New year, new blends

Some things in the wine world seem to go together very nicely. Take, for instance, the traditional blend of red grapes in Bordeaux: the harmonious Médoc wines which sing of deep-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon, plush, plummy Merlot and fragrant Cabernet Franc. Consider also the holy trinity in Champagne, with the respective elegance, structure and fruit that Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier each bring to the table. And how could we ignore the many other classic marriages – Syrah and Viognier in Côte-Rôtie, Tempranillo and Grenache in Rioja, or Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in South Australia, to name but a few?

On the other hand, there are also those untraditional, left field blends about which we wine lovers may be initially sceptical. In my personal experience however, I have found many of these to be surprisingly delightful, like the Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay Viognier 2014 (Majestic, £7.49 on offer), which marries the two grapes well in a pleasantly fresh and weighty style. Also interestingly different is the Viñas del Vero Luces Blanco 2014 (Tesco, £9 – see my previous thoughts here: http://tomonwine.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/vinas-del-vero-luces-review-tesco-wine.html) which combines Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Macabeo in a lively, exotic wine. Some of these more unusual blends also gain wider recognition and plaudits, such as the incredibly deep and complex Viñalba Malbec-Touriga Nacional 2014 (Majestic, £9.74 on offer), which was one of Decanter magazine’s top 50 wines of 2015.

One such unusual blended wine which I picked up recently was the Estevez Cabernet Carmenère Syrah 2014, from the unstoppable retailer that is Aldi. Given its low price (a shade under a fiver) and its strong provenance (Estevez is a sub-brand of Quinta de Maipo, which in turn is owned by Chilean giants Concha y Toro), it seemed almost rude not to take a punt on this Maule Valley red. And, like my other experiences with the weird and wonderful blends mentioned above, I’m glad I did!

In appearance, the wine is a youthful deep ruby colour, with hints (perhaps poetically) of that pinky, carmine hue I associate with Carmenère. On the nose, liquorous black fruits jump to the fore, supported by backnotes of plum and tobacco leaf. The palate, too, is fruit-forward, with more notes of blackcurrant, plum and black cherry joined by hints of pudding spice. As is the hallmark of good Chilean wines, the Estevez blend is easy drinking, with the added dimension of slightly bitter tannins and a long, plummy finish.

A successful combination, then, of grapes that aren’t commonly associated with each other, and at a very good price. If I had to note one slight criticism of this wine, I would question the addition of Syrah and its role in the blend: I enjoyed the blackcurrant notes on the nose and palate brought by Cabernet, along with the tobacco aromatics and plum plushness typical of Carmenère, but I struggle to understand what Syrah brings to the table. Interestingly, the author of the Wine On Trial blog comments on much the same thing in a recent piece on the wine (http://www.wineontrial.co.uk/estevez-cabernet-carmenere-syrah-aldi/). Ignoring this minor point, Aldi’s Chilean blend proves itself to be an highly enjoyable weekday wine that will appeal to drinkers who love approachable Latin American wines as well as those who enjoy seeking out interesting blends. Which just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need to drink Côte-Rôtie to appreciate the interplay between multiple grape varieties. Although, if you’re offering, I wouldn’t turn a glass down…