Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are still the mainstays of American wine consumption and there are innumerable quality producers of each of these varietals but it’s always a special treat to find a single winery that excels in the production of all three. Such is the case with Santa Ema Winery from Chile.
The Wine Guy has been a fan of the Santa Ema Reserve Merlot for a number of years and now also regularly recommends their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Chardonnay.
Santa Ema Reserve Chardonnay:
This is a great mid-range Chardonnay, falling between the often lighter, citrusy fare of the southern hemisphere, the mineral crispiness of some European chards and the heavy-oak or heavily buttered fare from California. Aged three months on oak and four months in the bottle before release, Santa Ema Reserve Chardonnay offers mature fruit, great balance and some vanilla, soft toast and light honey notes on the finish. It has all the value-priced ingredients for a great sipping as well as a great food pairing white wine.
Santa Ema Reserve Merlot:
A medium to full bodied merlot with great aromatics that beg you to reach for your decanter. Look for notes of currant, plum and prune with a light touch of cocoa and charcoal balanced with soft textured tannins. Un-grafted vines, quality fruit and ten months aging on oak contribute to this wine being one of the most consistently enjoyable Merlots available at an affordable price!
Santa Ema Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon:
It keeps getting better each year, recently earning a 90-point rating in Wine Spectator! Look for definitive black fruit, roasted coffee as well as light accents of fig and tobacco leading to a long finish. Aged for ten months on oak and an additional six months in the bottle, this could become one of your favorite everyday cabernets!
Wine Guy Footnote:
Regular readers of Roger’s Grapevine are familiar with my proclivity to Italian wines and Italian cuisine. While I’ve been a fan of Santa Ema for some time, it was only in preparing for this blog that I discovered the Italian background of the winery. Here’s the story:
Back in 1917, a son of an Italian winemaker, Pedro Pavonne Voglino, emigrated from the Italian Piedmont to Chile. Eighteen years later, he harvested his first grapes and became a regular supplier to wineries in the area. He went on to establish his own winery with his son Felix. It became Santa Ema in 1955. Two other sons joined the business and today, the Pavonne family continues to manage a winery that is now renown for its cutting edge technology balanced with adherence to strict winegrowing standards. Santa Ema wines are now exported to over thirty countries.
Perhaps it’s being fortunate enough to have visited Italy with Mrs. Wine Guy or having one of my first wine jobs with an Italian wholesaler that has prejudiced me. However I prefer to think it’s because the Italians show some of the greatest diversity in winemaking coupled with respectful adherence to winegrowing and winemaking traditions. They also seem to be able to add creativity and exploration without sacrificing their passion, love and dedication to those traditions. From the Seghesio family in Sonoma, California to the Cetto family in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico to the Pavonne family in Chile and countless others, there always seems to be a cutting edge Italian presence and positive influence in New World winemaking. Bless those Italians for their passion and dedication to good wine.
Ciao!
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