This release has special selections of wines from Argentina and Chile. Rod has just returned from Chile and has added special insight and comments to the wines, many tasted at the respective wineries.

Yet again, we were not afforded the opportunity to taste these wines until this week, hence the late delivery of the newsletter for this Saturday's Vintages release.

We are including the scoring system explanation and icons at the end of this newsletter.



Humberto Canale Malbec 2002
Patagonia $12.95 (932194)
Montmorency cherries and cranberry aromatics drift off the nose of this light to medium-bodied quaffer. The flavours of strawberry and blueberry are warm, rounded and fleshy in the mouth while the finish comes up long and clean. Not up to recent vintages, but still well-priced and worthy of a purchase. Try with lightly spiced or herbed veal or chicken dishes. (VH)


Bodega Catena Zapata Catena Malbec 2003
Mendoza $19.95 (478727)
Malbec should be drunk the way they do in Argentina-with big chunks of grilled red meat. What goes better with a wine like this, a big, dark, intense, chewy red with a full range of accents like spice, pepper, and coffee? But this is more than a bruiser. It's well paced, nicely layered, with a tangy texture that belies the big fruit. Drink it now and during the next three or four years. (RP)


Dourthe Frères Clos de Los Siete 2003
Mendoza $23.95 (622571)
"Big and beautiful" are the first words of my notes. This blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah is both powerful and elegant. It delivers delicious ripe fruit, like plum, black cherry and berries, and studs it with sinuous notes of spice, pepper, herbs, coffee and chocolate. The texture is full and smooth, the tannins ripe and drying. It's a terrific wine that calls for well seasoned, medium-rare grilled lamb. (RP)


Finca Flichman Reserva Malbec 2004
Mendoza $12.95 (746727)
Finca Flichman is a byword-make that a buy-word-in the world of Argentinean wine. This Malbec is great value and a painless way to test-drive the variety if you haven't tried it yet. Did I say "painless"? I mean "pleasurable"! You get rich, concentrated dark fruit with loads of complexity (herb, spice, smoke, tar) and a rich, mouth-filling texture. The tannins are easy-going, so you can think about this whenever you pull out a hunk of red meat the rest of the winter and for the grill next summer. (RP)


Trivento Bodegas y Vinedos Trivento Syrah Reserve 2004
Mendoza $12.95 (663112)
This is a barn burner with ripe black fruit, toasty notes and black pepper whooshing from the glass. The flavours of juicy ripe black cherries and cassis explode on the palate. The mid palate is warm, juicy and sweet while the ripe tannin structure holds it all together and prevents it from becoming at all jammy or boring. This is nicely balanced and will provide excellent drinking over the next 5 years. Load up before we do. (VH)



Terramater Zinfandel/Shiraz 2003
Maipo Valley $11.95 (704882)
I'm often surprised at how little Zinfandel is grown outside California. A little in Mexico, some in Australia, a few parcels in Chile.... This Zin-dominant blend offers big, jammy black berry and tree fruit aromas that lead to a more controlled but delicious mouthful with accents of smoke and pepper. Like so many wines from Chile, it's very good value. Pair it with grilled read meat dishes. (RP)


Montes 'Alpha' Apalta Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Colchagua Valley $22.95 (322586)
The grapes for this wine were grown on the slopes at Montes's Apalta Vineyard. A blend of Cabernet and a small percentage of Merlot, it packs a wallop of sweet, ripe fruit (raspberry, black cherry) with notes of vanilla and spice. Aged for 12 months in new French oak (and serenaded 24/7 by Gregorian chants), it has easy-going but perceptible tannins, and you can drink it now and over the next three or four years. Pair it with grilled lamb. (RP)


Ofdjell Vineyards 'Armador' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Maipo Valley $13.95 (616078)
This has all the elements of a good wine in a new world style. From the pronounced nose of tar and red licorice to the warm, juicy flavours of red berry fruit and spice, it has no edges or sharp corners. The mid-palate on this medium weight red is sweet and juicy and it cleans up nicely with a pleasant fruity and spicy finish. This would pair well with pizza or pasta in a tomato-based sauce. (VH)


Casa Silva Reserva Cabernet Sauvigon 2003
Colchuagua Valley $13.95 (619734)
This is a real bargain from an impressive family-owned winery in the Colchagua Valley. Much of the 19th-century air of the original winery has been retained (for example by putting stainless steel inserts in the old concrete vats), but it's a modern, progressive facility and company that's doing impressive research into matching varieties and growing sites. This Cabernet Sauvignon delivers complex, ripe, dark fruit in the aromas and flavours, with lovely accents of coffee, spice and pepper. It has good weight and is a natural for flavourful red meat dishes. (RP)


