I do this to make a note of the price, so I can quote it correctly for you dear reader, when I finally sit down – either in an inebriated state, or perhaps even months afterwards, using notes and making sense on a second tasting of what I said while inebriated… right after the first tasting!

You see I often write up the review, then not hit “publish” because my writing just doesn’t make sense. Shocking, I know.

But little photographic nuggets like this are helpful in more ways than one. You see as I was at the check-out counter this particular bottle for some reason did not scan at the register. The cashier was about to call the wine dept when I said “It’s $9.99″ and held up the photo on my phone’s screen. She looked at me like I was an alien. I also noted that she also moved as far away from me as she could within her little cashier’s pen… “Why do you take pictures of things like that?” she inquired, in a tone reserved for subjects such as Furries (really, do NOT google that term. I mean it. Seriously!) I sighed, put my phone in my pocket and, fully expecting her to call security any second, admitted I wrote wine reviews. Suddenly her demeanor changed, she no longer cringed at the far reaches of her workspace, but visibly relaxed and said “oh, that’s interesting!” and carried on checking and bagging my groceries.

What she couldn’t see in that photo, but you can as I’ve blown it up for you, is a strange faux pas committed by the wine dept:

I love a good Cabernet Sauvignon. It is indeed a fine Bordeaux grape, but so is Carmenère, which is a completely different varietal! Sure, Carmenère has often, and even famously, been confused with Merlot, but Cabernet Sauvignon? C’mon! The rest of that paragraph is just so much wine jargon bullshit that when combined with the goofy grape gaffe it nearly sent me into a rage. If I had my battle axe on me I might have gone berserk right there. A barbaric pillaging and burning of the grocery store. Instead I bid the cashier good-bye with a monosyllabic grunt and pushed my shopping cart menacingly out to my car.

I planned to open up the Carmenère in a few days when we expected an old friend of Mrs. Barbarian to come by for dinner. That dinner was postponed though, and I failed at securing this bottle from pillage by Mrs. Barbarian. Sure enough she plundered the cabinet where I keep bottles for imminent consumption, opened it, and drank a glass. To add injury to insult, she then put the bottle into the refrigerator! That is where I found it one morning when I went to make my breakfast… a bottle of Carmenère in the fridge door!

Grrrrr…..

I pulled it out and set it upon the counter. It was a good thing that Mrs. Barbarian wan’t in the house at the time.

We drank the rest of the bottle at dinner, but given that it had been opened, and then refrigerated, I felt that any impressions I had of the wine may have been tainted by the poor treatment torture inflicted upon it by Mrs. Barbarian.

So I went back to the store a few days later. This was after the quake had rocked Chile, and I returned with the goal of buying nothing but Chilean wines. They’re going to need all the help thy can get, since wine is likely their second largest export item after copper, and while the copper mines are all located in the desert north which was largely unaffected by the quake, the vineyards are mostly located in the hardest hit regions of Chile. I bought four bottles of Cono Sur 2008 Carmenère, and once again the cash register didn’t ring it up properly and I said ‘It costs $9.99.” The cashier called the wine department who walked over with the tag for the cashier to scan and it came up $10.99. They had raised the price on me by a buck in under a week! I certainly hope they are not profiting on the tragedy in Chile. I felt like an heel for claiming a dollar discount per-bottle. The cashier eyed me suspiciously while I muttered about having bought the same bottle for $9.99 the week before.

This is not a great wine, but it certainly is a great value wine. Very much like most Chileans, in that you get good quality for a very low price. A wine of this level from here in California would set you back $30—$45, but coming from Chile it is around ten bucks. Viva Chile!

I heartily recommend this wine as a “nightly drinker” value wine. Great with dinners at home, or no particular special occasion. As a Carmenère it doesn’t stand up to many of the samples I’ve tried, but it is certainly a reasonable representation of the grape. Lots of flavor, and stands up to spicy foods well.

Given how hard I worked to get to this point I would have loved to uncovered a gem, but this one wasn’t that amazing. Good, but not great.

Cono Sur 2008 Carmenère
About $10.00
http://www.conosur.com

Enjoyed a “Calcu Super Chilean” tonight with dinner. Drank it before, seemed even better this time.

