If Miguel Torres from Spain can make wine in Chile so can Baron Phillipe de Rothschild! Is it a question of a flashy name attracting attention or is there quality here?
The wine is a Carménère named Escudo Rojo from the Valle de Colchagua in Chile.
Aromatics: Telltale notes of raspberry, strawberry and some blackberry. With those aromas in my experience we are in for a winner. Accentuated by a wisp of milk chocolate.
Palate: What strikes me is an example of near perfect acidity which alerts you as to its presence in a gentle and assertive way without crossing the line to wreck the wine. There is firmness holding back the raspberry, strawberry and black cherry but it is still discernable and requires another couple more years in the bottle or an hour of decanting. Basically still a youthful wine.
Personality: I may be a juvenile but all my credentials are in order so don’t call me a juvenile delinquent.
Food Match: We have an excess of wild boar in Canada. In fact there is a bounty on them. If you are going to kill the brutes at least make some Tuscan Wild Boar Stew and enjoy this wine. Wild boar can be nasty. My friend Walter loves fishing and when staying at an estate in Tuscany he went out in the underbrush to fish at a pond. He was charged by a wild boar and luckily rediscovered his track and field skills and took off.
Cellaring: Due to a lack of a firm tannic structure I think the wine will improve in the bottle during 2023 but I suggest drinking by the end of 2024.
Price: $20.95 (Ontario).
In a nutshell: A good introduction for those not familiar with Carménère and for those who appreciate it. Raspberry notes are often a “trademark” of Pinot Noir but they are also a sign of a quality Carménère.
RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 92/100. Jamessuckling.com 92/100.
(Escudo Rojo Reserva 2020 Carménère, D.O. Valle de Colchagua, Baron Phillipe de Rothschild, Buin, Chile, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 14058, 750 mL, 14%).
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