Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon wines
Finding a reliable table wine in Shanghai is still a problem but our recent tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile was a delightful surprise. As usual, we chose a grape (Cabernet Sauvignon) from a particular region (Chile). Each guest brought a bottle of wine that met that standard and sold for no more than ¥160 (about $26). Each bottle was wrapped and served blind, and we tasted each of them in turn.
Last Spring we tasted Shiraz from Australia and were largely disappointed. None of them were really very good. By contrast, these Chilean Cabs were all pretty good (with the exception of the corked wine, of course). We had a duplicate pair of wines, and one of them was corked. Other than that, everyone agreed that all wines were certainly drinkable and even enjoyable. With the exception of the winning wine (and of course the corked wine) all wines were good, solid, enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Any of them would be fine with an inexpensive dinner, at a party, or as a 'second' bottle of wine.
The winning bottle, by score and by unanimous acclaim, was Carta Vieja Prestige. It was a much more lively wine, with flavors that evolved over time, from the first whiff of the aroma to a lingering aftertaste, minutes after the wine had been swallowed. This was a wine that wants you to pay attention to it, to savor each sip and to pause before once again bringing the glass to the lips. It was a pretty well balanced wine, and curiously, does not have any big flavors that predominate. It had berry, wood, a bit of leather, and cherry, but nothing overpowering, and no stand out flavors.
Here are the wines we tasted, in the order we ranked them:
- Carta Vieja Prestige
- Santa Rita Reserva
- Concha Y Toro Frontera
- Cousino Macul Antigua Reservas
Not ranked
- Miguel Torres Emblema
- Miguel Torres Santa Digna Reserve
Dory cooked an excellent meal of Fusilli with mushroom cream sauce, green salad, bread, and chocolate mousse for dessert.