Above is a photo taken at dessert at our favorite restaurant. Yes, I made a mess of the tablecloth!

Old Review: http://bit.ly/bXV0ZL

I’m not a “shopper”. When I have something to buy at a retail store I go in and out like an elite commando unit. Surgical strike. In. Grab the item. Go. Go. Go! It usually takes me longer to take a shower than it does to buy an item in a store.

I was at Target the other day, to pick up a two household items I was tasked to get by Mrs. Barbarian.. As I was making my way to the checkout at high speed a word in my peripheral vision caused me to stop, pause, and turn my head. What caught my eye was the word “Carmenère”. Visual pattern-matching has always been one of my minor superpowers since I was just a wee Barbarian. Remember those find the words in a square of seemingly random letters puzzles from childhood? Those things are trivial for me. The words themselves, as strong signal just seem to float above the background noise of letters for my brain. Since Petite Sirah and Carmenère seem to be my favorite varietals these days I seem to be able to “see” them even when I’m not looking for them. Even when I am beating a hasty exit from an otherwise uncomfortable situation/

I hardly step into Target more than once a year. I didn’t even know that they sold wine. But there is was, grabbing my attention. From six feet away using only 18 point type. My brain scares me sometimes.

So what is this Carmenère that stopped me in my tracks at Target? It is called “(Oops) 2007 Voluptuous Beauty”. It is a Cabernet Franc & Carmenère blend (84%/16%) from Chile’s Valle Central. The price tag said $9.34, so I figured I might as well buy it. I’ll drink anything…. once.

I brought the wine home and opened it to accompany a nice outdoor dinner of pasta and sauteed broccoli out on the deck. It was a hot evening, but breezy, so quite nice. The pasta was a four cheese ravioli in a pesto sauce. The wine surprised both Mrs. Barbarian and me. I was honestly prepared for the wine to be horrible. After all I bought it from Target! Instead we found it quite drinkable, though not a mind-blower. Just a very good, reasonably cheap red wine.

The Carmenère at only 16% of the blend was barely noticeable, though obviously there. It tasted like a rather earthy Cab Franc, just like I’d expect. Very dark in color. Certainly worth the sub-$10 price. I’ll have a look and see if I can find more examples of their product.

The label is a tad cutesy… OK it is way too cutesy… so cutesy I almost didn’t buy it. But it does tell the tale of the origins of Carmenère and how it was rediscovered in Chile after having thought to be lost. If you can overlook the cutesy marketing this is an OK wine.

http://www.oopswines.com

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Thank you Mr. Dickens for Comparison Only is what we’re here to perform.

My parents were visiting recently, ironically stopping by before departing on a wine tour of the west coast, including Napa & Sonoma, Oregon and Washington. I often say “I aspire to my father’s lifestyle” and I mean it. He is enjoying the rewards due to him from a lifetime of labor by pursuing that which provides him great pleasure. One of these pleasures is the fruit of the vine. All of the finest wines I have ever tasted have been either at my father’s table, or at a table hosted by my father. It is through him that I have come to this passion for the vintners craft.

We made a reservation at our favorite local bistro for a dinner. While we both perused the wine list I spotted a Carmenère, from of all places, Walla Walla, Washington. My father introduced me to Carmenère about a decade ago and told me its story. I know that he visited Chile a few years ago and toured the varietals’ adopted homeland, so I suggested we try it. Pulling paternal rank knowing that he’d be footing the bill when the check arrived, he demurred, saying it was a bit too expensive (at around $42. You see I come by many traits honestly!) Not wanting to let the opportunity pass, I said “I’ll buy it.” He agreed and I ordered up a bottle. The proprietor let me know that it was an excellent choice and that it was one of his last bottles.

