Review: Los Vascos 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Impressive Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
Ready to drink now - repeat as needed

My first exposure to Los Vascos wines was two years ago when I enjoyed their 2009 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This month I have had the pleasure of enjoying their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. Produced at the Viña Los Vascos Estate in Chile. Los Vascos wines are distributed widely around the world. I will be reviewing more of their wines soon.

Tasting Notes
The Los Vascos 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon was enjoyable at opening; smooth, lighter body than expected, lovely cherry, fluid. It was served slightly chilled and was perfect with steak dinner. A tasty wine, polished with no rough edges.

Notes After 1 Hour

Color: Candy red.
Nose: Cherry, currant, dry sage, pepper mill, cherry pie, market spice tea, a little outlying hay.
Palate: Medium body, fluid, smooth, cherry candy, black berry, gentle tannin, proper acidity with cherry, vanilla on the medium finish.

Notes After 3 Hours

Smoky bacon fat added to the nose, palate was juicy dry. A very polished wine from Los Vascos, sure to please many. Big like. I enjoyed this wine. Well done.

Thoughts: The steak was prepared with mushrooms, garlic butter and served with a red wine reduction sauce. Mixed greens on the side. The Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon was beautifully matched. Ready to drink now and over the next few years. Highly Recommended.

Country: Chile
Region: Colchagua valley
ABV:14%
Closure: Nomacorc
Price: About $10
Sample provided by Pasternak Wine Imports

Viña Los Vascos

Camino Pumanque KM 5

Peralillo

VI Region

CHILE

Tel : +56 72 350900

Fax : +56 72 350967

losvascos@losvascos.cl

DOMAINES BARONS DE ROTHSCHILD-LAFITE took over the Los Vascos estate (Los Vascos meaning The Basques, in honour of its Basque origins) in 1988. Los Vascos is one of Chiles oldest wine estates. Yes, on the label is the Rothschild logo, the five arrows symbolizing the five sons of original patriarch Mayer Rothschild.

The largest vineyard in the central Colchagua valley, at the foot of Mount Cañeten. The 640 hectares under vine are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) Carménère (5%), Syrah (4%), Malbec (1%) and Chardonnay (5%). Given that there was major replanting at the beginning of the 1990s, the vineyard is divided between a group of 15-year old plots and another group of 40 to 50-year old plots. The oldest grapevines are 70 years old.

Cheers!

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend. February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals." - William Pollard Jr. Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine. That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Search This Blog