I checked two local sources of Chilean wines yesterday and basically bought every cab they had, plus some chardonnays and two SB's. Every wine Chilean wine available was under $16. No M's, Apaltas or Cuvee Alexanders, which will have to be ordered. And nothing in between.
Even though the topic of the neighborhood tasting will be Cabernet, we'll buy some whites for self-pour wines during the set-up portion of the evening. We planned to do chardonnay because somehow that seems like the logical fit with cabernet, but out of curiosity I also bought two Sauvignon Blancs, and they changed everything. Chardonnay's out. All the whites were $8ish, and the reds $9-12 except the Marques, which was $16.
The whites:
2006 Veramonte Reserve SB
Robust citrus fruit, grass and gooseberry. Lot of flavor and style here for the price. B+
2007 Haras Estate, Maipo Valley,
More restrained by comparison to the Veramonte, with white nectarine fruit, grass, mild gosseberry, and dust. I love dust, and this was my favorite of the two by a nose, though the other tasters preferred the Veramonte. Both are great, though, especially for the price. B+
2005 Santa Rita 101 chardonnay
Sweet and indistinct. Not only no varietal character, no character of any kind. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't notice when I purchased--wines in this price category move so well around here one doesn't generally have to be on guard. Still, reject! D
2006 Los Vascos chardonnay
Light of color and body, and also lacking varietal character. I was surprised--I've had past vintages of LV chardonnays that have shown bold and minerally like a good Macon. Not this one. D
2007 Trader Joe's Vinas Chilenos chardonnay
Sweet lime citrus fruit, and somewhat dilute but easily the better of the three. C-
The reds:
2006 Calina Reserva
Simple, monochromatic, little typicity or structure. Eh. C-
2006 Los Vascos (regular)
More cabbish than the Calina, but green-tinged and boring. C-
2007 Cono Sur Cab/Carmenere (60/40)
Pretty nose with red and black fruit, caraway and chocolate. Bluish color. No finish. Best so far but that's not saying much. C
2007 Concha Y Toro Casillero del Diablo
Now here, at last, is a real cabernet. Black cherry and plum fruit, mint, oak, smoke, good body and an obvious step way up in seriousness. Impressive for $9.49. This goes in the tasting. B-
2005 Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa
Cedary red and black fruit, mint and pepper. Held up well all night. Excellent for the price, it goes in the tasting. B+
2005 Casa Lapostolle (regular)
Good varietal character, black cherry and blackberry, and dust. The label claims it's a ten year wine and we believe it. Another finalist for the tasting. B
2006 Root:1
The marketing people did well here as this is a smashing looking bottle. No label, all paint-print from shoulder to punt. Looks organic and "crunchy". But the wine's lightweight fruity, "smooth", depthless and simple with a milky malolactic streak. D
2006 Veramonte
Lighter bodied than the CyT's and Lapostolle, but it's balanced and has pretty much all the right stuff in all the right places, and no obvious flaws. Not bad. C+
Did you have the wines with food or alone, Jenise? I did think that juicy grass-fed beefburgers brought it up quite a bit.