How Carmenère came to be planted in Walla Walla, WA is a story I’d love to hear some day, until then I’ll have to let the wine speak for itself. This Beresan Carmenère is a wonderful example of the varietal, which any Chilean winery would be proud to produce. It drinks as I’d expect a good Carmenère to drink; deep, rich, complex, and flavorful. While not as massively dense as some I’ve tried, it certainly isn’t what you would call light. Between the four of us the bottle went pretty fast and my father ordered a bottle of the other Carmenère found on the wine list; a Chilean called Root:1 (at around $32 at the restaurant, likely much less at retail.) I’ve had a Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon before, but never their Carmenère until now.

It has all the same characteristics of the Beresan Carmenère, but with a slightly lighter flavor with quite a bit more fruit. Perhaps the fact that it is only 75% Carmenère, with the rest being Cabernet sauvignon and Syrah is what gives it the fruit-boost and lighter profile. Honestly they were both excellent, with the Beresan being my favorite of the two.

As Dickens said it is indeed the best and worst of times. A time when a modestly wealthy gentleman much watch his expenses due to the foolishness of the great titans of Finance who brought upon us this winter of despair. But it is also our Spring of hope, with everything before us, such that amazing fruits of far off continents are available to us for a few dollars here and there. Savor the fruits where you find them.

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

Links:
Beresan Wines.
Root:1 Wines.

I saw this Chilean Carmenère at my local wine merchant and had to give it a try. I grabbed it and brought it home, looking forward to a big, dark, teeth-staining experience frequently found with Carmenère.

I planned to have it with a big steak dinner over the weekend, and as it is young, and my wine storage area is a tad chilly this time of year, I opened it up to breathe about three and a half hours before dinner. I did take a small sample after opening. I noted the cork was stained dark red, always a good sign. The sample tasted a bit light, but it was also cold, so I hoped it would open up as it sat open for a bit. I went about my usual weekend business around the house; terrorizing neighbors, sharpening axes, you know… routine.

In the course of some activity about an hour and a half before dinner, I noted Mrs. Barbarian with a wine glass. Damn her! She found my bottle. Note to self, HIDE IT next time. Upon quizzing her she admitted to be on her second glass. Sigh. I told her it was for dinner and that I’d like to try save it for then. She said she liked it though.

When dinner arrived I poured myself a glass (and topped up Mrs. Barbarian’s) and noted with a cocked eyebrow that it appeared that more than what she claimed to have drank, plus my small taste, was missing. Well, in hindsight I’d have been happy to have her drink it all, as I did not like it much.

The wine in question here is a 2007 Viña Chocalan Carmenère. It LOOKS great. Deep. Dark. But it tastes too light to me. I love big bold wines, and while this one looked the part, it could not deliver the goods. All hat, no cattle. All shout, no battle.

Oh well, at least one of us likes it. Mrs. Barbarian drank the rest of it.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been shopping with an eye towards today… the big day. Wine Blogging Wednesday featuring Value Reds from Chile. Dear reader… I was born for this moment. You know this. Nobody loves cheap red wine like the Vinagoth. Cheap GOOD red wines abound on the “South America” shelf of your local wine merchant. Trust me. You will find values that will blow your mind. Stuff that puts some of California’s finest to shame in terms of value for the dollar (or peso as the case may be.) I can blather on endlessly about the excellent wines coming from Chile these days and I often do!

I’ve drank this wine before, but never written about it. So when I spotted it on a recent jaunt through the grocery store I snagged a bottle specifically for today’s post. It is a Cono Sur 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Carménère. This my friends is a fully buzzword compliant Chilean Value Red. It mixes the well-known standard of the wine industry, Cabernet Sauvignon, with the signature grape of Chile, Carménère. It comes from the legendary viticultural are of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It is made from organically grown grapes. The vineyard workers commute by bicycle for goodness sakes. Drinking this wine makes you feel better than driving a Prius! By swallowing this liquid, you are saving the planet! Hell, why not drink it while you’re driving your Prius?

Oh wait… nevermind.

Best of all, you can save the planet for under 12 bucks as this wine set me back a mere $11.99. Yep a dozen dollars for this fine example of Planetary Defense.

I really looked forward to making this MY contribution to this month’s WBW. But, like any wise man, I grabbed another value red from Chile as a backup. Good thing to. You see… I wanted to tell you all about my experience with this wine. From buying, to opening, tasting, smelling, etc. I wanted to describe how the sophisticated Cabernet tempers the ballsy Carménère. To describe the nose, the feel, the finish. The full sensory and empirical experience.

