Chile delivers great wine at reasonable price

I found myself at my favorite specialty grocery store over the weekend, when the wine specialist offered me a taste of a wine from one of the top producers in Chile.

It is no surprise that Chile is showing up yet again in the great value-for-money wine category that I champion at all times. This is really where you find out what wine is all about and where price-gouging is not the order of the day. A great wine delivered to the consumers at a reasonable price is where it's at.

Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva is a perfect example of everyday drinking wine that just rocks the palate. Veramonte was created by one of the real legends of Chilean winemaking, Agustin Huneeus. Huneeus was one of the pioneers in Napa Valley, where he created a great brand in Franciscan back in the 1970s and continued with the now-famous Quintessa. From his native Chile, comes this excellent Pinot Noir Reserva by way of wine giant Constellation group, which bought Franciscan Estates some years ago.

The Casablanca Valley is located north of Santiago and while it is not the best known wine-growing area of that country, the soil is perfect for classic French grape varietals and the results speak for themselves. This is a stellar little wine to enjoy, with a great quality-to-price ratio and it is earning a high recommendation.

In the glass, this Veramonte Pinot Noir is a deep semi-opaque beet-root-red color with a dark ruby core going out into a pinkish-red rim definition. On the nose, there is a pure expression of crushed dark berries, Morrello cherry juice, bramble fruit, loganberry soup, earthy notes of blond tobacco, blackberry liqueur and licorice root, all melding together in a very heady syrahlike style of pinot.

The palate is big and powerful with lots of concentration in dark fruits, slightly hot on the tongue at first, but this is just an expression of the relatively modern style this pinot is made in. The style does not resemble a fine burgundian one, but rather the kind of pinot made in California's central coast. This full-bodied pinot is packed with juicy dark berry extract, showing cherry, black plums, black currant sorbet and hints of grape must and elder fruit. The mid-palate is a nice follow-up and carries the fruit of the wine through supple tannins into a good well-structured finish.

As always, Veramonte delivers a flavor-packed example of a classic pinot on steroids. It should drink well through 2009. Try it with a plate of good French cheeses.

Wine: Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva 2005

Grape: Pinot noir (100 percent)

Region: Casablanca Valley, Chile

Vintage: 2005

Price: $ 10.99

Gil Lempert Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him a P.O. box 50749, Henderson, NVV 89016-0749 or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.