Here we have an organic red blend from the Maipo Valley in Chile consisting of 58% Carmenère, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It has aged a year in French oak barrels.
Aroma: Raspberry, blueberry, blackberries and root beer. I can detect some acidity on the nose hoping it will be restrained on the palate. Root beer can be an early warning sign of acidity.
Palate: Tannins are moderate. The acidity is present but how to describe it? Bright? Threatening? Putting this sensitive issue aside there is some black cherry, blackberry, cactus pear, blueberry and cranberry. The finish to the wine is short and a bit spicy. Not to flog a dead donkey but the acidity obfuscates the fruit.
Personality: While the aroma I have suggests a full bodied and accessible wine my palate tells another story. I am taut with an almost prickly personality. I should not be consumed without food as my acidity might distract many that is if they have the skills to detect it. One tip is to detect a bit of spritz on the tongue. This reviewer obviously feels it but how many of you will notice it. The reviewer obviously has some sort of acidity fetish.
Food match: I would suggest a pasta sauce that has been prepared with fresh local field tomatoes and lightly cooked with some fresh herbs such as oregano, sage and basil doing the trick. Or perhaps a fresh tomato salad with beets and walnuts. The acidity in the wine might match the acidity of the tomatoes.
Price: $22.95 (Ontario).
Cellarbility: Noticeable acidity in a red wine sends me scurrying like a rat. Age a wine with noticeable acidity is a gamble. It usually worsens.
RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 85/100. Jamessuckling.com 93.
(Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva 2020 Biodiversity Organic Wine, D.O. Vallé De Maipo, Viña San Pedro Tarapacá, Santiago, Chile, 750 mL, 13.5%).
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