2006 Santa Ema 60/40 Reserve, D.O. Maipo Valley
VERDICT: "Go for it"
60/40 Reserve, 13.5% alc.
$10
Here’s a good value wine you can most likely buy right now at your local Costco for about $10. But it delivers at least twice that in laid back flavor. This Chilean wine from Santa Ema, as the 60/40 name implies, is a blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.
From the Maipo Valley it exhibits a lot of the South American attributes that are making the area increasingly popular. Slightly rustic and earthy, but laid back all the way. Easy going, but with enough personality to keep things interesting.
It’s really elegant stuff actually for the price. On the nose I got plenty of blackberry, but markedly different than say a Napa Cab or an Australian Shiraz. Earth, again, is the best way I can describe it.
Vanilla comes in nicely on the palette to give it some balance. Tannins are mild. This is not a complex wine. Drink it now. Enjoy a value purchase from Costco, just in time for the weekend.