2004 Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Chile has gained a strong reputation for the quality of it's red wines, in particular Cabernet Sauvignon. It has become a worthy competitor for Australia in the high quality, value-for-money wines that have put so much pressure on the French winemakers. This wine produced by Santa Rita, one of Chiles largest wineries, is the reserva Cabernet. Here is my tasting note:

Colour: Deep, dense red with purple hues.
Nose: Lovely nose of spicey black fruit along with hints of vanilla.
Palate: Slightly medicinal with plenty of juicy black current and hints of eucalypt. Full bodied with chunky tannins; though quite well balanced.
Finish: Nice grippy finish lingers for while.
Comments: I like this wine although I do find it to be a little one-dimensional. Still, for the price, it would be good every day drinking along with food.

2005 Chateau Bellegrave

I've been trying to grab as much different 2005 Bordeaux as I can. The 2005 Chateau Bellegrave is a Medoc, a wine based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Colour: Deep, dense red, purple in colour.
Nose: Quite a strong nose with plummy, spicey black fruit.
Palate: Lovely, spicey, black berry fruit with excellent mouth-feel and plenty of grippy tannins.
Finish: Decent length finish for a wine at this price point.
Comments: A little one-dimensional, but at this price point it's very hard to beat. Still a little hard at this stage, but has plenty of years ahead of it. Excellent value for money.