Cremaschi Furlotti Carmenère Reserve 2004
Maule Valley $12.95 (641019)
Carmenère is Chile's signature grape, discovered there among the Merlot barely ten years ago. Growers and winemakers are still working out the best growing sites and wine styles, and here's one to be going on with. It delivers sweet dark plum-dominant fruit with prominent spice and pepper notes, all within a very dry texture. The tannins are firm and the finish is long and spicy. Drink it now or over the next two years with spicy ribs. (RP)



Viña Santa Rita 'Medalla Real' Chardonnay 2004
Casablanca Valley $16.95 (303628)
Made from grapes grown in a single estate in the cool-climate Casablanca Valley, this is a new, reduced-oak style for Medalla Real. It offers intense, pungent aromas and flavours of pure fruit, dominated by peach and tropical fruit. It has excellent balance, luscious texture, and it's the sort of wine that will revive the interest of anyone who's jaded by too many mediocre Chardonnays. (RP)


Viña Concha y Toro 'Marques de Casa Concha' Chardonnay 2004
Maipo Valley $17.95 (342857)
From several locations high in the Maipo Valley, where the altitude provides cool growing conditions, this is 100% barrel-fermented and 35% aged in new French oak. It delivers dense fruit aromatics and flavours, with peach and melon to the fore and intriguing hints of fig. Add a smooth, creamy texture, good structure and a long finish, and you have a very attractive wine that will pair well with flavourful pork dishes. (RP)


Montes 'Alpha' Chardonnay 2004
Casablanca Valley $22.95 (390203)
This is a 100% Chardonnay that was 65% barrel-fermented and spent 12 months in French oak. It's a big, elegant Chardonnay with rich tropical fruit, peach and creamed corn in the aromas and flavours. The texture is creamy, without detracting from the wine's overall clean crispness, the balance is excellent, and it finishes with intense fruit. Pair this with grilled salmon or with rich chicken dishes. (RP)


Viña Calina Chardonnay Reserva 2003
Casablanca Valley $15.95 (640912)
Even an ABC advocate might be charmed by this beauty. An involved nose of smoke, oak and red apples greet the lucky taster of this medium to full-bodied white. The mouth feel is plush and velvety, perfectly complementing rich apple, citrus and pit fruit flavours that carry through to the lengthy luxurious finish. This would stand proudly beside chicken Kiev or pasta in a cream sauce. A step up in price and a leap forward in quality from run of the mill Chardonnay. (VH)


Viña Ventisquero 'Yali' Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2004
Casablanca Valley $12.95 (663039)
Casablanca Valley is just a few kilometres from the Pacific Ocean, and is cooled by the cold winds that blow across the coast. It's becoming justly famous for its Sauvignon Blancs, and this is the kind of effort that reinforces the message. It has intense, luscious fruit (passion fruit, gooseberry, pungent citrus) that's full of power, paired with bracing acidity. And it's a great price, quite a bit cheaper than New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs of comparable quality. (RP)



Warre's LBV Traditional Port 1995
DOC Porto, Portugal $32.95 (673871)
Fig, spice and peppery notes emanate from the lifted nose of this pricey LBV. However, the gorgeous flavours (black, ripe cherries and black spicy plums) and the deftly structured wine will convince you it is good value for money as it offers more than most LBVs. By nature, Port is sweet, but this one has so much depth and pronounced flavour profile it is not the least cloying. For a match made in heaven try one of those Death by Chocolate dessert creations. (VH)


Gonzalez-Byass Nutty Solera
DO Jerez, Spain $11.95 (35204)
Good grief, how do they produce a wine of this calibre for under 12 dollars? I know, few people, even though they consider themselves wine-lovers, bother to try it. Nutty, black currant and marmalade aromas waft from the glass of this amber-coloured gem. The flavours are warm (20% alcohol) sweet and bursting with nuts, caramel and toffee. Try this, slightly chilled, in front of the fire with a piece of fruit cake while you contemplate what a brilliant person you are to have purchased it. (VH)



