Vino Casa Silva Offers Exceptional Chilean Wines

In 1892 French wine pioneer Emile Bouchon planted a bunch of vine starts in the colluvial soils of Chile in the Colchagua Valley area. Luckily the vines that were planted were removed from Europe before the Phylloxera issues that hit Bordeaux just a few years later. This allowed the vines to grow strong throughout the last century, aided by cool Pacific breezes at night and warm, dry conditions during the days.

Fast forward now to five generations later. The Silva family has been producing wines from those vines, many of which were planted over 90 years ago, and have been providing bulk juice for Chile’s inexpensive but high quality wines.

In 1997 the Silvas decided to break away from allowing all of their grapes to go to the bulk wine business and started pulling their finest grapes for their own wine production. This is where the Casa Silva brand was born.

Under the careful eye of Mario Silva, winemaker Mario Geisse produces some of the greatest large production wines in Chile. Geisse’s specialty is Carmenere. So much so, that he is considered in Chile as the “King of Carmenere”. This is quite the feat considering how much of that acidic yet herbaceous wine is produced in that country.

Carmenere is a complicated wine to produce, in which the wine is pretty much determined at the time of harvest. There are some things you can do in the barrel room, however it is pretty well known that if you don’t pick the grapes at just the right time they will either become too fruity or too herbaceous in flavor depending on the sugar levels.

I received a bottle of Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenere from the winery’s 2008 vintage year this week. The juice runs exceptionally dark purple out of the bottle. Hints of dark stone fruit mixed with mint, lavender, mocha, and cloves fill the nose. On the palate this wine shows itself as being soft and juicy, with a light butterscotch and very balanced finish.

At $22 per bottle as the recommended price, I see this bottle as being one to definitely share with friends either with lamb or any kind of barbecued meats and veggies as a spicier alternative to Pinot Noir.

Also, with the bottle of Carmenere, I had been holding onto a bottle of Casa Silva’s Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. This varietal is something that I’ve been more familiar with for availability in this region. I thought it would be fun to open this bottle at the same time.

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is hand picked and cooled immediately upon arrival to the winery. The grapes are then macerated prior to fermentation which produces a very fruit driven wine with good tannic structure. Dark ruby in appearance, the wine is rich with dark fruits and cherry. Flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and a slight hint of fresh tobacco on the palate. The wine finishes long and gentle with a very nice astringency level.

The Cabernet is offered at retail at about $12 per bottle, which is almost half the price of the Carmenere. The reason is that the Cabernet is meant to be more of a production wine, and the Carmenere is more of a stand alone specialty wine. Both are very much worth their price though.

Enjoy!

Casa Silva Offers A Great Taste Of Chile

Some weeks, like last week, I really struggle to come up with a fresh idea or winery to talk about. Other weeks, like this one, I have it given to me. In this case, literally! This week I received a couple of sample bottles from my friend Kylie Garrett of Calhoun & Company Communications.

Calhoun & Co. is a marketing firm that specializes helping good vintners get their wines noticed and consumed. The winery she asked me to consider this time was Chilean wine producer Casa Silva.

Located 90 miles south of Santiago Chile is an area called the Colchagua Valley. Much like Napa Valley in California, the area is located between a mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. It enjoys warm arid days, good drainage, and cool evening breezes. Perfect growing conditions for many different species of grapes.

This is where Emile Bouchon, a French immigrant, decided to settle in 1892, and carefully plant the cuttings that he carefully carried from his old home in Bordeaux. The Bouchon family went on to be one of the top producers of wine grapes in Chile, supplying other winemakers for nearly 100 years.

Emile’s great grandson Mario suggested in 1997 that the family needed to step beyond just being grape growers and become winemakers as well. Their specialty grape is Carmenère, Chile’s trademark wine.

So, with great anticipation I opened my box and dove in to find a bottle each of Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenère.

I cooled and opened the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc first. Sauvignon blanc is a grape variety that grows well in arid climates. Casa Silva carefully hand-sorts their fruit and crushes whole grape bunches. They then ferment the Sauvignon Blanc in 100% stainless steel.

The thing that impressed me most about this wine was the gentleness. The Casa Silva was very delicate and floral on the nose. The taste was slightly tart like gooseberries, with a nice finish of ripe banana and orange blossoms.

