Tom and Melody's wine blog » Chilean wines

Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

Tom & Melody — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:10:54 +0000

A gorgeous Thursday evening in Michigan. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the breeze is coming softly through our open window. Long and tough day at work, though, and I am glad to be home in relaxation mode. I have a casserole in the oven. We have been reading the newspapers and relaxing and probably won’t get to dinner until 8:30-ish.

Tom chose this wine Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Chile tonight. He didn’t say why — just brought me a glass. It’s a good one. A nice nose — fresh and spicy. The palate is fruity in a subtle way with notes of coffee and tobacco. Nice structured tannins . . .a good choice for a potato/beef casserole. I’ll hand over the computer to Tom for his opinion, which is always top notch (in my humble opinion).

Tom: This Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is a pleasant, fruity, fairly tannic, young-tasting red with just a bit of caramel. Pleasant, not especially remarkable, but very drinkable. An above-average wine for mid-week.

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

Tom & Melody — Tue, 11 May 2010 23:27:26 +0000

We are having a cold spell in Michigan. No one is complaining, though, because we have had such a beautiful spring. But tonight it is cold and rainy. A cozy night and I am thankful to be inside looking out the window.

For dinner tonight I have two round steaks (they look like cubed steaks to me) cooking in a mushroom sauce (with mushrooms from my food co-op). I added potatoes to the mix to simmer. I will also make a fresh salad and steamed green beans. So, for the wine, I chose this Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Chile. I stopped at the A & L Wine Castle (in Ann Arbor) on the way home from work last night and purchased 11 bottles. This was one of them. The nose is a bit different than what I am used to — floral with some cedar. The palate is interesting. . .and, no lie, I pondered for awhile and concluded that I was tasting green peppers and chocolate. . .then I checked the label and discovered that the wine makers said ” Bright ruby red in colour, with hints of green pepper and chocolate. . .” so I guess my impressions are not unique. Grippy tannins with a vanilla finish. Like it! This was on sale for $7. I would have to say this is a very good value. There is no doubt: Chilean wine is a very good value.

Tom: This Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is a very big wine, very full-bodied, tannic, with a chocolaty, dark-fruit taste. Very big. Perhaps a tiny bit overly acidic (to my taste), but a wonderful wine and an amazing value. A friend asked me for wine advice last week, and I said, “Really, anything from Chile is great.”

Marques de Casa Concha (2005)

Tom & Melody — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:06:29 +0000

This Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile was our choice for Saturday night (and I am having the last of the bottle tonight — Sunday). I really like this one. Deep red color. A lively blackberry and smoke taste with a silky texture. The tannins are firm and the finish is long. This wine supports my notion that you get what your pay for. . .even in wine, which is a very subjective subject, to say the least. This was a $20 bottle of wine, which — for us — is not our everyday wine. And, it tastes absolutely great to me and worth the price.

We will have this wine with a pot roast dinner which is in the oven (along with apple cobbler). This roast is from a local cow! We purchased 1/16 of a cow and this is our first roast. I just added the potatoes, carrots and pearl onions – and I put the apple cobbler in, too. This cow is grain fed and “organic” (if that is what you call a cow that hasn’t been shot up with any hormones or other additives). . .it’ll be interesting to see if we notice any difference.

And on to another week . . .and spring is in the air in Michigan!

Peñalolen Cabernet Sauvignon

Tom & Melody — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:06:22 +0000

We just finished dinner and it was delicious! I had purchased two steaks for our anniversary dinner (which was Friday) but because of some unforeseen circumstances, we weren’t able to have those steaks on our actual anniversary. So, here we are, a Monday after work, and we grilled steaks and opened this Peñalolen wine from Chili. I purchased this wine at Plum Market in Ann Arbor. It was $20 on sale for $17. And. . .it is oh so good. The first thing I noticed was the color. It isn’t red or deep purple — the best way I can describe this color is that it looks like iodine (mercurachrome). (I just asked Tom how to spell mercurachrome and he made it known that I was dating myself by using this descriptor.) But, that is the color! Do you all remember that color? The second thing I noticed was the taste of tobacco on the finish. This is a leather, tobacco and dark chocolate kind of wine and it is oh so good. This is definitely a keeper in our household. Certainly not an everyday wine, but a wine to savor on special occasions. And what better time than April 5, 2010?

Casa Donoso Bicentenario de Chile Carmenere (2006)

Tom & Melody — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:16:38 +0000

What an absolutely lovely day! The snowstorm closed the schools (including mine) and I had a mid-week surprise day off. It was a great day. I started my day with an extra cup of coffee (with Trigger on my lap) and then met my friend, Chris, for a 5-mile blustery, snow-blowing run. Thank goodness for Yak Trax! I put them on my running shoes and I don’t slip and slide on the snow. After my run, I settled in for a little crochet project (I am making a baby blanket for a friend who is expecting her first baby in April). It was a fun day from start to finish. Now, we are enjoying this Chilean Carmenere before our dinner of braised pork loin, mashed potatoes and gravy, spinach and salad.

We have a lot of fluffy snow; Tom used the snow blower and got our driveway and sidewalks clean. Now it is time to relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor!

Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (2006)

Tom & Melody — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:12:49 +0000

I purchased this wine at the A & L Wine Castle in Ann Arbor. I had clipped a coupon from the newspaper that was to expire on January 31, so I made it a point to visit one of my favorite wine shops. The coupon was for $20 off $100 of wine. . .so, I carefully and studiously studied the wine bottles and brought bottle after bottle up to the counter . . .only to discover that the coupon couldn’t be used on wine with “green” price labels. (The green price tags indicated a reduced price.) Well, let me tell you, it was difficult because 80% of the wines had green price tags. But, being the trooper that I am, I left the green-tagged bottles on the counter (to purchase) and went back in search of non-discounted wines (which were considerably more expensive) and managed to use my $20 coupon, even though I spent far more than $100. Ah, well, that is a pleasant issue. I didn’t mind. I brought home 13 bottles of very interesting wines. This was one of them. This WAS a green-tagged wine: Normally priced at $12.99 on sale for $9.99.

I opened it last night (Sunday) for dinner with our son Tommy and his girlfriend, Amanda. I had a pork loin roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed carrots, salad (and homemade cookies).

I like this wine very much. I suppose part of the reason I like it so much is because I was able to share it with Tom, Tommy & Amanda, but I also liked it because it is fruity with undertones of tobacco and a spicy finish. Just delicious. Love it.

I am finishing just a swallow of it tonight before we open another bottle of something different. It is every bit as good tonight as it was last night.

P.K.N.T. Silver Collection Carmenere (2008)

Tom & Melody — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:00:07 +0000

I purchased this Chilean P.K.N.T. Carmenere today at our local grocery style while doing a major food shopping expedition. This was $8.99 and on sale today for around $6.

This is quite yummy! The nose has a fresh and spicy aroma and the palate is spicy and dry. I have no complaints, whatsoever, about this very reasonably priced Chilean wine.

I had some fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator so I sauteed them (along with ground beef and onions) and added spices, tomatoes and spinach for a spaghetti sauce that has been simmering for the last 3 hours. I also have some very dark, flat greens (that arrived as part of my vegetable food co-op share) and I am not sure whether this is spinach or kale or something else?), but i will saute in olive oil. And, I am going to make a fresh green salad. Should be a healthy and filling dinner. This wine will be a good choice for a strong-flavored spicy meal.

I have had a lovely day! I am home during this week between Christmas and New Year’s and loving every minute.

Carma Carmenere (2008)

Tom & Melody — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:15:14 +0000

It is Monday night after our Thanksgiving weekend. I was going to say that it was difficult to go back to work today, but after thinking about those people who are unemployed and how grateful I am for my position, I have to say that I was happy to be able to go back to work.

Nonetheless, it is nice to be home after a long day! We have our Christmas tree lit and music on the stereo and dinner in the oven. Very cozy!

Tom chose this Chilean wine for our evening cocktail hour and dinner. This is delicious and complex. The nose is fruity but not sweet. The taste . . .ooh la la! Lots of flavors: berries, coffee, chocolate and spices. Our kind of wine, for sure! The finish is tobacco and chocolate.

For dinner, I have a casserole that is a bit like a meatloaf with sliced potatoes (and other vegetables & some cheese) on top. . .smells good. . .and some baked acorn squash and a salad.

Sockeye Pinot Noir (2008)

Tom & Melody — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:44:54 +0000

We chose this delicious Chilean Pinot Noir for our Thanksgiving dinner feast. That was last night and we had a wonderful dinner. . .but I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t really eat much, so we are having our leftovers tonight. But, back to our Thanksgiving day. We were happy to have my sister and her husband and our son, Tommy and his girlfriend, Amanda, for dinner. For our pre-dinner cocktail hour, we served martinis (for us) and strawberry daiquiris (for the non-martini drinkers). Then, we sat down to dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, sauteed asparagus, baked squash,and buttermilk biscuits. We had pumpkin pie for dessert.

Tonight it is quiet in our home; Trigger is snoozing quietly by my side. I have the leftover turkey, squash and stuffing reheating in the oven. Now I have the time to really savor this wine. Raspberry nose; the palate is strawberry jam and some floral notes. The finish is long with a bit of tobacco and cherry.

This is a great wine for roast turkey. Tonight I will actually see how the meal tasted last night (when I was too caught up in the happiness of our togetherness to eat).

Los Rosales Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

Tom & Melody — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:26:55 +0000

Well, here we are in the middle of the week — Wednesday night. Hectic work days for both of us. But now we are home and life is good. Listening to music while enjoying a glass of this Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, talking and reading the papers.

(For those of you who are interested in my dinner menu. . .when I got home I immediately plunged a package of chicken drumsticks into a saltwater brine. After about an hour and a half, I dried the chicken and placed in a bag of flour, breadcrumbs and spices and shook until evenly coated. I then browned the chicken in hot olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Then, I turned the chicken to low (but did not cover). The chicken will continue to cook for another 45 minutes or so and I will serve with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a fresh salad.)

Back to the wine. This is a good Chilean red! The color certainly caught my eye. . . a brownish red opaque in the glass. The nose is tobacco and cedar. The taste is black fruit — currants, a touch of blackberry — along with a metallic finish. Tom is raving about it. He loves it. I like it very much but I’m not raving about it. . .so there you go. I would say between the two of us, it is safe to say that the wine is definitely above average.