I suppose it might appear to be a form of
torture and you may well ask why we do it, but you cannot have enjoyed being
part of the wine trade for as long as we have without being equally eager to
explore food and wine combinations and developing an abiding interest in all
forms of scoff. I’m talking about watching
Gennaro Contaldo producing a rich, gooey, artery-clogging lasagna on BBC2’sFood and Drink programme, while enduring a 5:2 diet fasting day and having to
ratchet up the volume to cover the noise of my own stomach, protesting mightily
at the injustice of it all. Compounding
the gastric angst was their wine commentator, Kate Goodman, who wheeled out
three different Syrah/Shiraz and waved her glass spitefully at me on what has
to be a “dry” day.
While I wondered why the wine choices were
not specifically Italian rather than international to go with this
calorifically disastrous, unctuous celebration of home-cooking, I was
nonetheless pleasantly surprised to see that the final wine of the trio was
none other than Tabali Syrah Reserva.
Furthermore it received the most favourable reaction of the lot and they
were all impressed by its unexpected elegance and rich depth of flavour. It is good to see top French and Italian
chefs knocked out by a southern hemisphere wine at a price below that of most
Claret or Chianti. It was also
interesting to note that although the price you should expect to pay was given
as “around £11”, the price at Wines of Interest is £10.20 with your usual 5%
off if you buy one as part of a mixed twelve, taking it well below a tenner.
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| Tabali Vineyards |
Two more wines from their impressive range have come onto our radar
recently and have both added to Tabali’s impressive haul of awards and
trophies. Felipe Muller, Tabali’s
brilliant winemaker knows the vineyards like his own face and in concert with
viticulturalist, Hector Rojas, they have mapped out the distinct terroirs of
the estate and planted them with varieties best suited to their particular
conditions. Their Talinay vineyards,
about twelve kilometres in from the ocean, are reserved for three which thrive
in the calcareous soil here: Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We were seriously bitten by the first and
last which ooze class. Descorchados
South American Wine Guide (the equivalent to James Halliday in Australia or
Platter in South Africa) has given it The Best Sauvignon Blanc in Chile award
while, closer to home, it has won gongs in the Decanter World Wine Awards and
the International Wine Challenge. Its
mineral-driven, green-apple crispness, fine acidity and cleansing zip led Descorchados
to declare it “a Sauvignon fundamental to understanding the wines of Limari,”
which is a bit poncy, frankly, but means that Tabali’s Talinay version is the
one that sets the standards for the whole region. Drink with fish and shellfish, obviously, but
try it with a ceviche if you feel a little more adventurous.
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| Felipe Muller |
Talinay Pinot Noir has a structure and refinement derived from its
unique site and combines freshness with a degree of richness and finesse with a
sense of strength. Pinot Noir is a
cooler climate grape and does not naturally, nor should it be encouraged to,
develop the psychotic level of alcohol or port-like mouth-weight which some
manage to coax out of Shiraz in the heat of the Barossa. In wine big is not always best, although
there are plenty out in customer land who equate octane with intrinsic quality;
hand-to-hand combat reds have their place with a big winter braise, but
frequently a bit more restraint, suppleness and subtlety are called for. This is a job that Pinot Noir was put on
Earth to do and Talinay does it in spades with a touch of pretty Pinot scent
and assured elegance. The minerality so
to the fore on the palate of the Talinay Sauvignon expresses itself as structurally in
the Pinot with an appetising edge of tannin which puts it perfectly with
food. Drink with feathered game, guinea
fowl or grilled lamb. To balance this
delicious duo, Descorchados has also awarded it the position of The Best Pinot
Noir in Chile. How’s that for the
double?
We have stocked a few wines from this fine estate for several years
and have banged on about them to the point of boredom, but only because we
don’t want anyone to miss out, for there is a widespread misperception that
Chilean wines are perfectly sound and preferably cheap, but simply do not
feature among the world’s best. Oh yes
they do. To reinforce this point leading
Chilean newspaper, El Mercurio, published an article in January this year naming the two
best winemakers of Chile. In the
article, Felipe Müller is honoured for his ability to understand Tabali´s
distinctive terroir and use it to create remarkable wines, unique for Chile. According to the newspaper: “Today, more than
ever, the wines of Tabalí are among the best wines produced in Chile”. For his
achievement Felipe Müller is nicknamed “The Interpreter” and chosen as “Best
Young Winemaker”.
Best Sauvignon
in Chile, Best Pinot Noir in Chile and Best Young Winemaker in Chile...surely
this needs some investigating. We are
pleased to make available the two Talinay wines in an introductory offer so
that you can see what all the fuss is about.
Now, just before
you look at the price and declare swipe me, that’s not my usual budget; how
much does a bottle of standard house red set you back when you eat out? Exactly.
By comparison these are a bargain.
Price: £13.95 but £11.95 if you buy two bottles
or one of each.
Price: £15.95 but £13.95 if you buy two bottles or one of each.
