A matter of taste
There was absolute silence in the grand room at London's Landmark Hotel as 60 of Britain's finest wine writers and wine trade surveyed the range of 12 glasses in front of them. Very soon all that could be heard was the sniffing and slurping associated with a formal wine tasting – but this was a blind tasting with a difference.
In the line-up were undoubtedly some of the best wines from Bordeaux, plus some notable Chilean wines. There were also several significant wines from other regions around the world but there were no clues as to source, vintages or quality.
We had 45 minutes to taste them, judge them and rank them in order of preference. The aim was not so much to Spot the Chileans, but to assess the overall standard of the wines and benchmark them. Organised by Eduardo Chadwick from Via Errazuriz in Chile, this challenge was dubbed the Berlin tasting in London, because it was a re-run of a tasting he first did in Berlin in 2004 and has repeated at intervals in various cities around the world.
The idea stemmed from a tasting done in 1976 in Paris by top wine writer and Bordeaux specialist Steven Spurrier, who organised a group of respected tasters to compare classic Bordeaux wines against Californian wines. Astonishingly for that era, the Californians came out on top which then gave enormous credibility to California's burgeoning wine industry.
Eduardo Chadwick owns Via Errazuriz in Aconcagua Valley, which produces a range of wines from good value quaffers to seriously top flight examples. Sea is one of his top labels, a single vineyard wine made from a classic Bordeaux blend of grapes, with the addition of a little Carmenre. Chadwick also produces Viedo Chadwick, a 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon wine from the Maipo Valley, as well as Don Maximiano, from the Aconcagua Valley, another Bordeaux-style blend, but this time with a splash of Shiraz.
I have tasted all of the Errazuriz wines at various times over the last few years and have thought them well made, concentrated and with a great deal of style – but how they would do in the company of the world's top wines was anyone's guess.
At this London tasting Chadwick was not expecting his Chilean wines to beat the world's top names, but he is convinced that there are quality Chilean wines which can stand alongside some of the big names of Bordeaux, Italy and California.
"By its latitude at 32 to 33 degrees Chilean vineyards should be a lot warmer than Bordeaux (44 degrees latitude) and Tuscany (43 degrees), but when you look at the mean temperatures and the heat summation index that is not the case," he says.
"It took us three years to find the right place to plant the Sea vineyard and we selected a cool location just 40 kilometres from the coast which is right at the limit for ripening Cabernet grapes. The Sea vineyard has much the same temperature pattern as Pauillac, and is significantly cooler than Napa and Tuscany. It means that the grapes have a long ripening season to produce complexity."
Here are my tasting notes, rearranged from the tasting order into my order of preference, with my score, the approximate price per bottle, and the group score from the whole room.
Ch. Margaux 2005; 900; My score, 93; Group ranking 1: Deep in colour, with ripe fruit aromas and a savoury, spicy note. A rich palate, with tobacco and dried cherry fruit, more spice and an elegant, harmonious balance. Structured, firm and long. Classic Bordeaux.
Ch Lafite 2005, Pauillac; 550: My score, 92; Group Ranking 2: A dense, dark wine, quite tightly closed. Chunky, blackcurrant fruit packed into tight-grained, elegant oak; minerally character, balanced by clean acidity. Quality Bordeaux.
Don Maximiano Founders Reserve 2006, Aconcagua, Chile; 25; My score, 90; Group Ranking 4: Deep colour, warm lush blackcurrant fruit on the nose. More sweet, ripe black fruit on the palate, backed by tobacco and toasty notes. Structured, good acidity balance, long. Probably Chilean.
Opus One 2005 Napa Valley; 120 a bottle; My score, 89; Group Ranking 12: Dark, with a robust, ripe cassis nose and touches of creamy oak. Ripe fruity palate, with firm structure and spice.
Viedo Chadwick 2006, Maipo, Chile, 40; My score, 88; Group ranking 5: Deep colour, with some clarity. Ripe, complex black fruits on the nose, with robust flavours of fruit, chocolate and green leafy character. Creamy, full flavoured. New World, probably Chilean.
Solaia 2005, Tuscany, 140; My score, 88; Group ranking 3: Dense, dark colour. Aromas definitely European, pure, blackberry fruit on the palate with layers of savoury complexity and a dense, rounded, elegant mouthfeel. Ripe, tight, linear tannins, harmonious acidity.
Viedo Chadwick 2005, Maipo, Chile; 40; My score 87; Group ranking 11: Dense colour with pure Ribena notes on the nose. Concentrated, ripe blackcurrant fruit, layers of complexity, spice and eucalyptus.
Sea 2005, Aconcagua, Chile, 40; My score, 86; Group ranking 5: Mid-depth in colour, aromas evolved with cassis, chocolate and spice. Palate has open black fruit, with chocolate and herbaceous notes. Soft, ripe structuring tannins. An elegant, complete wine.
Sea 2006, Aconcagua valley, Chile; 40; My score, 85; Group Ranking 7: Dense, dark colour with a ripe, lush Ribena nose. Palate full of sweet blackcurrant fruit, layered with chocolate and coconut. Chilean.
Ch Latour 2005, Pauillac, 900; My score, 85 Group Ranking 8: Mid-weight, bright colour. Pure classic French nose. Palate disappointing, slightly dirty, with good cassis fruit, minerals, but short, grainy tannins and earthy notes.
Don Maximiano 2005; 25; My score, 84; Group Ranking 10: Dense, dark colour with sweet blackcurrant fruit on the nose and a hint of mint. Chocolate and spicy fruit on the palate, with savoury notes and a lush, focussed finish.
Sassicaia 2005, Bolgheri; 80; My score, 81; Group Ranking 9: Light in colour and aroma. Refined, complex elegant fruit, lacking concentration, slightly too evolved with lean, stringy tannins and a bit short.
So, about 3,000 worth of wine tasted and I marked one of the cheapest bottles in my top three, and one of the most expensive in my bottom three. What is interesting is that the Chilean wines did well against such a collection of high priced, high prestige wines.
I have analysed the results of all eight Berlin tastings and discovered that Don Maximiano crops up in the top three more often than any other wine, in the company of Mouton, Margaux and Lafite. Sea makes regular appearances in the top four.
What is astonishing is that the Chilean wines were considered worthy of being in the line-up, in the company of bottles costing 40 times more. Not one Chilean wine was discarded as being poor quality or outclassed. These Chilean wines may not yet have gained their place in the top ranks of wine, but they are in the running.
Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve, Sea and Viedo Chadwick are all quite difficult to find in this region. Maybe
this result will encourage some merchants to stock them. Meanwhile, try www.everywine.co.uk.
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