There are times when one has to forgive a label, and this is definitely one.  But underneath this tragic label lies a really phenomenal wine.  Viña Chocalan is the pet project of Guillermo Toro, a captain of Chilean industry, one of whose businesses included producing the glass bottles for a large part of the giant Chilean Wine Industry.  In 1996, he began to realize his dream by purchasing a beautiful tract of land among the steep hills of the Melipilla region of the Maipo Valley, one of Chile’s premiere wine-growing areas.

In true industrialist style, no expense was spared on the facilities or the vineyards, and the results have been spectacular.  But make no mistake, this isn’t just a vanity project: the facility has been expertly designed, with an eye towards blending with the environment and producing exceptional wines.  All of Guillermo’s children are employed in the winery, and the winery is committed to, and certified in, a very holistic sustainability system that takes into account not only the vineyards, but the health and safety of their workers and the long-term quality of their product.  More importantly, the wines so far (the first vintage was 2003) have been outstanding.

For the club, I have chosen my favorite Chilean specialty, Carmenère.  One of the original grape varieties in Bordeaux, Carmenère was not replanted after Phylloxera wiped out the Bordelaise vineyards at the end of the 19^th century.  However, it had already been brought to Chile, though somewhere along the way, had been mixed up with Merlot (to which it bears only a tiny resemblance).  Until the late 1990’s, when people began investigating the curious charaticsertics of Chilean “Merlot” only to discover that it wasn’t, it is estimated that more than half of the wine labeled Merlot in Chile actually came from Carmenère grapes.  The differences in flavor are striking: Carmenère has a spicy, olivey, black fruit character, compared to Merlot’s rich, direct red fruit flavor.  Praise mistakes, because if it hadn’t been misidentified, there probably wouldn’t be nearly so much Carmenère in Chile, and the resulting wines are full of character, verve, and uniqueness.

This wine is medium-bodied, and emphasizes the fruity aspects of the grape over the spicy vegetal aspects, though it captures just enough of the spicy character to make the wine really fun.  Only 20% of the wine sees a six-month maturation in new oak barrels, while the remainder rests in temperature controlled stainless steel.    This is a great wine to drink with braised beef (stew, shortribs) or with less fatty cuts of beef like flank steak on the grill.  It’s also a great aperitif red, that goes admirably with cheese and charcuterie.  Drink now – 2012.