Apart from a handful of luxury offerings such as Casa Lapostolle's Clos Apalta, Chilean wines satisfy the mid- and lower portions of the wine spectrum. This puts them in direct competition with most other New World wine regions, particularly Australia. At the lower end we have found Chilean wines in general to be a bit leaner than the typical round Australians.
At the lower end we find plenty of sound examples of Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay under $10. An excellent example is St. Rita's Chardonnay Reserve from Chile's top Chardonnay region, the Casablanca Valley. It's nicely balanced, with floral and spicy aromatics and a touch of fennel on the palate. At $8 it's hard to beat. At more than twice the price, Errazuriz's 2004 Wild Ferment Chardonnay, also from Casablanca, showed greater refinement and complexity. It's $18 - still a very good value when compared to comparable Chardonnays from other New World regions. Recommended.
In Chile Cabernet Sauvignon is king. It's grown in every one of Chile's major wine regions with the possible exception of Casablanca. We compared two Chilean Cabernets to similarly priced examples from Bordeaux and Italy.
2003 Chateau Le Boscq St. Estèphe; 13.5% alc., $26
Classic St. Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon. Dry on palate and finish, as expected. Lean but deeply extracted in the style of St. Estèphe. It's hard to find an attractive Bordeaux at this price point, but this one comes close.
>2003 Federico Primo Val di Cornia Suvereto; 14% alc., $29
The Primo Cabernet from Tuscany is deeply colored, with sweet black fruits and spice on the nose. Explosive and bright on the palate with attractive candied fruit flavors. Round mouthfeel but very noticeable unresolved tannins, which should soften with additional cellaring.
Twenty-five dollars buys a decent California Cabernet Sauvignon, but you will have to pay more that twice that for a wine that matches either of the Chilean Cabernets we tasted.
1999 Aresti Cabernet Sauvignon Curico Valley; 13.5% alc., $29
Thick and delicious with ripe varietal flavors and a suggestion of dusty blueberries on the nose. Excellent balance with acids and tannins coalescing beautifully. Recommended.
2004 Axel La Playa Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Valley; 14% alc., $20
From the Colchagua Valley, home to the previously mentioned Clos Apalta, Axel's La Playa Cabernet Sauvignon represents the best value we have ever seen in Cabernet Sauvignon. Wonderfully aromatic with a deep brooding nose typical of the highest quality Cabernets. Smooth drinking, perfectly balanced. Deep, rich and intense flavors. A great Cabernet Sauvignon at a steal of a price. Highly recommended.
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