It is time to, once again, talk about Chile. Today’s merlot comes from Terranoble, a Chilean producer with vineyards covering 320 hectares in the Maule, Colchagua and Casablanca valleys. They’ve been around since 1993 and, like many producers, have a number of different tiers to their wines.
This one is from the “varietal” tier, which is the lowest cost of their portfolio. It’s labeled as coming from the Central Valley, which tells me that it’s not from one specific appellation like Maule Valley.
The nose is rather pointed on this merlot, showing the some acidic and alcohol notes. It also offers some raspberry and plum. The palate is nice, with raspberry, cherry and plum flavors along with vibrant acidity. It has decent fruit without being overly jammy. The finish is medium in length and shows more of the red fruit flavors.
It’s a good wine. Not exceptional, but still quite enjoyable. And for under ten bucks, it’s a bargain.
Wine: Terranoble
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Price: $9.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.