Chile is possibly the most prominent of South American wine producing countries that currently export wines to Singapore. In a sense, Chile has many advantages that afford it the ability to make outstanding wine: it has an excellent climate, a good amount of rainfall, and the blessing of having never experienced the phylloxera plague. Indeed, many regard Chile as the southern hemisphere’s equivalent of France, and the success of Bordeaux varietals, in particular, have ensured that Chile’s most famous wine regions – such as the Maipo Valley, the Casablanca Valley, and the Aconcagua Valley – now enjoy a reputation for fine wine at a very affordable price. The panel’s selection consisted of six ’98 and ’99 Merlot-based reservas, together with one gran reserva, all priced in their mid-$30s, and tasted blind. As a special treat, a ’97 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta was also tasted in order to compare it to the selection. Four wines made their mark.
Louis Filipe Edwards '99
The deep, inky crimson-garnet wine belied it very approachable nose and palate. An initial earthy character gave way to pleasant dried fig, sweet plum, and ripe dates as the wine matured in the glass. The off-dry entry also developed into a medium-bodied, balanced wine that carried flavours of plum and black cherry, and the medium-long finish left behind a light residual sweetness that reminded one of liquorice and caramel. The strength of this wine clearly lay in its harmonious blending of the flavours involved, and would carry itself well with either oxtail or lamb chops.
Tarapaca Gran Reserva '98
This deep crimson offering almost reminded one of Burgundy, especially through its initial farmyardy nose that reminded some of burnt rubber. In the glass, however, the wine developed a more floral scent, of violets or perhaps sweet tobacco; this then gave way to raspberry and chocolate-dipped cherries. In the mouth, the wine had a medium-full body and moderate tannins, and yielded lots of black fruit. The finish was slightly disappointing given the promise that it has shown elsewhere, and some even sensed a slight bitterness.
Casa Lapostolle '99
This crimson-coloured wine immediately reminded one of violets and plum, and on the palate, the dry, medium-full bodied wine displayed plum and black cherry. However, tannin levels were a little too high for comfort, and the average length of the wine did not do it any favours. It redeemed through a good balance with food, especially pork chops, and opening up slightly more with time.
Tarapaca '98
On inspection, the medium, rust-coloured Merlot appeared to have little to offer. However, on nosing, the farmyardy character, akin to the Tarapaca, held out hopes for a promising wine. However, the wine was to disappoint somewhat – although its medium-bodied plum, cherry and blackberry palate revealed an interesting complexity, it was slightly too tannic and never quite developed a nose similar to that of the Tarapaca. Still, it was a fine wine overall and could possibly benefit from a few more years in the bottle.
Other wines of note
The ’97 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta was clearly a notch above the rest. Just by eyeing the wine, one could see its hints of greatness – the deep, inky garnet colour was the richest of all wines tasted that night. The luscious nose featured cherry and blackberry, with a hint of mushroom. In the mouth, the wine was full and extremely well rounded – the good levels of acids and tannin danced merrily with the smooth, luscious black cherry and prune. The good length eventually led the panel to agree that this complex wine deserved its higher price tag – although perhaps the premium of more than $70 could be more a function of reputation than of absolute quality. Nonetheless, a very complete wine that would do well on its own without any food accompaniment.
Date: Dec 11, 2001
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