- 2005 Botalcura Nebbiolo - Chile, Central Valley, Maule Valley (7/13/2009)
14% abv; 26,70€; 86% Nebbiolo, 14% Carignan. A strange blend. I don't know the age of the oak, but the producer's web site mentions it stays 18 months in American and French oak. The scent has quite a bit of toffee, oak scents and sweet red fruit. There is some proper Nebbiolo aromas in there as well, but it seems they have been purposefully subdued by the oak and Carignan. It tastes strangely soft for the grape - no doubt the added Carignan. It does have adequate tannins to balance the sweet fruit. A decent wine in a rather modern style, but the wine maker seems to have misunderstood what the grape is all about.