Wine Tasting - Palo Alto Reserve 2008

"I made wine out of raisins so I wouldn’t have to wait for it to age."

 - Steven Wright

Hi there!  Thanks for dropping by.  Sit a spell, take your shoes off, prop up your feet and uncork a bottle of vino.  It’s going to be a really good day!  Oh yeah… Be sure to pop a mint into your mouth to mask that wine before you head off to work today, okay?

Tiffany and I dropped by some wonderful places a few Sundays ago before arriving home and uncorking this fine vino.  We were able to tackle Costco, Wrap Planet, The Ancient Olive, Eat More Produce and Target in a single round and about run that morning.  On our journey we picked up a couple of bottles of vino (an organic Italian red and a Santa Rita 120 Carménère) from Eat More Produce.  However, instead of uncorking these newly purchased gems, we decided to dust off an older bottle and check-out what had previously been purchased.

When you grab an untasted bottle from the wine rack it’s like Christmas in a bottle!  The odds of it being terrible are slim, the odds of it being very good are great, and the odds of it being spectacular are but a small yet pleasant surprise.  Let’s unwrap this bottle, okay?

Chucky's Point Score:  88

Tiffany's Point Score:  90

Palo Alto Reserve 2008

Appellation:  Maule River Valley, Chile

Grape Varietal(s):  60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Carménère, 15% Syrah

Quality:  D.O. Maule Valley

Rating:  Palo Alto Reserve 2007 was scored at 89 points by Wine Spectator and named a “Best Value Red Wine.”

Price:  $9.99 at Eat More Produce

Vintage: 2008

Producer:  Viña Palo Alto Ltda.

Alcohol:  13.5%

Tasting notes as follows.

Chucky's Tasting Sheet

Chucky's Notes:  "Delicious notes of smoky cherry on the palate.  The elegance of the Cab with the boldness of a Syrah tingles my taste sensations.  It’s delicious, tasty and certainly worth much more than we paid bit I didn’t find myself wanting to shed my overalls, put on some swim trunks and diving into the glass.  A great any occasion red wine."

Tiffany's Tasting Sheet

Tiffany's Notes:  "First sniff and sip of this wine makes it come across very young, although after more swirling of the glass the bouquet and flavors really came out!  First sip I thought this wine was very dry, but after several sips it smoothed out to an off dry.  Bold dark fruits smooth out the tannins nicely!  This is an extremely smooth wine!  This selection is just another fine gem from ‘Eat More Produce’."

Palo Alto Red 2007 from the vintner's web site.  (Note:  2007, not 2008)

Bottle’s label:

“Palo Alto Reserva combines the best grapes from Chile with the time-honoured tradition of the Old World wine blending.  Created by the soils and climate of the Maule River Valley, which sits between the Andes and Coastal mountain ranges, our wine is a unique blend of rich Cabernet Sauvignon, peppery Syrah and sensuous Carménère, Chile’s signature grape variety.

The ripe berry flavours and elegant oak of Palo Alto create a complex yet balanced wine which is deep red in colour and rich in aroma and character.

Palo Alto is a wine to compliment full flavoured red meat dishes such as casserole or stew.  It also is great with meaty pasta dishes or even as a fuller-bodied red wine to enjoy on its own.

Open 15-minutes before serving to allow the true flavor of Palo Alto.”

First of all, now that it’s been tasted and notes taken it’s safe to say that both Tiffany and I would have rated it 1- or 2-points higher had we allowed it to breathe.  We allowed our 2^nd glasses to rest in their Cabernet glasses for at least 15-minutes as the vintner recommends.  Wonderful!  Absolutely wonderful.  What a pleasant enhancement to this wine’s taste.

In hindsight I should have pulled out the Vinturi but that’s okay.  Even as a fresh young wine straight out of the bottle it’s money well spent.  Just those three words let me know before I uncork it that my taste buds are in for a treat… Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah.  Three of Chucky’s favorite grape varietals.  I do love me some big bold reds!  Thanks Eat More Produce… Keep ‘em coming.

Hi-dee hi-dee go-big-bold-red-varietals-ho my friend.