Viñas Chilenas Reserva Merlot 2009
Viñas Chilenas is a Trader Joe brand produced and bottled by Videma S.A. From Chile's Valle Central area. It rings up at the register at a paltry $2.99. Will this wine beat the recession for us? Let's sip it and see.
First, a look-see shows a dark purple hue I can see through, with some red at the edges. The nose is a bit tight, but I smell berry and currant, along with a very slight smokiness. The first sip is a bit tannic, but things smoothed out nicely after just a few minutes. There's blackberry, cherry and raspberry on the palate. It's a nice taste, a medium mouthfeel, maybe a little thin for me, and a bit uninspired.
Anything more than a cursory description, I feel, will be damning the wine with faint praise. It's a decent enough drink, just not very interesting. For three dollars, I expected less than that. I generally spend well over that amount on a bottle of wine, so I don't have to settle for a "decent enough drink." And in the future, I won't. But if you're trying to stretch your wine dollar as far as possible, you could do worse.
Variety: Merlot
Appellation: Chile > Central Valley > Maipo Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol Level: 13.5%
Price: $3
Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author
