WBW #52: Chilean Wines Under $20

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WBW I'm behind. We've been so busy that the last two or three editions of our monthly virtual tasting have flown right by me. This time, I vowed to find the time. After all, it's hosted by my friend and fellow Cincinnatian, Tim of CheapWineRatings.com. Still, I'm running behind. Usually, I taste a Wine Blogging Wednesday bottle way before Wednesday, with my post ready to go on Wednesday morning. Not so, this edition. So, here is your Wine Blogging Wednesday post – on Thursday.

When I realized, belatedly, that yesterday was Wine Blogging Wednesday, I checked our cellar. Nothing we have at home fits Tim's criteria for this edition: Chilean wine under $20, preferably under $10. We didn't even have a Chilean wine handy. So when we were out in the Turfway area last night, we picked up a bottle of Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, 2006, for $9.99 at Party Town.

I chose the Veramonte because of Tim. On Election Night, Tim & his lovely wife invited us to a celebration gathering. Tim had a Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc that he'd received as a sample. We rather liked it and it stuck with me. So it was an easy choice to pick up the Veramonte Cab.

Veramonte has vineyards in the Casablanca and Colchagua valleys of Chile. They're committed to the environment and have preserved over 10,000 acres of their estate as a "natural green belt." Over 120 acres are farmed organically, although I'm not sure if our Cabernet falls into that classificiation. Our particular grapes are from the Colchagua Valley, where they have planted 190 acres Carmenère, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is actually 90% Cab, 10% Merlot. It spends 8 months in French and American oak, 20% New and has a nice and tolerable alcohol level of 13.5%. Our noses detected blackberries and cherries on the nose, and I was admittedly expecting a big and bold cabernet. Our first drink found it spicy with a short finish. However, as it opened up, more earthy notes came out, with some nice chalkiness and softness. We paired it, sort of unintentionally, with barbeque and it worked quite well – both with the food and on its own.

This was an amazing wine for under $10, and we take the value into consideration in our final rating.
Kevin and Shel: