Clos de los Siete 2006

Region: Mendoza, Argentina

Grapes: 45% Malbec, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah
Price: $20

Made by the renowned Michel Rolland, this blend is dry, heavy and toasty with notes of vanilla, coffee, tart cherries and rich plum. Bright acidity, silky tannins, full-bodied and mouth-filling with a long, lingering finish.

Cousiño-Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reservas 2006

Region: Maipo Valley, Chile

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $18

Sour cherries fill the nose and palate leaving a lingering finish of a dry, tart bite. A little acidic for a cabernet.

Portal del Alto Carménère Gran Reserva 2005

Region: Maule Valley, Chile

Grapes: Carménère
Price: $10

Carménère is a rare grape these days now only grown in South America. Once thought to be Merlot, it was since discovered that this long-lost grape (that was ripped out of French vineyards because of believed inferiority) thrives in places like Chile. I haven't had Carménère before, so I thought this would be a real treat. I do not know if this is typical of the grape, but I found that the wine would not open up aromatically. It had a very earthy smell with little fruit to speak of. Did this wine surprise, though! Dry, but loaded with dark berries and plum on the palate with a great finish. Delightful!

Portal del Alto Merlot Gran Reserva 2007

Region: Maipo Valley, Chile

Grapes: Merlot
Price: $10

Slight preface: I am not normally a Merlot fan. I don't mind it in meritages, but to my palate they are typically a little bitter. Good news here, though. This wine, while very light with a lot of good fruit flavors, was not bitter to me. Light, though.

Portal del Alto Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 2005

Region: Maipo Valley, Chile

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $10

A light color and toasty oak aroma offset this heavy red full of dark fruits, oak and minerals. This wine will pony-up to any steak you throw at it.

Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Region: Argentina

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $15

Light ruby, with notes of oak and dark fruit on the nose. Toasty & peppery with the fruit breaking through, bone-sucking dry on the palate with an intense, long finish.

Famiglia Bianchi Malbec 2006

Region: Argentina

Grapes: Malbec

Price: $15

Dark in color, bright in flavor. Aged in French and American oak barrels for 10 months. No worries about it being too oaky, though. Very fruit-forward. Full of ripe cherries and black fruits. Acidic, but very pleasant.

South American Wine Spam?

Don't mind if I do.

For those not in "the know", South America is one of the top regions to find inexpensive, yet impressive vino. Wine Spectator's Wine Of The Year was Clos Apalta from Casa Lapostolle in Chile. Don't take their word for it, though. Find your own answers in the world of wine. Its not the question of what someone else likes, but what you like.

Personal opinion: for the money, reds from Argentina and Chile are hard to beat. They tend to be ripe and vibrant and the wineries use some of the latest technology and techniques to keep variation down from one vintage to the next. What does that mean for you? It means that if you liked that 2007 Alamos Malbec from Mendoza (which, for under $10, is a steal and is completely delicious), you will most likely enjoy the 2008 as well.

Where does that leave us? Tasting notes coming.