Vertical tasting of Chilean wine – Casa Real 1989 to 2010

Casa Real on display

A few weeks ago I went to a wine workshop organized by the Chilean premium wine producer, Santa Rita Estates on the top floor of Millbank Tower. What a view! What was just as impressive was the vertical of their super premium wine, Casa Real. Going back to the first vintate 1989, we tasted through to the latest  2010.

Casa Real is a true “vintage” wine in that they only make the wine in exceptional years, just like Vintage Port or Vintage Champagne. Since 1989 there have been only 8 productions of Casa Real. The region is dear to the heart of the winemaker Cecilia Torres, who has been the winemaker of Casa Real since 1989. She thinks the vineyards, Alto Jahuel, are capable of producing such fine wines because of it’s terroir of alluvial soils above a layer of clay which gives excellent drainage and impart a minerality to the wines. The vines are 50 years old but still going strong.

The wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon, aged in French oak barrels for between 12 and 14 months. Tasting the wines, they all showed excellent balance- fruit, acidity, tannins all there existing harmoniously. One of the presenters noted that these wines are very exciting because they show the future and the ageability of Chilean wine. He predicts that in future, Chile will have more super premium wines appearing in the marketplace.  Cecilia commented that her favourites were from the 1990′s as they exhibited light and elegant qualities and they haven’t dried out or lost their fruit character. Off all the vintages, the 1989 is her favourite.

Casa Real vertical line-up

We tasted 2010, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1997, 1995 and 1989. I started with the youngest and worked my way back. The 2010 and 2008 were full of ripe red fruits and bitter chocolate notes, the tannins still grainy but not unpleasing to the palate. I could taste already that they were going to develop into exceptional wines, the quality of the fruit disclosing itself already.

2005 was a great wine, complex with tertiary notes already starting to come into play, leather, spice, cedar – this was a wine with real character and developing very well.

I liked 2002 but a lot of my fellow tasters did not because of a pronounced brett note. When I say pronounced, it was there but not so strong that it was off-putting. Medicinal and very savoury with  a much lower fruit profile. It reminded me of old- style Bordeaux, maybe that’s why I liked it so much.

Getting into the 1990′s, the 1999 was full of sweet spicy notes, herbal and mineral with a layer of black fruits and tannins that were not so much round as still a bit edgy.  A lively wine, not showing it’s age at all. The flavours were deep and intense but here I could see what Cecelia was saying when she said the wines from the 90′s are light and elegant – the ’99 had a certain delicacy about it. It could also be because the wines of the 90′s had alcohol contents of around 13% while those from the 2000′s are averaging 14%.

1997 was another favourite,  a calm wine and not as expressive as the ’99, this wine was a bit more elegantly seductive with beautiful tannins, well balanced oak and fruit that seemed to hang back a bit, taking it’s time to reveal itself to my palate.

1995 was  not as smooth as the ’97 but it was still kicking, tertiary aromas predominate but I could still detect green peppery notes, olives and even a bit of sweet spice. The fruit was much less evident and I found this wine to be earthier then the others.

The 1989 was a bit of a surprise because after the ’95, I thought it might be a bit decrepit but I after tasting it, I could see why it was Ceceilia’s favourite. Fresh and clean, it was tasting like a much younger wine. Spicy with red and black fruit notes still very much in evidence. A supple wine, oak, fruit and tannins perfectly in tune with each other. This was a wine to be savoured and it seemed a shame to throw it away, so I didn’t

The best thing about these wines is the price. Unlike their Argentine neighbours, Chile seems to be pricing their wines much more reasonably and the Casa Real wines are retailing for between £25- £35 pounds. If I saw one in the shops, you can bet I would snap it up.  In particular, I would look for the ’89, but with that bretty note, I bet there’s lots more of the ’02 hanging around!

Do you like a touch of brett in your wine or is it just me? Leave me a comment either way!

Wines at Altitude – Carmenere and Malbec

The tasting was on 29th floor of Millbank Tower in Central London (pic via Santa Rita Estates)

I don’t hate Carmenere. It’s often referred to as the “marmite” of wine, you either love it or hate it. I fall into the ambivilent category, neither hating it nor loving it. I was given a little more insight into carmenere when I participated in a wine workshop sponsored by Santa Rita Estates, a premium Chilean producer, which sought to shed a bit more light on not only the wines of Chile but also it’s neighbour, Argentina and it’s flagship grape, Malbec.

