In early September, I had the pleasure of taking part in a virtual testing with Marcelo Garcia, the winemaker at Chile’s TerraNoble (website). To prepare, I pretended I was on the grounds of one of TerraNoble’s vineyards—ah, the magic of green screen in a time of pandemic. Yes, once again I was attempting to combat
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Sombras del Sol 2009 Carmenère Valle Central, Chile The nose of this red wine is cayenne, allspice, and cardamom swimming in a medium of tart berries. That fruit is much more prominent when drinking. The wine is warming and on the thinner side of medium-bodied. Just-ripened blackberries dominate the palate until the spices kick in,
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Santa Alicia Reserve Carmenere 2005 The acidity of this wine hits you first but it mellows quickly into a cool earthiness, where you can feel the mossy dirt rub between your toes. I taste chocolate, dried strawberries, and allspice when it lingers. While all are appealing flavors, they don’t combine well. I couldn’t finish my
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Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmeniere 2004 Chile A black current tang quickly gives way to a pronounced presence of scorched sugar. It’s warm milk comfortable—you don’t want to stop the flavors with the threat of a new sip. There is a medium level of spice that concentrates when it gets a swish in
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