Wine Focus for July 2018: See you in South America!

[Jenise]

There's probably a lot of difference between what Argentina keeps for itself and what it exports to Costa Rican resort towns. Costa Rica isn't exactly a wine lovers paradise.

[David M. Bueker]

No doubt.

But hey, we got the topic to page 2!

[Jenise]

I'm going to get around to opening something, I really am! My life just hasn't been my own this week.

[David M. Bueker]

My life hasn't been my own this year!

[Jenise]

Dat's da truth.

Perhaps we are lucky in France in that the few S.American wines we see have a French connection, which may have a moderating influence even when it is Michel Rolland.

2014 Clos de los Siete - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco (7/20/2018)
This Malbec dominated blend (c.60% + Merlot, CabSauv and Syrah) has a distinct personality not to be confused with Rolland's opulent Bordeaux right-bankers and lookalikes from elsewhere. It is medium/full bodied showing savoury complexioned red and dark fruit, less sweet than I noted for the 2012, together with leather and pepper hints, good depth, smooth texture and decent acidity and ripe tannic backbone. Compared with many Argentinian wines, the traces of wood ageing are welcomely discreet on the palate as is the high alcohol (14.5%). Good wine and fair QPR at the price of c.€13.
Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

One of those cellar orphans one can't quite explain the origins of:

2014 Catena Cabernet Franc
Initially pleasant if not remarkable if showing way too much oak, three hours later it had turned into raspberry jam. Completely lacking the focussed spice and herbaceous qualities I love about Cabernet Franc, and no future ahead.

IIRC, Chile is one of the few wine producing regions still untouched by phylloxera.

There's an inexpensive Chilean carmenere for sale in our area called "Oops", in honor of the confusion with merlot.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Prompted by this thread, last night I grabbed a 2009 Catena Malbec for a glass of red wine with cheese. I have two bottles that were surplus from a neighborhood tasting a few years ago. I remember it; it was a pretty good, balanced wine that had red and black fruit equally that bore, like virtually all Argentine malbecs, no resemblance to "the black wine" of Cahors. Well, that's changed. This is all black now with some starchy notes of terra cotta tile and almost no tannins. Couldn't be more surprised.

[David M. Bueker]

Not sure if that was good or bad...

[Jenise]

Bad. Didn't enjoy it. Probably should have been drunk by 2015.

[David M. Bueker]

Oops. Honestly just noticed this was the base Malbec. Yeah, too long.

[Jenise]

Does the sparse participation in this thread allow us to reach a conclusion here? What I see: most of us don't buy or own South American wines. The market in North America for South American wines is eclipsed on the west coast by the availability of WA, OR and CA wines, and on the east coast and Europe by everything else.

The only place they can, and do, thrive is at budget ($15 and under) level. But even that, to my eye, or at least in my area, seems less impactful now than even a few years ago--simillar to Australia, in fact.

I think that budget level Chilean wines (< or c. £10) remain popular in the UK and maybe also in some N.European countries (e.g. the Netherlands and Scandinavia). Perhaps Peter May can confirm or deny the first point.