VNorte Reserve Chilean Merlot (5)

VNorte Reserve Chilean Merlot 5-Pack
$69.99 $127.00 45% off List Price
2011 VNorte Merlot Reserve, Curico Valley
CT link above

Winery website

International Chip here to report that… I just happen to be drinking a glass of V Norte Reserve Merlot right now, what are the odds? :wink:

Deep, dark ruby color in the glass with slow-forming, medium legs. Good clarity.

Nose of cherries, raspberry cobbler, spice and toasty oak with a little heat. Medium bodied wine with tart cherry, raspberry, currant, nutmeg, vanilla oak and white pepper on the palate. Medium acidity, medium+ finish with tight, grainy tannins.

All the elements are in place for this to be a solid wine but it seems a little disjointed now in its youth. Most of the International Woot wines I’ve tried are “drink now” but this would probably be best left to age for another year or two.

If consumed in the near term, recommend it be served with food. If the tannins can smooth out over some additional cellar time, this could be a really nice Chilean Merlot for around $16/bottle w/tax & shipping.

Thanks international chip we can always count on you.

After seeing this offer, I remembered that the monkey had dropped off a bottle of this last week. Sorry, I am late to the party, but let’s see what this wine reveals about itself.

PnP: with white paper as a backdrop (as per RPM), the color is cranberry, with good clarity and liquid that rests thickly on the glass. The first aromas are of raspberry and vanilla, possibly from oak. After a few swirls and a swishy-swish, the flavors are of currant, raspberry, vanilla and tart cherry. The finish, tannins and acidity are medium. The last flavor is citrus-like but could be pomegranate. At this point I think I’ll let it sit for an hour and revisit it.

FF (fast forward). Now I’m finding the tannins have smoothed out some and there is a little mocha added in to the flavor profile. The finish still has a lingering citrus flavor, but it is not in a bad way.

Overall, a very pleasant wine to drink on PnP, in a fresh way, or if left to evolve to yield more complexity. At the offered price, it is reasonable. This is the type of wine that could be served with food or by itself. Additionally, you could serve this to your friends and most would thoroughly enjoy it.

Info post:
All tasting notes for this wine have been cross posted into CT under user name wine.woot_taster. User names have been removed to protect the guilty. PM me if you want your tasting note removed or user name added back.

Thanks and back to the wineing.