MOVI tasting
Assessing wines from Chile's smaller, boutique producers

Website: http://movi.cl/wine/

One thing that Chile’s wine scene has lacked: boutique wineries. In most new world countries, it’s the small, pioneering wineries that have led. But in Chile, everything has been on quite a large scale. Wineries owned by rich dudes with hundreds of hectares of vineyards each. It’s hard to be interesting and dynamic when you are huge, and sometimes Chile's wines have been a bit safe and boring.

For this reason, I was delighted to taste this line up of wines from winegrowers who are part of MOVI (Movimiento de Viñateros Independientes), an association of small independent wineries. When MOVI was formed years ago there were 12 members; now there are 20. That's encouraging, as were some of these wines.

This is just a start. It would be nice to see more small producers in Chile making small scale, interesting, authentic wines. 

 

Attilo & Mochi Tunquen Pinot Noir 2011 Casablanca, Chile
Lovely sweet, pure liqueur-like cherry fruit nose. Fine, aromatic and inviting. The palate is silky and textured with lovely acidity and great precision. Some spicy structure with real elegance. 94/100

Garage Wine Co Lot #28 Cabernet Franc 2010 Maipo Alto, Chile
Sweet, ripe, smooth sleek blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with some fine herbal notes. Warm and complex. The palate is ripe, smooth and silky with nice structure and acidity. Ripe but stays fine. 93/100

Vinedos Lagar de Bezana GSM 2011 Cachapoal, Chile
14.5% alcohol. A blend of 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre. Warm, sweet and spicy with ripe berry fruits. Supple palate showing sweet fruit but also nice texture. Ripe but balanced with hints of earth, herbs and spice. Real elegance and refinement here. 93/100

Rumukilla Golden Breast 2008 Maipo, Chile
13.2% alcohol. 5 acre vineyard. What a strikingly bizarre label! Sweet, open liqueur-like cherry and berry fruits nose with some oxidative notes. Beguiling. The palate is supple, open and elegant with rounded, oxidative characters and some fruit. Distinctive wine showing a natural elegance. 92/100

Gillmore Merlot Old Vines 2007 Loncomilla, Chile
14.8% alcohol. Taut, slightly reductive berry fruits nose. Ripe, supple palate with nice berry and plum fruit, with a satisfying savoury, spicy edge. Good tannins. 90/100

Garcia-Schwaderer Facundo 2010 Chile
Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, plus Carignan and Petit Verdot. 14% alcohol. Supple, bright and balanced with rounded, ripe berry fruits with some chalky, gravelly structure. Nice weight and depth with good acidity. Stylish and modern, needs time. 91/100

Dueno de la Luna Carignan Meli 2009 Maule, Chile
15% alcohol. Vivid, ripe and assertive cherry fruit nose with some raspberry. The palate is ripe and rounded with bright, vivid fruit, good acidity and some warmth. 90/100

Trabun Syrah 2010 Cacapoal, Chile
14% alcohol. Ripe, lush, pure raspberry and blackcurrant fruit nose. Sleek, supple, fruit-driven palate shows admirable purity. Ripe, sweet and a bit jammy, but stays fresh, just. 90/100

Starry Night Vineyard and Wines Syrah 2010 Maipo, Chile
14.5% alcohol. Ripe, sleek, jammy liqueur-like backberry fruit nose.The palate is ripe, sweet and quite pure with black fruits to the fore. A very ripe wine, but well done. 92/100

Polkura Syrah 2010 Marchigue, Colchagua, Chile
14.5% alcohol. Ripe, lush and sweet with bold, concentrated blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Real intensity to this big, structured wine which has some spicy, tarry notes in the background. May turn a bit mushy with age so drink early. 90/100

Villard Fine Wines Tanagra Syrah 2009 Maipo, Chile
14% alcohol. Lush ripe and complex nose of herbs, spices and liqueur-like berry and cherry fruit. The palate is lush and ripe with concentrated, sweet fruit. Ripe and intense but retaining complexity and definition. Lovely purity. 93/100

Flaherty 2010 Acongcaua, Chile
15% alcohol. A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Lush, sweet, ripe cherry and berry fruits nose with some dried flower complexity. Sweet and pure with lush fruit. Quite distinctive: very ripe and warm, but elegant and seamless. 92/100

Vina Peumayen Reserva 2010 Acongcagua, Chile
Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, 13.5% alcohol. Vibrant, juicy and vivid with a sweet berry fruits nose. Fresh, juicy, tangy palate is plummy, ripe, yet fresh and distinctive. 88/100

Vina Bustamante Mantum 2009 Maule, Chile
14.8% alcohol. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Carmenere. Lush, smooth liqueur-like blackcurrant fruit nose. Supple, sweet, pure palate shows ripe fruit. Correct but a bit dull. 87/100

Miguel Besoain Lafken 2009 Maipo, Chile
14.8% alcohol. Organic, 20 K bottles made. Sweet, lush, autumnal dark fruits nose. Ripe and alluring. The palate is very sweet but shows a bit of structure and good concentration. Slightly overripe but tasty. 90/100

Clos Andino Le Carmenere 2010 Chile
13.8% alcohol. 6500 bottles. Vivid, spicy and tarry with nice freshness to the savoury, spicy black fruits. Vivid and fresh with a nice savoury character, quite European in style. 92/100

See also:

VIGNO tasting of Chilean Carignan
Visiting Chile's wine regions (series)

Wines tasted 02/13  
Find these wines with
wine-searcher.com

 

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