Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Undurraga Tasting – May 6, 2008

You have probably heard of Undurraga, or at least seen their name on the shelves before, but of late they have disappeared. A source told me, “we used to go all the time, when we visited Chile, but they became so bad we couldn’t go back – the quality just wasn’t there anymore. Too bad too, they were once one of the biggies, right up there with Concha [Y Toro].” I met that contact at this tasting and he was blown away by the new move toward quality wine Undurraga has taken.

A few years ago new investors and owners, led by Jose Yuraszeck T. came to Undurraga and have changed its landscape drastically, focusing on quality and terroir driven wines over the “just-get-it-out-there” philosophy of the previous regime. New Winemaker, new lines, new labels … and best of all, new wines makes Undurraga a winery to watch over the next few years and well into the future. From what I tasted on this night, and if the level of quality continues, they might never be as big as Concha, but their wines will equal some of Concha’s best.

The Best of the Bunch …
There were wines at every price point, from $12 to $60, and wines for every palate in both the white and red category. But my favourite (and just to prove it I had 3 glasses worth) was the $35 Founder’s Collection 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Big wine at 14% with such elegance of flavour and big time age-ability. Chocolate, red and black fruit, good use of wood, along with flavours of herbs, vanilla and cinnamon … it’s all here and it’s amazing.

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