Wine with dinner - Cono Sur, Alamos, Catena

From time to time I get a friend to fill out the tasting details of a wine in my Little Black Book just to get some interesting descriptions and opinions going, and of course be a reminder of the times spent with them. 

A bunch of us organised a cheese and wine evening so we could sit down together and watch the Olympic Games opening ceremony (replayed obviously with the Caribbean time difference).  What an amazing spread of cheese and preserves we ended up having, with some homemade rosemary flatbread (Nigella's Domestic Goddess cookbook fail proof recipe!).  A lovely evening!

Some friends' wine notes below...

MIGNON

WINE:  Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc (Organic)
VINTAGE: 2012
PRICE:  CI$13
PRODUCER:  Vino Cono Sur S.A
REGION & COUNTRY:  Santiago, Chile
RECOMMENDED BY:  Mignon
PLACE BOUGHT:  Premier, Cayman
PLACE TASTED:  Grapetree Cheese & Wine evening

APPEARANCE:  Nice bottle & label, plain and stylish.  A greenish tinge to the wine.
NOSE:  Citric
TASTE: Easy drinking
FINISH:  Defined taste with a light finish.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:  Fan-tas-tic!  Great evening!  The wine went very well with the Brie Cheese!
OVERALL VALUE:  5 out of 5

ANDREA

WINE:  Alamos Pinot Noir
VINTAGE: 2012
PRICE:  KYD$ 12.15
PRODUCER:  Alamos
REGION & COUNTRY:  Mendoza, Argentina
RECOMMENDED BY:  Andrea
PLACE BOUGHT:  Blackbeards
PLACE TASTED:  Grapetree.  Watching the London 2012 open ceremony with the girls
 
APPEARANCE:  Light red, bordering on pink
NOSE:  Sweet, coffee
TASTE:  Delicious, light, smooth
FINISH:  Coffee, light red wine, easy drinking
OVERALL IMPRESSION:  Easy drinking.  So much fun watching the Olympics with great red wine and cheese! 
OVERALL VALUE:  4 out of 5

ALICIA

WINE:  Catena Cabernet Sauvignon
VINTAGE: 2008
PRICE:  Can't remember
PRODUCER:  Bodega Catena Zapata
REGION & COUNTRY: Mendoza, Argentina
RECOMMENDED BY:  Alicia
PLACE BOUGHT:  Cayman Islands
PLACE TASTED:  Cheese & wine evening at my house

APPEARANCE:  Red, sign of brilliance
NOSE:  Currant
TASTE:  Lovely and smooth (for a non SA wine)
FINISH:  Aromatic
OVERALL IMPRESSION:  Mixed with great company, what else but lovely! 
OVERALL VALUE: 4 out of 5


Everyone seemed to have an awesome evening!  I think its time to organise another one of these evenings...

Wine with dinner - Cono Sur Merlot

We used a voucher from a friend to go for a sunset sail around they bay, bidding farewell to the cruise ships, and then headed to one of the more touristy restaurants on the island, Deckers, for a light snack and a drink.  It was one of my favourites restaurants with a local Caribbean band playing, very nicely decorated, 2 feet tall walls lined with tropical plants and that slightly dimmed lighting to set the mood.  You really got the fully relaxed Caribbean holiday feeling there with great food and music.  We sat at the bar and couldn't decide what to order, so the bartender offered us a taster of a Sonoma Zinfandel which I did not think was that great.  In general I find American wines lack a bit of depth, they are often the more easier drinking wines.  So we scanned the wine list and opted for a Chilean varietal instead.

My wine notes...

WINE:  Cono Sur Merlot
VINTAGE:  2007
PRICE:  $49 (KYD) (The price you pay for wanting to be a tourist for an evening)
PRODUCER:  Cono Sur, a limited edition wine this, with only 20 barrels produced
REGION & COUNTRY: Colchagua Valley, Chile
PLACE TASTED: Deckers Restaurant, Cayman Islands

APPEARANCE:  Dark and rich in colour
NOSE:  Berries, with a sharpness
TASTE:  Velvety and full bodied, a lovely hint of chocolate mocha amongst the berries
FINISH:  Quite a dry finish and defined structure in this wine
OVERALL IMPRESSION:  Very very nice wine and a great evening.
OVERALL VALUE:  3 out of 5 (It lost some points for being too pricey in the restaurant, it is actually quite reasonably priced in the store).

We actually enjoyed some of the Cono Sur Bubbly at a work function, a Wimbledon themed tennis tournament, which was most enjoyable as well.  As mentioned in a previous post we've tasted the Sauv B too which was very good.  I would definitely like to take a turn past this farm in Chile, if I am ever in the region.  Great wines!