2015 J. Bouchon Canto Sur Red Blend - Descorchados 93 Points!

The J. Bouchon Canto Sur is a Chilean blend of 50% Carmenere, 25% Carignan, and 25% Pais and with a little decanting, we, at the Tasting Team, believe this wine is a sterling example of those obscure varietals.

With five minutes of air, the Canto Sur exhibited a delightful melange of stone-ground herbs, peppercorns, baked black fruits, cherry licorice, and inky raspberries on the nose. A scant 10 minutes later, whiffs of soft chalky peppermint over a palate of sour cherry and raspberry demonstrated Carignan's place in this blend and the wine's friendly and approachable personality.

At 30 minutes of decanting, what was a jovial and light finish gains a breadth that endures past the 30-second mark.  With a little patience and aeration, the Canto Sur appeared to gain weight and mature into a more "serious" wine.

While the J. Bouchon Canto Sur can be slowly enjoyed after 20 minutes of decanting, it's at the 30-35 minutes that this wine begins to broaden and exhibit the fruits and spices of the Carmenere and Carignan grapes. 

At just $16.98, the 93 point Canto Sur red blend is a steal from J. Bouchon! A blend like this is ideal for the salinity and earthiness of a prosciutto and mushroom pizza or your favorite herb roasted chicken. Regardless, be sure to set aside a little time and thoroughly enjoy the 2015 J. Bouchon Canto Sur. 

2016 Boya Sauvignon Blanc - 93 Points Descorchados!

With the mercury rising, we're entering prime Sauvignon Blanc weather in Jackson. To help combat the heat, our tasting team decided to put the 2016 Boya Leyda Valley (Chile) Sauvignon Blanc to the decanting test.

After initial agitation in the decanter, the Boya presented aromas of soft chalk, sea breeze, and salted cold pears. Within 25 minutes, aromas of white grapefruit, grass, and lime zest became evident as whiffs of green peppers added interest to the mix.

At 25 minutes, we had our first taste of this wine and were impressed by a persistent 50+ second finish that delivered energetic waves of oceanic salinity carrying zesty herbs, juicy lemons, and white grapefruit across the palate.

10 minutes later, aromas of elderflowers awoke on the nose while the wine continued to gracefully deliver powerful citrus flavors across the palate with great length.  

At $18.97 and 93 points from Descorchados, the 2016 Boya Sauvignon Blanc is one of the vintage's must-have Sauvignon Blancs! With an abundance of citrus and soft herbal notes, this wine would be sensational with steamed seafood, particularly mussels & clams. The Boya also makes the perfect wine for Spring and Summer backyard cookouts.

2015 Calcu Sauvignon Blanc, Descorchados 91 Points!

At just $14.98 and 91 points from Descorchados, the 2015 Calcu Sauvignon Blanc is our next contestant for the decanting test. Within five minutes of opening, this impressive wine from the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the Colchagua Valley (Chile) exhibited a bounty of the Sauvignon Blanc's traditional flavors with earthy notes of faint smoky flint, light sea breeze, and moist chalk with fruit flavors of lemon zest, pears, green apples, and undertones of pineapple. 

Our first tasting came at 15 minutes. Initially, there's a brief moment on the palate when the wine seems like it may be a little short and linear.  However, the wine promptly expands and coats the palate with a lush delivery of concentrated waves of pear, green apples, and lemons, echoing the initial aromas.

At 30 minutes, additional development reveals attractive aromas of delicate wintergreen deep within the glass. That scent, combined with the bracing flavors of light salinity and lime make the 2015 Calcu Sauvignon Blanc a refreshing companion for your next patio outing.

Overall, we find the Descorchados 91 to be a fair review and the 2015 Calcu Sauvignon Blanc to be a great value at just $14.98.

Casas Del Bosque 2013 Reserva Pinot Noir, Vinous 90 points, $16.98

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The Casas Del Bosque 2013 Reserva Pinot Noir ($16.98/Vinous 90 points) from the Casablanca Valley of Chile is a remarkable wine that we were very excited to try. Trying this wine were the usual crew of Jimm, Tasho, and myself (Kyle). We, as always, poured the wine into a decanter. We also served the wine with a small chill. The nose was very impressive on this wine with notes of peppery spice, dried herb, and also there was a dried mint component (think a stick of dried-out spearmint gum). Also, we picked up a slight gun-smoke minerality and slight hints of cooking chocolate. On the palate, their were gobs of delicious black cherry, black raspberry, and cherry pits. This wine had a remarkable 35+ second harmonic finish that wrapped up the experience of tasting in style. For $16.98, the Casas Del Bosque 2013 Reserva Pinot Noir is a value. Value can be an overused word in the wine world, but in this case, calling this wine a value is an understatement! 

Until We Taste Again,
Kyle

This article was published on September 6, 2015

Casa Del Bosque 2013 Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley, Chile - Descorchados 90 Points (Tasho Katsaboulas 92-93)

2013 Casa Del Bosque Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley, Chile. $14.98 & Descorchados 90 Points (Tasho Katsaboulas 92-93)

First, I can only assume that this wine was going through a bit of a quiet period when Descorchados scored it 90 points. I give this sensational wine a much higher score of 92-93. After turning the bottle up 180 degrees to splash the wine into a decanter and agitating (like a washing machine) intermittently for 10 minutes, the wine immediately reveals rock salt, flint, cold wet white stone and pear on the nose. There's a beautiful mineral character within this wine. After twenty minutes, a remarkable depth of pear, apple, cold butter and hints of vanilla are given on the palate. Over the next 10 - 15 minutes, the depth intensifies to a golden richness of the fruits above. A sustained current of crisp acidity and sea-breeze minerality energetically continues the flavors across the palate. On the finish, the core apple and pear flavors become accented by flavors of lemon oil, baking-spice accented vanilla and grapefruit on the 40-second finish. Later, a taste of sweet yellow plums (wine is dry) emerges. The depth and concentration of this wine would be admirable in a bottle at twice the price. The observations above were all experienced within 45 minutes of the bottle being opened. I returned a couple of hours later and found the wine presenting an incredible seamless melding of oceanic salinity, chilled grapefruit liqueur, and brown spices with expanded length. For enthusiasts of mineral driven Chardonnays, this is a show-stopping effort by Casa Del Bosque at an unbelievable price. Chalk this up as my top Chardonnay recommendation up to a budget double the wine's price!

-Tasho Katsaboulas

This article was published on Sep 28, 2015