Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile

This Carmenere from Chile is aged for 8 months in small oak barrels, is a deep purple red, has mild floral aromas and complex fruit flavors including cherry, with spice and vanilla. This is an interesting pick... the flavor profile is unique (it's my first 100% Carmenere)... I haven't seen many around. Found this at The Wine Room of Forest Hills in the $10 range.

7 Inexpensive but Good Wines

Here are 7 of my most recent favorite inexpensive but good wines.

J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
This Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, California is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Sirah, 5% Syrah, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot and 1% Malbec- quite an intense mix, but it works. Stainless steel fermentation, then 14-16 months in oak casks. Bright reddish purple in color with strong fruity fragrance of cherries cedar and blackberries, and cherry soda, chocolate and vanilla on the mouth. Enjoyed this with a cheeseburger at a new restaurant in Forest Hills by the glass, and it can be found retail at the $20 range. 13.8% alcohol.

Cantina Di Casteggio Oltrepo Pavese Barbera 2005 DOC
This medium weight ruby colored 100% Barbera is unoaked, so there's no wood influence, allowing a nose of pure mild red fruits, a palate of sour cherries, spice, white pepper, and a mix of fragrant herbs. After an hour of decanting the finish was smooth and fleeting, but after 4 hours the finish stretched out nicely. The mild tannins would hold up well to a pork or veal dish, or even barbecue. We are in the $12 range.


Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006
Blend is 90% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot. Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006 is a ruby red, dry, full-bodied wine from Tuscany with ripe red fruit and chocolate on the nose, and a fresh smooth palate with a good finish. 13% alcohol and $7.99.

Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile
This Carmenere from Chile is aged for 8 months in small oak barrels, is a deep purple red, has mild floral aromas and complex fruit flavors including cherry, with spice and vanilla. This is an interesting pick... the flavor profile is unique (it's my first 100% Carmenere)... I haven't seen many around. Found this in the $10 range.

Chateau Grand Moulin 2005 France
This red wine from France is a blend of Syrah and Grenache grapes. Color is clear dark garnet red with cherries, ripe fruit and tar on the nose. Palate has black cherry and white pepper undertones and moderate tannin. It is paired well with warm gruyere gougeres. Not bad by the glass for $9.

Straccali Sangiovese Di Toscana 2004 IGT
This is a 100% Sangiovese red wine made from grapes from various locations in Tuscany, Italy. There's barnyard on the nose with black cherry and oak with cinnamon, and mild flavors of fruit and good balance. This is an inexpensive, but decent everyday wine, I believe it was $6.

Fattoria Del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2004 DOCG
This DOCG from Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy is made from 80% Prugnolo Gentile (a Sangiovese clone) and a 20% blend of Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo. 80% of the grapes are aged for two years in Slavonian oak and 20% in French oak. On the nose is cherry, oak, rose and vanilla and on the palate black cherries with moderate tannins and a smooth medium finish. In the $20 neighborhood, this is a good vintage to drink now but you can also cellar it for a few years.

Ventisquero Grey Carmenere 2013, Single block, Maipo Valley, Chile

From Ventisquero's Trinidad Vineyard this Carmenere is aged 18 months in French oak barrels.

Dark ruby paints the glass, medium weight but opaque, aromas of verdant black fruits, anise and cassis and fresh cherry pie. Beautiful silky tannins leaning against an even brighter acidity testify to a smooth, clean and smoky palate of blackberry, barnyard and finishes with green pepper.

The flavors settle nicely, yielding to quite an earthy and lengthy finish. This. Is. Wonderful!

Vinedos Errazuriz Ovalle Marchigue Carmenere Gran Reserva 2011, Chile

From Chile's Colchagua Valley comes this hefty Carmenere, laden with ripe fruit and aged in oak for 12 months. It has a deep red color and bright aromas of red fruits, white pepper, spices and berries. The fairly soft tannins and medium body bring to the palate a complex potpourri of cherry, cigar box, an exotic spiciness and dark chocolate, along with barnyard flavors and even hints of leather. This was another good find at under $10 at KH&H Liquors on Vernon Blvd in Astoria.

Ventisquero Grey Carmenere, Chile

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of dining and winetasting with one of Chile's wonderful winemakers, Felipe Tosso along with his North and South American Sales Director Juan Ignacio Zuniga at Capital Grille in NYC. Felipe is the Head Winemaker at Ventisquero Vineyards.

Grey is the name of a glacier in Chile and Ventiquero means Glacier in Chilean Spanish.

This 100% Carmenere that was my clear favorite for the night. From grapes in Trinidad Vineyard in Maipo Valley, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged for 18 months in ultra-fine grain French oak barrels of which 33% was first use... then aged another 8 months in bottle before release. 

Deep purple colors with floral aromas, cassis, black pepper and blueberries, while the palate tastes of dark chocolate and cigar box, also exudes ripe tannins, very good balance and an excellent soft, long finish.

Terra Noble Carmenere Gran Reserva 2009

This week, as part of a Snooth tasting hosted by Eric Guido, we had the pleasure of sampling four Chilean red wines.
The Terra Noble was my absolute favorite of the night, and not even the most expensive at about $16 to $18.

