Rather than kill two birds with one stone, I'll drink with them instead. Today is Wine Wednesday in the winosphere (aka Inter-Web, Twitter, Facebook, et-chet-er-ahhh ...) The main events: Wine Blogging Wednesday and the weekly Twitter #winechat.
Two events. One wine. Blog post: Done, and done.
Over on Joe Robert's 1WineDude site, he's hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday #75: Singles Night. You may remember my post from WBW #74; this one is devoted to single-vineyard wines. I greatly enjoy Joe's cheeky ("Merlot-bashing is for Douchebags") yet profoundly educational approach to wine, particularly when imparted in 140-character bursts. Reviews from fellow bloggers, writers and wineaux will be posted on 1WineDude as soon as Joe gets around to it. (I totally understand, dude. I'm a mother of two.) Follow #wbw75
Across town in Cyberspace, Marie Peyton will be joined by master sommelier Fred Dexheimer and the Wines of Chile for a review of coastal sauvignon blanc and mountain-grown cabernet sauvignon. (Okay, I cheated a little with this one. Bought a carmenère instead of a cabernet sauvignon. Sue me.) This jovial discussion on wine stretches the full breadth of the Twitterverse from 9 - 10 pm (EST). Follow #winechat
So here it is:
Errazuriz 2009 Single Vineyard Carmenère (Valle de Aconcagua, Chile) - This one has the muscle and oomph of a stout field worker effortlessly hoisting the next basket of grapes into the press ... with the elegant poise of a dancer balanced on the tip of a single toe. It opens up with a complex floral (rose, violets) and fruity (blackberries, dates and figs) nose. The colour is phenomenal: deep purple with an almost-black heart, but showing a mere hint of its age in a slight rusty tinge along the edge.
On the palate, nothing but silk, the balance between acids and tannins almost seamless. Ripe red berry and spice bursts forth, reminiscent of a Cherry Blossom candy without being cloying. The finish is long and smooth, tapering off delicately into memory.
Later on (after I bogarted Hubby's unfinished glass) the wine has breathed in some of the warm spring air we're getting here in Ottawa. Aromas of milk chocolate and cloves curl up out of the glass. The structure is still solid, but softer around the edges.
I have a 2010 of the same varietal waiting for me down in the cellar - if it's anything like this one, it won't be down there for long.
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