I had this wine with butternut squash ravioli and a nice butter cream sauce with roasted red peppers and herbs. The wine was acidic enough to break the creaminess of the dish, and yet was delicate on the palate.

After dinner I sat on my deck and enjoyed the 2008 Carmenère Reserva. The Carmenère was somewhat tight at first and needed to be swirled or decanted in order to open it up for drinking. I prefer to just sit and swirl, which worked quite well for me.

Half of the wine ages in French Oak for 6 months, and the rest remains in stainless steel for the duration of the process. The wine begins on the nose with aromas of dark bing cherries and plums. The fruit opens up in the mouth to include pepper and a hint of cardamom. The finish is warm and long with balanced tannins. I would highly recommend either drinking this with lamb, venison, or other spicy meats. Or, like me, looking out at the sun setting over the Cascade mountain range and a glass in my hand.

There are several negotiations going on for distributors in our region, with hopes to have this wine launched in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington soon. At suggested retail prices of around $12 per bottle I know you’re going to want to try these wines out.

Enjoy!

Eggs, Ham, or Lamb… A Few Wine Pairings For Easter

Did you know that Easter is one of the biggest wine days of the year, just behind Christmas, and Thanksgiving? It is. But, unlike those other two holidays, people tend to eat food that is a little more exotic on Easter. Blame this on the melding of various cultures, and both religious and secular traditions. Yes…we all know…it’s the Easter Bunny’s fault!

If your family is like mine, you’ll probably start the day with a little Easter egg hunt. Some people use plastic eggs out of food safety. But, we’ve raised our kids to be accustomed to food poisoning, so we use the real ones from real chickens.

While the kids are out running around the yard with their baskets, fix yourself a nice mimosa. I love to use Ballatore Rosso, or Domaine St. Michelle’s Blanc de Noir in my mimosas. Mix the sparkler liberally with fresh orange juice for a wonderful treat.

After a few rounds of hiding and finding, we bring the eggs in and serve them with brunch. Deviling eggs for me means a little ground onion, mustard, mayo, sweet relish, paprika, pepper, and a dash of jalepeno juice. This combination of ingredients leads to a nice Sauvignon Blanc. I suggest Terra Blanca Sauvignon Blanc. It is filled with wonderful citrusy flavors that clear the palate and prepare you for another bite.

Along with deviled eggs, we are also big into ham at our house. There are two varietals that really pair with ham without much thought: Pinot Noir or a zesty Zinfandel. Our ham gets glazed with honey and orange zest, so I always reach for a really great bottle of Pinot Noir. Eyrie, Domaine Drouhin, or Sineann all make exquisite Pinots from Oregon grapes. I’m also partial to Whitehaven Pinot Noir from New Zealand. The Whitehaven fills your senses with the feeling that you are walking in a redwood forest. (This has been corrected from my post in the EO - I suggested McWilliams in the article, which is an Australian wine that is also good, but not nearly as satisfying.)

If you serve your ham dry smoked, or grilled, I strongly suggest using a Zinfandel. Bogle makes an Old Vines Zinfandel that you can pick up in local grocery stores. It is rich with fruit and spices, and finishes just a little sweet.

The local choice for a Zinfandel is Maryhill. Maryhill Winery, located just across the river from Biggs makes probably the best Zinfandel from the Northwest. This wine pairs extremely well with ribs, ham, or just about anything off the barbecue. You can get Maryhill wines at any of the local wine shops, and many convenience stores as well because it is such a local favorite.

Many people eat lamb for Easter. I’m partial to a nice rack of lamb, rubbed in olive oil, garlic, and dried herbs, and then grilled. Once again, go for the Maryhill Zinfandel on this one. If you have time to get out to one of the local wine shops I also suggest grabbing a Temperanillo or a Carmenere. These dark, rich, and spicy Spanish varietals are wonderfully paired with the flavors of the meat.

Oh, and not to forget, if you are into spending Easter sitting on the couch eating the head off of a chocolate bunny, I suggest a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark chocolate bunny head goes really well with a nice glass of Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon.

Enjoy and have a great Easter!