2005 Chamán de Santa Cruz

The 2005 Chaman de Santa Cruz is a 50/50 blend of Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Carmenere grape has been making some noise in Chile over the last decade. Prior to that it had been sometimes confused in the vineyard with Merlot. This after it was wiped out in Europe in the late 1800's due to Phylloxera. Carmenere  is softer with less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and is thus often used to blend. Some wineries will bottle it as a varietal, but more often than not it plays a supporting role.

In this case Carmenere is the equal partner of Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is pretty big, once this wine has had some time to breathe. The initial hit is blueberry pie. Chaman is rich and mouth-filling with a lush texture. The mid palate features some white pepper to go along with copious berry fruit notes. The finish has a slight, almost imperceptible tannic bite. Mocha notes however dominate the finish which is a pretty lengthy one cosnidering this wine is selling for around $12.00. Chaman is unlikely to improve at all in the bottle as it's built to drink young. It should hold and remain enjoyable for a couple of years.

Caparone - Cabernet Sauvignon

Caparone Winery  in Paso Robles, California has been turning out world class, ageworthy wine since 1979. Amazingly they do it for $14.00 a bottle.

They make six wines. Sangiovese, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Zinfandel, Merlot, Aglianico & Cabernet Sauvignon. All are 100 % varietal.

Their 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Ben Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley is an impressive expression of the heralded grape.

At four years old this Cabernet, while very enjoyable now, is just a baby. Caparone makes their wines for the long haul. There is intensity upfront, a solid mid palate with lots of dark fruit and a hint of spiciness followed by a long finish.

Both oak and tannins are present in this wine but neither overwhelm the purity of fruit that explodes on your palate. Time will most certainly see some of the upfront fruit replaced by earthiness, additional complexity and the elegance only a fine aged Cabernet can provide.

This wine is a perfect candidate to lay a case of down. Drink a bottle every year or so and watch it evolve.

Finding wines of this quality with Caparone's track record of success year after year is a near impossibility. Kudos to Caparone for the wonderful job they do.