Chile is a country that has not only the perfect climate, but also the ideal soil conditions to deliver remarkable grapes for some of the most favorite wines in the world. The country is the fifth largest exporter of wine in the world and with so many premium choices it is impossible to pick the best one so here is a top 10 list to try.
2005 Casa Lapostolle Red Blend Clos Apalta
Coming from Colchagua Valley, this wine has gorgeous aromas of warm mocha and ganache that lead to an intensely rich palate of velvet that's loaded with black licorice, currant and fig. The juicy finish offer an echo of dark fruit and graphite. If held until 2014, the aromas will be underscored with vanilla and coconut that will gain more strength with air. $130
2006 Concha Y Toro “Don Melchor” Cabernet Sauvignon Puento Alto
This Cabernet is an opaque purple that coats the glass with a haunting bouquet of black currant, mocha, cedar, toast and tobacco. It is voluptuous and sweet and very complex; dense yet polished. The finish is warm and creamy. You can also visit the Concha Y Toro vineries with a tour. $65
2006 Vina Almaviva Red Blend Puento Alto
A very deep red enhanced by a bright rim. Blackberry aromas find themselves complicated by coffee, anise and tobacco. Fleshy and broad with a blend of dark berry and sweet red liquor flavors. This becomes more energetic by the air, offering a tangy redundant and gentle raspberry flavor that carries you through the finish. It is impressively pure, with power and depth. $82
2004 Concha Y Toro Carmanere Terrunyo Peumo Vineyard Block
Opaque purple in color with a sexy perfume of blueberry jam, smokey oak and blackberry liquor. This is a rich, unique wine with a sensational depth offering a polished finish of fruit and minerals. $40
2007 Casa Marin Sauvignon Blanc Laurel Vineyard
A pale yellow wine that is vibrant and pure with scents of sage and tangerine that are complicated by salty minerals and thyme. The citrus flavor gains depth during the finish that leaves a trail of melon with a super fresh finish. $30
1997 Almaviva Puerto Alto
This is a lush and intense red table wine with a purple hue. It offers shifting aromas of black raspberry, citrus blossom, iodine and black pepper. Opulent and velvety with a bitter coffee chocolate finish. Price unavailable.
2007 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay Cuvier Alexandre Atalayas Vineyard
This is a very stylish wine with an intriguing underlying richness as the chic toast falls into the Jonagold apple, pear tardine and simple floral notes. The finish is persistently long and creamy with a fresh lingering minerality. $20
2006 Almaviva
Concha Y Toro and Mouton Rothschild came together to create this broad-shouldered and muscular wine with plenty of dark currant, bittersweet cocoa and braised fig notes. It offers an expressive bouquet of lead, woodsmoke, blackberry and black currant with an impeccably balanced finish. $70
2007 Kingston Family Vineyards “Alazan” Pinot Noir
Casablanca Valley brings you a surprisingly juicy wine with cassis notes and solid black cherry that is attractively layered with toast and spice. The finish is quite complex with a pleasant hint of wet earth. $30
2008 Tabali Pinot Noir Reserva Especial
Coming from Limari Valley, this wine is intense in taste, yet elegant on the nose with strawberry and red current as the highlighted tones. Soft lannins mix with a toasty hint of french oak and offers a black cherry fruit taste on the palate with a hint of cocoa and spice. Black tea enhances the firm, light finish. $20