Cave Spring Pinot Gris 2004
VQA Niagara Peninsula $16.95 (621086)
Pinot Gris doesn't figure high on the varieties associated with Niagara, but very good examples might make us re-think things. This one from Cave Spring has good fruit aromas and flavours (pear, white peach, red apple) and a hint of minerality. It's well balanced with an attractive crisp texture, and pairs well with roast pork tenderloin stuffed with apricots. (RP)


Coyote's Run Unoaked Chardonnay 2004
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (675082)
This is a quite new winery that's fast establishing a reputation for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their 2004 Chardonnay delivers pure fruit on nose and palate. Look for appealing notes of peach, pear, and ripe apple with some mineral accents, all wrapped in a texture that has both body and crispness. This Chardonnay calls for grilled whitefish or seafood. (RP)




Forest Glen 'Oak Barrel Selection' Merlot 2003
California $15.95 (969519)
An intriguing nose of cherries and currants leads the way to this medium-bodied perennial favourite. Gorgeous up front, ripe, black berry fruit mingles with well-balanced acidity, deftly handled oak and a firm tannin structure that holds it all together beautifully. A gutsy little number that would go well with stews and meat-based casseroles now to 2008. (VH)



Barossa Valley Estate 'Ebenezer' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Barossa Valley, South Australia $38.95 (990689)
This is the real deal from the folks that bring you E & E Black Pepper Shiraz at triple this price. Aromatics of chocolate, tobacco and licorice plus full bore fruit (Bing cherries, black currants) mark this bruiser as one for novices and serious collectors alike. This has huge weight and texture with supple tannins and extremely well handled oak treatment. The lengthy fruit-driven finish is awesome. Match to grilled rare strip loin from now until 2012. (VH)


D'Arenberg 'The Feral Fox" Pinot Noir 2004
Adelaide Hills, South Australia $26.95 (652891)
A decidedly New World style of Pinot, this is chock full of dark fruit (cherry, plum, prunes) with a big, dense, almost chewy texture. For all that, the flavours are definitely Pinot Noir, and it's accented with notes of spice and herbs (sage). Pair it with dense, flavourful dishes like roast or grilled venison. (RP)


The Lucky Country Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre 2003
Barossa Valley, South Australia $14.95 (661827)
Australia is the "lucky country" and we're lucky to have this Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre blend at this price. It has 14.5% alcohol, which makes you think you're in for yet another Australian bruiser, but in fact this GSM is very nicely pitched. Everything is well balanced, from the solid, complex dark fruit to the supple tannins and long spicy finish. Drink it with well-seasoned red meat dishes. (RP)



Sileni Estate Sauvignon Blanc 'Cellar Selection' 2004
Marlborough, South Island $14.95 (662882)
From a pre-eminent Kiwi winery that never seems to miss the mark, this is no exception. It all begins with a lifted nose of gooseberry and nettles before the flavours (white grapefruit and lemon rind) pile on with mouthwatering zest and verve. Quite a substantial weight that speaks of ripe fruit and artful wine making. The finish is laser-like and clean begging for more of the same in a goat cheese salad. Very well priced. (VH)



Jordan Winery Jardin Chardonnay 2003
WO Stellenbosch $18.95 (663336)
Quite a classy Chardonnay from South Africa's best-known wine region. There some toasty oak on the nose, but the flavours are leaner than you'd expect from it. Look for warm citrus flavours like red grapefruit, some yeasty notes and minerality, with a texture that's both creamy and clean. Overall, an intriguing Chardonnay that goes well with firm white fish. (RP)



Domaine Boyar 'Royal Reserve' Merlot 1998
Sliven $10.95 (962720)
The muted nose of currants and field berries opens up the door to a light to medium-bodied quaffer at a very good price point. This is quite tangy with a cranberry flavour that carries through to the zesty finish. It is at its peak so drink now with lamb daube. (VH)



Cave de Prissé Château du Charnay 2004
AOC Mâcon-Villages $15.95 (662510)
A light-bodied white that offers green apple and lime aromas before the flavours of fruit salad and additional citrus click in. You won't find many Burgundies at this price point and this shows a touch of style with a fruity palate and well balanced acidity. Marry to grilled Monk fish drizzled with freshly drizzled lemon juice. (VH)


Faiveley Mercurey les Mauvarennes 2002
AOC Burgundy $25.95 (987917)
A very successful white from southern Burgundy, this expresses lovely weight and balance. The aromas and flavours are beautifully complex, with peach and pear complementing notes of caramel, vanilla and hints of nuttiness. It has a creamy texture with an attractive acid edge, and pairs very well with grilled pork tenderloin. (RP)