I participated only in the red wine tasting of the seminar but there was a white wine tasting in the morning. The Carmenere tasting was lead by Tim Atkin MW, Brian Croser and Peter Richards MW with Panellists Andres Ilabaca and Sebastian Labbe. Peter Richards MW noted that carmenere is still relatively new and that it needs more time and that he has “…no doubt that quality will increase in time. Lots of different kinds of Carmenere will emerge, as it’s a naturally varied variety…”

Sebastian Labbe, Edgardo del Popolo & Peter Richards MW (pic via Santa Rita Estates)

Viña Casa Silva, Santa Rita Estates, Carmen Winemakers, and Concha y Toro were all on show, an mix of 2008 and 2009 vintages. What was most evident was the slight green notes of the wines and the tannins. I also found that there was a coffee bean character to them, but I liked that! The standout was not surprisingly a blend, 85% carmenere, 10% carignan and 5% cabernet the 2009 Apalta by Carmen Winemakers. Carmenere seems to work best when blended and this wine was fresh, spicy and full of fruit. The added varities seemed to give the wine a lift and extra dimension. Carmenere is still a work in progress for the Chileans.

A few of the wines on tasting

After a short break we reconvened for Malbec. I’ve drunk a lot of malbec, mostly in Argentina, so I was looking forward to tasting these wines. Colome Estate, Bodega Noemia, and Dona Paula were all on tasting. Salta is one of the highest altitude wine producing regions in the world, if not the highest and it is here that Colome Estate produces their malbec. The 2009 was full rich and warm, well balanced with a streak of acidity running down it’s backbone. The winemakers had added a small bit of tannat, cabernet and petit verdot all of which added a bit of ballast for the wine, not letting the fruit run away with it.

All of the malbecs showed bright fruit, floral noses and elegant bodies, these are some serious wines being made from the Argentine soils. It was very nice to not be battered down by jammy ripe fruit and tannins softer then a goosedown pillow which is sadly often what we get from the supermarket. The most interesting wine of the tasting was a wine grown on alluvial soil, the Dona Paula Alluvia Parcel 2010. Savoury and intense, very spice notes and hints of rosewater on the nose, not at all what you would expect from an Argentine malbec. The only downside I would say is the price. If you’re used to paying under a tenner, you won’t get any of these wines. Some were topping out at £90 with others costing around £40-£50.

All in all an enlightening day of carmenere and malbec, both showing sides of themselves that I have previously not known. Santa Rita Estates deserves a pat on the back for bringing not only their wines but also wines from competitors to the forefront and giving we here in the UK the chance to see and taste the difference for ourselves.

Carmenere. Love it or Hate it? Tell me about your experiences with carmenere or any other Chilean wine for that matter.

Restaurant Angelus wants to help you negotiate a wine list

Thierry Tomasin, proprietor and host

Thierry Thomasin was the Chef Sommelier at 2-Michelin starred La Gavroche for 12 years and he’s seen plenty. From the rich and famous to the punters coming in to celebrate a special occasion, he’s been on hand to advise on wine.

house champagne

Thierry now has his own restaurant, Angelus, a hidden gem in West London near Lancaster Gate tube stop, a delightful brasserie de luxe serving up modern British French cuisine. The food is delicious but as befits a restaurant run by an ex-Chef Sommelier, he not only wants guests to enjoy the food but also the wine and has made helping his guest negotiate the wine list a top priority.

To that end, he has come up with a special dinner to show customers how to handle a wine list. At first he had in mind a dinner for men only but the demand by women to join in has been so great that he’s added another dinner for women and is even contemplating a dinner for both men and women.

