Value Red from Chile: Tabalí 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Next up in our parade of value red wines from Chile is this Tabalí Reserva 2005 Cabernet. The label says it comes from the Lumari Valley. It also claims this is Chile’s northernmost wine producing area. Since Chile is in the southern hemisphere that is equivalent to “southernmost” up here. I poked around on Google Earth and found the location. It is about 200 miles north of Santiago. An equivalent latitude here would in the Baja region south of San Diego, or perhaps Austin, Texas.
Chile is of course a long thin country with the Pacific on one side and the high Andes mountains on the other. Lots of rivers flow down from the mountains to the sea, and this valley appears to be fed by two rivers. The bottle label says the Lumari valley is a “magical place.” I can’t make any call on that as I’m thousands of miles away, but if the wine is any indication, it is at least a nice place.
The wine is basic Cab, mildly earthy, with nice flavor. Mrs. Barbarian thought it was “just OK.” I felt a tad better than that about it, as it didn’t blow me away. Don’t get me wrong, it is good. Just not “great.” A nice, drinkable Cabernet for sure. I noted that it opened up quite a bit after the bottle had been uncorked for a few hours. The finish smoothed out and there were some subtleties that became apparent. This is a nice one if you are not into BIG reds. Best of all, it only costs $9.99.
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