Deeply opaque with a finely woven texture brushed with a swash of reddish purple hues, on the nose this Carmenere shows beautifully out of the glass, in fact I put it down for a minute to write some notes and could still smell the extremely rich aromatics. There is some oak with vanilla, and mocha/coffee accompanied by a palate if intense blue fruit, finishing smoothly and velvety and going on forEVER.

For Eric's take on this gem and the other three wines of the night see The VIP Table.

Primus Casablanca Valley 2005 Chile

Made from a blend of 51% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Carmenere, this wine is a robust, powerful (14.5% alcohol) red from Chile. The color is a deep garnet with the opacity of ink, full body, and on the nose there are red fruits and a barnyard funk. On the palate is bitter cherry, with bold tannins and a licorice and tobacco finish that is long and intense. The Carmenere is the legendary lost grape once used in Bordeaux production in the early 19th century and is now on the verge of an international reemergence. It is used mostly as a blending grape but can occasionally be found as a single varietal (see Santa Carolina).

Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Chile

From Chile's Rapel Valley, comes this blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 5% Carmenere, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 68% of which was aged for 7 months in French oak barrels, while 32% was aged in stainless steel tanks, before bottle aging.

Aromas of red berries, spices, licorice, dried figs and cassis. Flavors: sour cherries, white pepper, structured with good long finish. Purchased on line for $13 from WineExpress.

2008 Winner of Wine Enthusiast's New World Winery .

Argiolas Costera Isola dei Nuraghi 2006 IGT at Il Poeta

Tonight we returned to Il Poeta for dinner and started with a red wine from Sardinia, Italy.

Aged in French oak barriques for 6-8 months and composed of 90% Cannonau (derived from Grenache), 5% Carignano and 5% Bovale Sardo, this medium weight ruby red wine shows aromas of blackberry and violets.

On the midpalate are white pepper and licorice, with a bit of freshly cut wood... or kind of like eating parsley after a garlic dish, palate cleansing and with a dry finish.

Paired well with:
appetizer: Burrata with mushrooms, onions, capers & tomato
primi: Tagliolini del Poeta, home made pasta in porcini mushroom sauce wrapped with smoked prosciutto
secondi: Petto di pollo in crosta di parmiggiano, chicken breast crusted in parmesan cheese in a lemon and white wine sauce
contorni: broccoli rape
dessert: Fritelle with fresh cream (similar to a zeppole)



We also had a taste of the Natura Carmenere from Colchuaga valley in Chile, an organic dark deep purple that's as thick as syrup. With a slightly vegetal nose similar to green peppers and waves of ripe black cherry, and flavors of summer fruits with structured tannins.

Mario and Luca also bought us an after dinner drink from Piedmont, the Marenco 2007 Pineto Brachetto d'Acqui was a strawberry bubbly that was an excellent way to end the meal.

10 good wines for Under $10... wines for the NEW GREAT DEPRESSION

Here is a list of 10 good wines, mostly Italian, that you can get for under $10 a bottle:

Monte Antico Toscano 2004 IGT Italy
Colosi Sicilia Rosso Nero D’Avola 2005
Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile
Straccali Sangiovese Di Toscana 2004 IGT Italy
Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 Spain
Casal Thaulero Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2006 DOC Italy
Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti 2005 DOCG Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2004 (375 ML) Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Rubizzo Sangiovese di Toscana 2006 IGT Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006 Italy

Organic Wine & Cheese Pairing (continued)

Last Saturday Dan Olson hosted an Organic Wine & Cheese Pairing at The Wine Room of Forest Hills.

Here are the reds continued from previous post:


Cuma Malbec. Argentina. Rich ruby color with full bouquet of boysenberry, blueberries and oak. Dry and full bodied with spicy cherry flavors.

paired with

Les Freres. Crave Brothers. Pasteurized cow's milk. Soft, washed and rind cheese developed in the Irish-French Style. Earthy, hints of bacon, wonderfully gooey.


Natura Carmenere. Chile. Deep crimson, hints of chocolate, cherry and cinnamon on the nose with powerful, velvety flavor and lingering aftertaste.

paired with

Snow White Goat Cheddar. Carr Valley. Creamy, white, cave-aged 6 months. Sharp, tangy with hints of citrus. 2nd place 2007, Best in Show 2008, American Cheese Society Competition


Luzon Verde Monastrell. Spain. Dark colored, full bouquet of dried ripe fruits, currants, cherries and raisins. Full in the mouth with a spicy flavor of berries, oak, toast and nuts.

paired with

Sole Gran Queso. Roth Kase. Pasteurized cow's milm. Small batches imitating Manchego. Cellared six months. Dry yet smooth texture with initial sharpness and sweet finish. 2008 American Cheese Society Winner.

10 good wines for Under $10

Here is a list (from this blog) of 10 good wines, mostly Italian, that you can get for under $10 a bottle:

• Monte Antico Toscano 2004 IGT Italy
• Colosi Sicilia Rosso Nero D’Avola 2005
• Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile
• Straccali Sangiovese Di Toscana 2004 IGT Italy
• Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 Spain
• Casal Thaulero Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 DOC Italy
• Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti 2005 DOCG Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2004 (375 ML) Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Rubizzo Sangiovese di Toscana 2006 IGT Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006 Italy