Santa Carolina Wines

"Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the mooorning..."

I had to sing Carolina in the Morning back in first grade. For some reason, there was a big push for 1920s Tin Pan Alley songs in the early 80s. I'll catch an old movie late at night on TMC and suddenly I'm singing along involuntarily with some silly little ditty like California, Here I Come or Baby Face. That really doesn't have anything to do with wine, and I don't condone drinking these or other wines in the morning, but when I saw the shipment of Santa Carolina Wines from Chile the old choir programming kicked right in.

The winery goes back to 1875, when Luis Pereyra Cotapos invited some Bordelais winemakers over to help establish the vineyards. Now the company has a pretty broad range of products, with around 35 different bottles representing sparkling, still, and dessert wines. These wines come from around the middle of the range.

2010 Santa Carolina Pinot Noir Reserva
Maule Valley
$11, 14.5% abv.
This is interesting, because it has a light raspberry nose, but a much darker plum and blackberry flavor. There's a lot of depth here, not really in terms of complexity, but rather that it smells light but has a much more full bodied, dark taste to it. This one could even stand up to a strongly flavored red meat like lamb.

2010 Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva
Colchagua Valley
$11, 14% abv.
Green tomato leaf, black cherry, and a little tobacco. Firm tannins, a little bitter, and strong dark fruit. Great Bordeaux profile, though it's a little young right now. Should be ready in two or three years.

2008 Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva de Familia
Maipo Valley
$20, 14.5% abv.
Plum and chocolate, blackberry and a bit of coffee. Medium tannins and a long, rich finish. Delightful right now, but I get the impression it could wait a little longer. Both of the Cabernet Sauvignons were enjoyed with steak and fresh spring vegetables.


Note: These wines were received as samples.