak, spice box, dried herbs, game, and assorted black fruits lead to a savory, surprisingly easy-going, tasty wine that can be approached now and over the next 5-6 years. It offers excellent value for the money.