Domaine Lafragette. Prop. Château Loudenne 2000
AOC Médoc, Cru Bourgeois $32.95 (131672)
An aroma of smoky black currants wafts from the glass of this light to medium-bodied red. With an average vine age of 30 years and an almost 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this is surprisingly soft in weight and intensity. However, it is a pleasant fruity offering that is drinking well now. Try with lamb shanks. (VH)


Château Sénéjac 1999
AOC Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois $28.95 (660498)
Tar, smoke and oak rip from the lifted nose of this well-aged red. The ripe tannins and fruit forward flavours (sweet, black and juicy berry fruit) coalesce to fashion a classy wine that struts its stuff on the finish, as well. It is well balanced, beautifully structured and the price to quality ratio is in your favour. Drink now to 2009. (VH)



Doudet Naudin Bourgogne Pinot Noir 'Vicomte' 2003
AOC Burgundy $21.95 (673038)
Get in line and load up your cart for this fruit-forward, red Burgundy at a price so low it might be thought a mistake. Stewed strawberry and violet notes stir the olfactory, but the real treat is the full bore flavour profile (cherry, tar and chocolate) in this muscular gem. The hot vintage of 2003 is largely responsible, but this is no jammy behemoth lacking in character. It is well balanced and possesses enough tannin and acidity to portend excellent drinking now to 2010. Sip on its own or with Boeuf Bourgignon. (VH)



Château de Jau Rouge 2002
AOC Côtes de Roussillon-Villages $14.95 (955070)
Black licorice and smoke aromas form the segue to this medium-bodied well-priced red. The fruit (red cherry and red currant) flavour is well integrated with ripe tannin, zesty tang and a clean and pleasant finish. Easily enjoyed on its own, it would also pair well with pizza. (VH)



Gunderloch 'Jean-Baptiste' Riesling Kabinett 2003
QmP $14.95 (480517)
A lifted, involved and intriguing nose of quince and white peaches open the flood gates to a fruit-driven beauty. This medium-bodied, fairly dry offering has lots to offer with mineral and citrus tang and more pit fruit flavours on the palate. The finish offers more of the same with the focus on zest and zing. Try this well-priced white with sashimi. (VH)



'Lellei' Muskotály Cuvée Balatonlelle 2004
Lake Balaton $12.95 (608497)
A very pleasant white that pairs well with fish in a cream-textured sauce. The fruit lies mainly in the grapefruit and lemon zones with mineral notes, but there are hints of sweet white globe grapes. The acidity is brisk and clean and overall it's lean and refreshing. A good buy, and a chance to try something different when you might be looking for an inexpensive Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. (RP)



Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno 2003
DOC Marche $13.95 (964866)
Rosso Piceno is a blend produced from high-altitude vineyards in Italy's Marche region, and it's generally flavoursome and well-priced. This example is organically grown and offers rich, dense dark fruit that stays well this side of jammy. It's nicely balanced and food-friendly, and makes a great partner to grilled red meats and hearty meat stews. Buy a bottle and expand your wine horizons. (RP)



Farina Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2000
DOC Veneto $36.95 (995910)
A big, very complex Amarone that calls for a multi-faceted dish like rabbit and prunes in a red wine sauce or a well-herbed rack of lamb. It has lovely dark fruit, like plum and berries, with complex layers of dried fruit, spices, herbs, pepper and coffee. The texture is full and tangy, the tannins are ripe and drying, and it has a good, spicy finish. Great stuff. (RP)



Bodegas Castaño 'Hécula' 2003
DO Yecla $13.95 (718999)
Hecula, made from old, dry-farmed Mourvèdre, is always a hit when it's released, and it disappears quickly. Once word gets out that the 2003 edition delivers even more intensity than the 2002, don't expect bottles to stick around long. Look for dense, sweet, dark fruit with spicy, smoky notes and great balance. The weight is medium-plus and the finish is long, fruity and complex, an d it's a natural for grilled red meat dishes. At this price, it's a wine to buy by the armful so that you have some around for the summer grilling season. (RP)


We use the following symbols when rating wines:

	Wines achieving nirvana
	Wines of excellence
	Wines well worth trying
	Wines below average, but drinkable
	Wines better avoided, unless desperate
	Represents a half star
	We both agree —a brilliant wine!
	Drink now and over the next 2 years
	Drink now and over the next 5 years
	Place in cellar

Cheers!

Vic and Rod