Unfortunately Mrs. Barbarian drank it all.

Sigh. I managed to grab a small sip and it was good. The Mrs. gave me that smirky grin that only wives can get away with. Had I done the same thing and offered that smirky grin in explanation she’d have unleashed the lawyers and taken me for every penny and left me with the shirt on my back… if that. She obviously liked it, but she doesn’t write the reviews around here.

So… on to Plan B.

In 1905 and 1915 Albert Einstein released his theories of Relativity (special and general, respectively) which turned Newtonian Physics on its head and shocked the world. Mr. Einstein came to his conclusions through mathematics. The concepts within his theories were so “out there” that proving them would be difficult. The earth itself is too limiting a laboratory for actual observation of his theory in action. He did posit three ways that earth-bound observers could prove his theory however:
 

1. Accurately calculate the orbit of the planet Mercury (something Einstein set out to do himself)
2. Comparing light from the sun to light here on earth (the sun’s light should have a longer wavelength)
3. Compare the positions of stars “near” the sun to their positions away from the sun.

The last one proved to be the easiest. The positions of stars are well known, and when they are in proximity (based on angle of observation from our planet) to the sun they should shift in position by a specific amount due to the sun’s gravity bending their light. If you could take photographs of the sun during a total eclipse, the stars around the sun in the photo should be in a slightly different position compared to when the sun is not present. The difference in position closer to the sun itself should be predictable by the theory, and measurable via photography. 

The world’s astronomers went about trying to capture photos to prove, or disprove the Theory of Relativity in the years following the First World War. It was very difficult, and many chances were missed due to cloudy skies, malfunctioning cameras, and just plain bad luck.

I could have saved them a lot of trouble.

Just hold up a glass of this Carménère if front of the sun and start shooting.

It is massively dense. It is so dark, and so dense, that it can block the sun and bend light. I kid you not! It is an immensely flavorful Carménère. In fact I found it a tad intense and let it stay open for a while to breathe and hopefully mellow a bit. It didn’t.

I was home alone, as Mrs. Barbarian was out and about. I drank a glass of it, followed a few hours later by another glass. I resorted to putting a stopper in the bottle and bringing it with me on a short business trip the next day. Upon arrival at my hotel I poured some into a hotel paper coffee cup (yeah… so what do you expect??? I’M A BARBARIAN!) for a little Chilean nightcap before bed. It lasted a few seconds before it went into my gullet… still not mellowed a whit(!) and this was left behind:

I can’t imagine what my would teeth look like if I drank this stuff everyday!

This light-bending red is almost surpassing Petite Sirah levels of density and color. Think of it as Chilean Guinness. I found this wine at my local merchant for $10.99 – 2007 Santa Rita Reserva Carménère from the Rapel Valley in Chile. 

As I packed for the return drive home, as an afterthought I wrapped a bit of plastic bag around the neck of the bottle and tied it off. Sure enough my bag rolled over in the car and inverted the bottle. Most was contained within the bag, but some escaped, wreaking quantum havoc with my clothing. So as I write this Mrs. Barbarian & I am drinking the last of the bottle (now open 4 days, so it is beyond mellow and is turning… but still drinkable!) while my clothes tumble around in the washing machine in an attempt to get the stains out.

Light is bending around my glass, and small objects in the room are falling into orbit around it.

Ah ¡Carmenère! While it may be one of the “six noble grapes of Bordeaux” it is really THE signature grape of Chile. It is also usually a great value. If you are looking for a great, yet cheap red wine from Chile, start with the Carmenère.

I found this Carmenère at my local wine merchant and was astounded at the bargain price of $7.99 a bottle(!) Olé! I served this one at a post-thanksgiving meal with the whole clan from Mrs. Barbarian’s side of the family. (Full details of the holiday meals & wine coming soon, once we’re off the Value Reds From Chile Theme.) This one is young, being from 2007, but remember Chile is always two seasons ahead of us. It drank as a prototypical Chilean Carmenère usually does, strong fruit nose upon opening of the bottle, and in the glass. Inky dark in the glass. Earthy on the palate and a lingering finish. It was very popular around our table and went fast. An amazing value for under $10!

