A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A Cabernet Sauvignon Signed Rapel Valley Chile
Over the years, we have reviewed quite a lot of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons, but this is only our second one from the Rapel Valley; the previous one came from a sub region of the valley and fell into in different, more expensive price range. Unfortunately the producer's web site has virtually no information about their history or vineyards. The Rapel Valley is situated close to the Chilean capital of Santiago. In this region rainfall tends to be low but the Rapel River brings melt water down from the Andes. The soil is stony and sandy. And remember, Chile was never affected by the phylloxera louse that devastated the vineyards of France and many other countries. Our companion wine is a slightly more expensive organic Chilean Cab.
Wine Reviewed P.K.N.T. Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 13.5 % alcohol about $10.
Let's start with the marketing materials. "Tasting Note : Inky purple; notes of black currant, plum and black cardamom on the nose; the palate is medium to full-bodied with soft tannins and jammy fruit character. Serving Suggestion : Serve it tonight with your favorite shepard's pie recipe." And now for my review.
At the first sips this wine was sweet and grapey, two negatives in my book. Japanese rice crackers lengthened the liquid and brought out some acidity. Then came the main dish, a boxed Baked Ziti Siciliano liberally doused with grated Parmesan cheese. Now its acidity picked up and I got plums. The drink had fine length. Fresh strawberries darkened the wine. The second dessert of praline filled bittersweet Swiss chocolate muted the contents of my glass but I did notice some burnt taste.
My next meal focused on a baked Atlantic salmon filet that had been marinated in liquid soy, cumin, coriander, caraway, and red pepper. Our Chilean friend was long, dark, and pleasantly tannic and acidic. It almost maintained its strengths upon pairing with quinoa. The other side dish was a combination of steamed Jerusalem artichokes and broccoli. In response the libation offered additional acidity and chocolate.
The third meal consisted of slow-cooked meat balls in a tomato sauce. The Cab was powerful, presenting dark fruit and pleasant tannins. White potatoes cooked alongside the meat darkened the wine and sweetened it somewhat. Sweet potatoes cooked alongside the meat cut down this drink.
Final verdict. I liked this wine enough to buy it again. But I won't be buying it by the case.
About the Author
Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but really prefers drinking fine German wine, along with friends and the right foods. He teaches sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.
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