Meeting No 41 October 2011

Pat and Brian took us from Europe back to the New World and Chile was the destination from which our wines came from this month. Chile has a reputation for both quality and good value and both the wines this month upheld that general view.

The first wine was an Isla Negra 2011 Merlot. Isla Negra is part of the larger Cono Sur group and the company started life in 1995. Isla Negra itself is a small town some 80 miles south of Santiago and the wine comes from vineyards located in one of the main wine growing areas of Chile - the Central Valley. The wine was very well liked by the group gaining an overall high score of 7.9 - which was also consistent across the group the winemakes description - A vivid dark ruby red Merlot, with aromas rich in fruit, like cherries, black berries with additional notes of cacao. Elegant and velvety its palate was round and full bodied, with a deliciously long lasting aftertaste. – was also an accurate representation.

The second wine was a Casillero del Diablo 2009 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. Casillero del Diablo is part of the Conchay y Toro group, Latin america’s major wine exporter., with a presence in both Chile and Argentina. Again this was generlllay admired by the group but although costing twice the price the overall score was just below that of the cheaper wine at 7.6 The appearance was an intense red ruby with a lovely aroma of cherry, blackcurrant, dark plum and toasted oak. The taste was medium bodied with silky tannins and long, ripe fruit and berry aftertaste and a good balance of fruit and polished tannins.

The next meeting is at Dave and Mollies on the 22nd November 14:00