Tabali (Chile) Merlot Reserva 2003
This wine comes from Chile’s most northerly premium wine vineyards in the Limari Valley. Aged in French oak, if you have previously failed to grasp what all those tasting descriptors like ‘pencil shavings’, ‘cedar’ and ‘cigar box’ are all about in a wine, then you must get hold of this. The nose is suffused with those aromatic, spicy notes, along with a pool of vanilla and milky coffee and ripe, rich, berry fruits. On the palate it is perhaps a touch too oaky and smoky for my taste, but there is fine concentration and depth here, with a great firm-edged, juicy quality of mulberry, blackcurrant and bramble fruit. Tannins are very nicely placed: they sit just in the background, but give good, firm structure. There is a nice juiciness about the acidity than keeps the finish fresh and quite long, and all in all you get a lot of wine for your money, and excellent quality. 7.99 Selected Asda, Roberson.