We had a dress rehearsal of the dinner, a 3 course meal paired with a wine of Thierry’s choosing. Thierry introduced each course along with the wine and why he thought it would go well with the dish. He also offered up amusing anecdotes and tips on what do do when confronted with a wine list, whether it’s as thick as a bible or two pages, he gave lots of helpful hints.

smoked salmon to start

duck breast main

A few top tips, call ahead to consult with the sommelier or look online (many restaurants have their lists online) to see what kind of wines are offered. Champagne is a good aperitif, it’s always my favourite, and don’t hesitate to order wine by the glass for each course. As a matter of fact, each dish was paired with a wine by the glass from the restaurant list. There was a lot more and Thierry is a very entertaining fellow but I’m not going to give away his secrets, you’ll just have to dine at Angelus or better yet book a place at his “Negotiating a Wine List” dinner. He has one coming up in early February for men and the woman’s dinner is later in the month.

dessert - rhubarb millefeuille

For more information, consult the Angelus website or give them a call.

Angelus

4 Bathhurst St

London

W2 2SD

T: 020 7402 0083

Tube: Lancaster Gate – Central Line

Have any top tips for negotiating a wine list? Leave your tip in the comments section and help a sista’ out

Angel & Crown, good pub grub (and wine, too!)

The Angel and Crown is a new gastropub just re-opened in St. Martin’s Lane. A stones throw from Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, ENO and numerous West End theatres, it’s in a great location and not only pulls a good pint, they have also redesigned the pub so that the upstairs is now a snappy dining room.

the dining room (pic courtesy Angel&Crown)

The pub was taken over by The ETM Group and has been transformed from an old fashioned boozer into a cozy gastropub. The upstairs dining room is compact but not crowded and has a small bar to cater to diners.

crackling

The menu is full of British seasonal foods and specialities. I was invited to dine by ETM and they had devised a menu to show off the cuisine. While we were waiting for everyone to show up we had pork crackling, black pudding Scotch egg and devilled whitebait to nibble on, all available as bar snacks and ranging in price form £3 – £6.50. I loved the Scotch egg, black pudding is one of my favourites and wrapped around the egg, was delicious. We had London Bellinis (pressed apple and elderflower topped with Prosecco) to sip on while waiting, a bit on the sweet side for me, I asked for extra Prosecco!

black pudding scotch egg

One of the things they aim to do is to bring the wine list out of it’s ghettoized existence and actually have wines that you’d be happy to drink, not just watery pinot grigio or a fruit bomb of a cabernet.

Dr Bucklin Wolf riesling

The first wine we had was surprisingly, a German riesling. Riesling gets a bad rap but the Dr. Burklin Wolf trocken 201o is as dry as they come. A delightful nose of orange blossom, beeswax and white flowers with a bit of passion fruit, on the palate it’s dry but fruity, candied lemon, passionfruit and lime leaf finishing it off. A fantastic match with the potted smoked mackerel and dill, the wine cut right through the mackerel and left me wanting more of both but eat the dill pickle on it’s own, otherwise a winner!

potted mackerel and dill

At first I thought the main course might just be a bone but it was actually a pheasant and partridge pie garnished with a big ol’ bone marrow sticking straight out of the middle of the plate. If you like bone marrow, this is the dish for you. The pie itself was very tasty, a light and flaky pie crust covering succulent pieces of pheasant and partridge in a fatty broth. It was paired with Chateau Musar’s Jeune 2009. Ch. Musar usually age their wines for 7 years before releasing them but the Jeune is their effort to produce ready to drink wines. A savoury and gamy wine, it was a good wine to have with the dark meat pie, hints of black fruits and licorice on the back of the palate.

pheasant pie & bone marrow

I do have to give a special mention to the poppy seed onion rings, they were divinely crunchy with sweet onion on the inside. I did end up eating a bowl of them by myself.

Ch Musar Jeune 2009

Dessert of chocolate mousse was decadently rich and after all those onion rings, I could only manage a few spoonfuls. Pedro Ximenez, La Gitana was served alongside it but I think the Pedro would have been better poured over a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream. Still, it’s nice to see it available outside of a sherry bar.

I’ve eaten at a couple of EMT’s pubs now and not only is the food well done but the winelist, although not extensively long is well thought out and hopefully will shake people out of the wine ghetto they’ve come to expect from pub wine lists.

Know a pub with good grub? Leave your recommendation in the comments section…

Angel & Crown

57 St Martins Lane, Leicester Sq.

London

WC2N 4EA

020 7557 9841

Tube – Leicester Sq., Piccadilly Line