Chilean wines top our review for April

CLEVELAND, Ohio – We tried eight wines this month – a pair of sippers from California and New Zealand, along with six bottles from Chile.

With the Andes to the east and the coastal range of the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile’s geographic characteristics offer unique growing conditions for its 800 wineries.

Mark your vino calendar: Plan to hoist a glass for Malbec World Day on Friday, April 17, and International Viognier Day, which is celebrated on the last Friday of this month (April 24). Viognier is a fruit-forward (often with clean peach notes) white wine that is under-rated and under-the-radar because people are intimidated by its name. A good go-to.

Note: Our monthly reviews focus on wines $25 and under. All should be available on local store shelves. We list flavors we detect, then offer our favorites at the end. (This month, we made an exception, since a couple of the Chilean wines turned out to be above our usual price range.)

Dry Creek VineyardMarc Bona, cleveland.comDry Creek Wilson Ranch Chenin Blanc

Dry Creek Vineyard, California, Chenin Blanc, 2024, $19

Initial aroma is of fresh flowers. Peach and pear come out immediately in this very drinkable wine. Some floral and lemon notes emerge. Chenin Blanc can be acidic and bone dry; this one leans more fruit forward. Food-friendly (went well with chicken) or a nice stand-alone. Great value.

Wither HillsMarc Bona, cleveland.comWither Hills

Wither Hills, Marlborough, New Zealand; Sauvignon Blanc, 2024, $15

Kiwi and lime intertwine nicely in this wine, which is more like a California version of the varietal rather than New Zealand’s. The latter tends to be grassy – and this has some grassy notes, but it’s not harsh at all. It satisfied a tasting pal who enjoys NZ Sauv Blancs and me, who does not. Good balance of flavors, well priced.

Wines of Chile

We recently sipped six wines from Chile – three Pinot Noir, three Chardonnay – from Master the Wine, a mini-bottle (187ml) producer that offers a variety of wines to help develop palates through blind tastes. We list origin regions, along with prices for 750ml bottles:

Three Chilean Pinot NoirMarc Bona, cleveland.comAmelia

Viña Concha y Toro, Limari Valley, Pinot Noir, 2022, $50-$65

Herbal notes, smooth sipper, dry wine, went well with Asian-spice rubbed pork.

Boya

Garces Silva Family Vineyards, Leyda Valley, Pinot Noir, 2020, $15-$19

Blueberry notes, not very tannic, decent acidity to it, tomato stem on the finish. No mistaking this for a California Pinot; you don’t get anything close to a cherry bomb. Very drinkable.

TerraNoble Algarrobo

TerraNoble, Aconcagua, Pinot Noir, 2023, $15-$24

Cranberry and blueberry notes both come out in this lighter wine, along with a bit of red licorice.

Three Chilean ChardonnayMarc Bona, cleveland.comCordillera

Miguel Torres, Curicó, Chardonnay, 2023, $14-$21

Petrol, perfume and bread on the aroma. Some green apple tartness on nose and palate. Not my cup of tea, with a texture that was too acidic. But a tasting pal enjoyed.

Floresta

Viña Santa Rita, Buin, Chardonnay, 2021, $30+

Lemon, slight butter and some oak – well-balanced, drinkable, food-friendly. Would be equally drinkable with food or as a stand-alone.

Montes Alpha

Montes Alpha, Aconcagua Costa, Chile; Chardonnay, 2020, about $20

Brown sugar and cinnamon on the nose. Macerated fruit (baked pineapple) with a kick of acid, dry and almond-like.