The hardships I endure for you, dear reader. All so that you can pick your cheap wines with confidence.

As you know, Chilean wines are special to me. Mostly because they are such great values. Chile produces some of the world’s finest red wines and, at least for now, they are amazingly inexpensive. Sure, you can find a bottle from Chile for big bucks, but it will be the exception rather than the rule. Most of the wine Chile sends to us Yanquis is right in my spending sweet spot: $5-$25 a bottle. So, I buy a lot of Chilean wines. Just about the only thing with the gravitational mass to pull me from the “South America” part of any wine store or section is a bottle of Petite Sirah, no matter where it is made. So beyond my PSychopathic desire to taste every Petite Sirah ever made, my habits are largely Chileno. So it was with great pleasure that I noted that “Wine Blogging Wednesday” has chosen “Value Reds from Chile as their theme in December.

The point seems to be picking a Chilean Red and writing about it on one particular Wednesday.

The only point a Barbarian recognizes is the one at the end of his sword (or corkscrew as the case may be.) The only rules a Barbarian follows are those he makes for himself! What is good? To crush your grapes, see them driven before you into wine, and to hear the lamentation of the hangover! So I refuse to limit my writing to a single Wednesday! I plan to blog about Value Reds from Chile from now until the appointed day. My cellar is stocked and my laptop is honed and stropped to a fine razor’s edge. Let the blogging begin!

First up is this fine red blend from Chile’s Valle Central by way of Cameron Hughes Wines, and called “Lot 95″.  I chose this one first as the description on the CHwine website uses the word “raid” to describe the creation of this product. Suitable, no? What could possibly be more barbaric than raiding your way across continents and bringing back booty in the form of wine?

I received it as part of a sampler, and CH haven’t even posted the price yet, so think of this as a preview.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (35%), and that most Chilean of varietals, Carmenère (15%). Mrs. Barbarian is out of town so I drank this one alone. Last night I cooked up some bratwurst, sauteed broccoli (one of my specialties), and a few lightly fried corn tortillas (sounds weird, but trust me, it was awesome) and opened Lot 95 to accompany it. The Brats and Broccoli are a pretty strong flavor combo so this wine will need a backbone of steel to stand up to them. It did not disappoint! Big and bold at the start, yet smooth and strong on the finish. I managed to polish off half the bottle on my own before I sat down to finish my last review with a glass of Lot 95 to keep me company.

This morning I awoke early and the glass and bottle remained at my work desk. Fearlessly I threw caution to the wind and resumed tasting. Sure, it might be seven in the morning but what the hell, I’m a Barbarian! It had gotten a bit earthier overnight, losing some of its alcohol edge. Still uniquely Chilean in that odd mixture of New World flavor and Old World feel. Great stuff!

The hardships I endure for you, dear reader. All so that you can pick your cheap wines with confidence.

Mrs. Barbarian and I enjoyed this wonderful Calina Reserva 2006 Carmenere with dinner the other night. The Mrs had purchased some pork chops, which I honestly loathe. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hater of swine flesh… quite the contrary! I love bacon (who doesn’t!), pepperoni, ham, etc. I even once ate the entire leg of a pig on a dare in a Munich biergarten with the funniest crowd of Germans (that is not the oxymoron it seems) you’d ever meet. Well, OK, I failed at eating the entire leg, but I gave it a go and both the leg & I called it a draw. But pork chops to me are like faux steak. They look like steak, but taste like… well… leather. I begrudgingly marinated the chops in balsamic vinegar and some herbs, and when it came time to eat them opened up this Chilean Carmenere from Valle del Maule.

It was really quite nice. Not blow your socks off awesome, but genuinely enjoyable. The chops weren’t too bad either, but I REALLY enjoyed this wine.

Best of all is the price tag: $6.99!

I love a great wine under ten bucks and this one is worth 3x what they are charging. Chilean wines are going to explode and values like this are the reason why. Great stuff! Go buy a case. I will.