Chilean wine boasts good price for grilling season

Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva is but one of these and it is perfect for the outdoor grilling season.

It is created by one of the legends of Chilean winemaking, Agustin Huneeus. Huneeus was one of the pioneers in Napa Valley, Calif., where he created a great brand in Franciscan back in the 1970s and continued with the now famous Quintessa.

The Casablanca Valley is north of Santiago and is not the best-known winegrowing area of the country. But the soil is perfect for classic French grape varietals and the results speak for themselves.

In the glass, Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva is a deep blackish-red color with an opaque ruby-red center going out into a blood-red rim definition showing high viscosity.

The nose exudes layers of ripe crushed black fruit dominated by blackberry and boysenberry, followed by creme de cassis, black currant bush, vanillin from oak, caramel, minerals and phenolics.

In the mouth, it coats the palate with powerful black fruit characteristics, followed by tons of cherry and cassis juices. It has a ripe, firm tannin structure with some degree of alcohol because it comes out a little “hot.” It has an excellent midpalate with loads of fruit and crushed loganberry and finishes powerfully with chunks of cherry liqueur and creme de cassis.

The bottle should be opened an hour or more before consumption. Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva also has aging potential based on its fine complexity, and it transcends other Chilean wines in this price category.

Crown roast of lamb is the companion for this wine and don’t be shy about spices on the meat either. The wine should be good through 2009.

Wine: Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

Grape: Cabernet sauvignon

Region: Casablanca Valley, Chile

Vintage: 2004

Price: $ 7.99

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.