Wednesday, January 17, 2018

It's chilly, so let's go to Chilé and have some Chili!!

Kidding about the last part. There was no chili served.

Our latest theme night, months ago at this point (I suck on these updates), and it was a success as always. Lots of great food and wine consumed as the country of Chilé was celebrated. Let's get right to it!

Course 1


The wine:


Valdiveso 2013 Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99)

Light, subtle nose but the palate makes up for it. Fruity notes with citrus and yellow fruits. Medium finish. Decent bargain and it paired well with the shrimp.



Course 2


The wine:

Emiliana 2016 Eco Balance Chardonnay ($13.99)
Light buttery notes on the nose, framed by citrus and pear. Citrus dominates the palate, particularly fresh notes of lemon and lime. Balanced and a good deal for the money. Paired nicely with the dish.

Concha Y Tora 2014 Palo Alto Riserva II ($14.99)
Odd blend of Merlot, Shiraz, Tempranillo and Viognier. In-your-face jammy notes reminiscent of a cheap Zinfandel. Lots of pepper. A tiny bit of spice on the finish which was light and short. Just average. In fairness, everyone else at the party enjoyed this more than I did. 


Course 3


The wine:


Concha Y Tora 2015 Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay ($22.99)

Aromas of toasty oak, hazelnut and clove. Big and buttery, lots of citrus fruits mingling with butterscotch and caramel. Lovely finish. An excellent deal and perfect pairing with the meal.

Torreon de Paredes 2014 Reserva Chardonnay ($24.99)
Pineapple and banana aromas are prevalent. High acidity, this one is young and needs to age to fully develop. Tropical fruits and citrus abound. Drinking well now but has potential.


Course 4


The wine:



Vina Montes 2014 Purple Angel ($69.99)

Now we are talking. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, cassis and blueberry. Fruit forward. The palate is assaulted by fruit as well, cassis, blackberry, black plum and a hint of mint. Finishes so long with dark chocolate showing up at the end. A real treat and an excellent pair with this delicious dish!


Course 5



The wine:

Concha Y Toro 2013 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ($86.99)
As if the Purple Angel wasn't enough! Cassis, blackberry, black plum, eucalyptus and white pepper on the nose. Bright black fruit, licorice, dark chocolate and tobacco delight the palate. Long and luscious finish. Very, very special. Pricey, I know, but if you like Cabernet Sauvignon, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one at this price point. Seek it out.

Oh, and the steak sandwich was freaking delicious, and paired beautifully.

Course 6


The wine:

Santa Ema 2012 Amplus One ($32.99)
Predominantly Carmenere, with some Syrah and Carignan. Blueberry, cassis, red cherry and tobacco aromas. Blackberry, vanilla and cherry flavors dominate, with notes of violet echoing. Tasty!

Dessert


Lapostolle 2015 Cuvée Alexandre Carmenere ($24.95)
Intense aromas of black fruit, cassis, bell pepper and vanilla. Black fruit, cedar and dark chocolate on the palate. Lovely finish. Excellent bargain!

I can't actually recall if we intentionally paired that wine with dessert, I think not in fact. My memory is foggy but I think we just drank this between courses and had the dessert with whatever wine was leftover. Anyway, it was good, as was the entire night of food, friends and wine. We are certainly hoping to actually visit Chilé in the not-too-distant future, and this was a nice little preview.

Up next in the blog, time to catch up on a bunch of good stuff we've been drinking recently, AND we are only days away from our next theme night, as we visit PORTUGAL!


2 comments:

  1. Surprised it took you so long to get to the Carmeneres, as the Chileans are so proud of that grape. I am also surprised to hear there are Chilean Chardonnays. When we were there ten years ago, we were told the Chardonnay grape didn't grow well in Chile, but did better in Argentina and those grapes were brought in to make the wine in Chile. Things could have changed by now, though, of course. We toured and thoroughly enjoyed some wineries in the Colchagua valley, an area very similar to the BC interior. Hope you have a chance to visit in the future!

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  2. Thanks Chandra! I wasn't the one hosting this one so I didn't do a ton of research about what grapes they produce there. You are right about their Carmenere, it is delicious. The Purple Angel is always a winner.

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