Once you get past the incongruence of the very Germanic name with the uniquely Chilean varietal in the name, this is a pretty cool story. Last April, the Wine Advocate published a comprehensive report on Chilean wines. Of course, it go a bit lost in the shuffle we suspect. For most consumers, when presented a line-up that included 2008 Bordeaux, 2005 Barolo, and the 2006 and 2007 Northern Rhones , Chile is likely not going to be the first article they read. We read all of them cover to cover (it’s our job, right?) and, on the very last page there was a very relevant quote by Jay Miller. He said, “If I were awarding an Oscar for finest performance by a winery, Von Siebenthal would be my winner. All of their wines are amazing values...” Granted, Jay thought the wines were half the price they actually were (that whole six pack case thing...). But, still, quite a statement. Long story short, after trying for about a year to find these wines, they walked in our door. These are some of the most soulful, terroir-driven wines we’ve ever tasted from Chile. This Carmenere oozes complexity but has a seamless texture, gorgeous mid-palate fruit, polished tannins, and does it all without being too oaky or over-extracted. A nose of mineral/lead pencil combined with elements of cedar, the black cherry and black currant fruit carry the show and all is precise and elegant without any of the overt green peppercorn notes. This Swiss expatriate is on to something and his whole lineup was something of a revelation. Great value as well .
