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by Manos Angelakis
South American Wines.
It seems that winemaking in the Southern Hemisphere is affected much more by periodic environmental and climatological conditions than the Northern Hemisphere, and it works across the board whether grapes are grown in Chile, Brazil, Australia, or New Zealand.
A casual comment made by Aurelio Montes that from the mid-eighties on, grapes grew better and made better wines at odd years than even years, with the notable exception of 2004 when the harvest resulted in excellent wines, started me on an examination whether that was peculiar to only Aurelio’s vineyards or was also applicable to the rest of Chile and South America in general. So, I posed the question during trade presentations I attended to other winemakers from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. And, after some thought, they all conceded that Aurelio was correct.
I then asked winemakers from Australia and New Zealand, and though none seemed to have considered the subject before, most seemed to agree. Odd years, better wines; even years, good wines but not spectacular - also with the exception of 2004. Aurelio could not explain the phenomenon, nor could any of the other winemakers. I can see how a biannual meteorological event like El Niño could affect growth and harvests on the western slopes of the Andes. However, what about the Eastern side, where the Andes act as a buffer diverting Western weather patterns away from Argentinean and Brazilian vineyards. And, how about Australia and New Zealand? They are not on the path of El Niño.
I’m bringing all this trivia up because I tasted 2003 and 2005 Reservas and Grand Reservas from South America and 2006 regular bottlings from the countries mentioned above. In addition, I was lucky enough to be present during an eight-year vertical tasting of Montes Alpha M, the Viña Montes Bordeaux-styled flagship brand.
First and foremost I would like to congratulate Aurelio Montes and his partners for the excellent wines they make. The 2005 Montes Alpha M is an elegant but powerful wine that will age with great grace. It is well-crafted, balanced, with soft and rounded tannins and a well defined character. It was one of the better, though very young, samples. Other notable vintages were 2004, the best of the lesser years, exhibiting lots of glycerin and very long legs, thought the high alcohol, 14.9% made it a little headier than the 2005. The 1999 seem to be a little more astringent; some judicious cellaring should help in rounding the solid tannins and improving the finish. The 1997, the first sample we tasted, differed from the other samples because the blend did not include the Petit Verdot component, that all the other samples have. The blend since 1999 is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Frank, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. The 1997 is ready to drink now and will probably remain at peek for another 4 to 5 years, even though it is starting to show a reddish/brown color with brownish edges.
During the tasting, we also had an en primeur sample of Montes’ 2006 Napa Rutherford 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. I thought it was a typical, warm climate Napa wine, with high alcohol and high acidity. I would reserve comments until I taste an actual bottling of this wine.
Another wine-related event that I enjoyed was the Vinos de Uruguay Tannat Tasting. Uruguay is a small country located along the Atlantic coast and the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. It has a Northern border with Brazil and a Western border with Argentina. 22,585 acres of vines produce about 11 million 12-bottle cases per year. 98% of the wine is consumed domestically, with an average 32 liters per person. Most of the country’s 280 wineries are small, family owned and controlled, that can closely control quality. 100% of the grapes are hand-harvested.
Twelve wineries participated in the walk-around tasting and I tasted 14 of the high-end samples. Interesting were:
From Bodegas Castillo Viejo, the 2002 El Preciado Red, from the San José region, was a ready to drink, light red wine that was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Frank, Tannat, and a little Merlot. It was a complex wine that would pair beautifully with lamb and veal dishes. At MSRP under $36 per bottle, it was an interesting wine that could create a considerable following amongst carnivores.
From Viñedo de los Vientos, a young winery headed by a fourth generation descendant of Piedmontese winemakers, the 2005 Angel’s Cuvee Ripasso de Tannat a very Italian tasting and looking wine. At MSRP of under $49 per bottle, it is a very nice wine, but slighly overpriced.
Bouza Wines presented three samples that piqued my curiosity. All were from the Melilla Montevideo vineyard. The first was the 2005 Tannat A8, a nice, garnet colored wine, medium bodied and ready to drink now. Not included in the catalogue was the 2005 Merlot B9, a flavorful wine from a single vineyard. The final was the 2005 Monte Vide Eu, a Bordeaux-style blend of 55% Tannat, with Merlot and Tempranillo to stiffen the wine’s backbone. Though very young (it would benefit from at least 5 years in cellar), this wine was well balanced, with a long finish. Definitely overpriced at MSRP under $70, it would be worth purchasing and cellaring if it could be found at a discount.
From Juan Toscanini e Hijos, 2004 Adagio - Espressivo. It was the most remarkable of their line, according to my taste even better than their very expensive 2004 Antologia. A small production wine, it tasted like a fruit-forward, very young Barolo. It shows a good promise of becoming quite nice with a little bottle age. To Barolo aficionados this could become a very viable alternative.
Finally, Bodegas Carrau showed the 2002 and 2004 AMAT, a single vineyard Tannat. Nice, well made, very New World, fruit forward. Well priced for the quality it represents.
For comments on Brazilian wines, please see Wines of Brazil at LuxuryWeb Magazine.
To your health!
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