Casa Marin Lo Abarca Hills Pinot Noir 2004 - 97.14

Prior to visiting Chile, I never had the desire to seek out a Chilean Pinot Noir. Upon my return, I realized that I never had a desire because they barely exist in the US market. It's a real shame that so few are available locally, because Chile is producing some fantastic coastal climate pinot noirs that can compete with the big boys of California and Oregon.

A highlight of my Chilean wine experience included sharing the Casa Marin Litoral Pinot Noir 2006 with my fiance at Puerto Fuy, the only restaurant we visited with an English speaking waiter. His English must've enchanted me because I blindly took his wine recommendation and nervously awaited the first taste. My initial sip could only be described as pleasant surprise with disbelief; the second sip produced a reserved compliment, and subsequent tastes led me to understand why Chile keeps this wine all to themselves! It was absolutely superb.

I conducted an extensive search for Casa Marin pinot upon my return, and, fortunately, found the Lo Abarca Hills on special at a local wine shop, Pogos. Lo Abarca is the top rung of Casa Marin's pinot noirs, so I expected a heavy hitter at least on par with the Litoral. The nose was a bit closed and the flavors restrained, but after an hour, hints of smoke and cherry cola emerged. The wine was elegant, the fruit bright, and the mouthfeel silky, but complexity and length lagged my memory of the Litoral.

The second day, much of the fruit had faded, to reveal light alcohol on the nose and "burnt rubber" on the finish, a characteristic often found in Carneros pinots. Looking at the wine objectively, the Lo Abarca Hills represents Chilean pinot well, and earns 90 points, but when taking the price into consideration, a factor at the forefront of the South American wine market's success, it falls flat with a 97.14 PDI.

$50, 90 points, 97.14 PDI

Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - 100.62

On a recent trip to Santiago, I stumbled across a tiny wine shop named Baco with a fantastic selection and good prices. Like many of the Chileans, the attendant spoke little English, which required me to summon my high school spanish classes to ask the most basic questions. "Cual es tu favorito?" - I'm sure the conjugation was wrong, but she knew what I was asking - "Amayna, pero no lo tenemos". Okay, I guess I'll look for it back in the states!

A few weeks back, I asked Brooks at Veritas about his Chilean selection - a sole bottle of Perez Cruz cabernet answered the question. However, a week later, there were four Chilean choices. How this changed so quickly, I have no clue, but I was happy to see the Amayna Sauvignon Blanc.

Most Chilean Sauvignon Blancs I've enjoyed are quite similar to those from northern California - bright, floral, light, and refreshing. Amayna, I've determined, must be a winter sauvignon blanc, because it has the heft of a chardonnay coupled with the citrus flavors expected from a SB. The front end acidity was noteworthy, enveloping the mouth with rich notes of lime. The wine was highly concentrated, coating every taste bud with flavors of sourness, sweetness, and everything in-between. The finish was a respectable one full minute, but the flavors were so bold and the mouthfeel so rich that the wine left me longing for a traditional SB that would fair better in the 96 degree Texas heat.

This wine is deserving of at least a 90 point rating, for its richness and concentration are respectable, however, the timing was not right for me. I plan to explore this bottle once again come November.

$20, 90 points, 100.62 PDI

Davis Family Vineyards Barn D'or Cab/Syrah Blend 2006 - 96.42

I nabbed the Barn D'or packaged with two single vineyard Davis Family pinots that I had been itching to try after my previous experience with the Davis Family pinot (which was superb). The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (62 and 38 percent respectively) seemed like a winning combination, even though sonoma-side cabernets typically aren't as rich or well-rounded compared to what's produced on the other side of the hill.

The Barn D'or is intentionally held by the winery a year in bottle before release, after two years of barrel aging (one year the varietals are separated, the next year the final blend shares a barrel). Perhaps they should hold the bottles longer - the oak was overwhelming, both on the nose and the palette, and the wine needed hours to open up. This wine needs heavy decatnting, as after two hours of aerating in the glass, dark berries were revealed but still overshadowed by a one-note creamy vanilla flavor. I imagine at least 4 or 5 hours of decanting would be necessary for the oak-induced flavors to blow off. After consuming about a glass, I plugged up the remainder and stored it in the fridge.

Day 2 passed without a chance to sample, but on Day 3, the creamy oak overtones were removed and revealed what I would deem the typical Sonoma cabernet flavor. The tannins were soft at this point, the oak removed, and a dusty mouthfeel showed a bit of wood and muted dark berries with plum. Overall, the wine seems to have potential, but is far too uneven to show well this young. I plan to open my second bottle no sooner than 3 years.

$25, 87 points, 96.42 PDI