2008 Galan Chardonnay 2008 

Balance of fruit & oak - dry fruits, & spices. Its origin is Lontué Valley in Curico Valley, Central Valley, Chile. The wine displays an excellent balance of fruit and oaky flavor with predominant character of dry fruits and spices. Lontué, being that bit further south and higher up, is much cooler, resulting in wines with a more elegant, European character to which is a small amount of vanilla from oak aging. The wine was aged on its yeast lees to give additional complexity. Bright straw color with subtle aromas of peach, pineapple, melon and spicy pear. Supple rounded pear, peach and fig flavors with creamy vanilla oak and a touch of hazelnut. A relatively restrained wine with some elegance, minerality and a refreshing finish. White meats and fish.

Our Price: 9.97

2010 Galan Chardonnay 

This Chardonnay is in their entry level range and is quite different from the intense tropical fruit-flavored wines produced in Chile's Central Valley. Bright straw colour with subtle aromas of peach, melon and spicy pear. Supple rounded pear, peach and fig flavors with a gentle creaminess and a touch of hazelnut. Highest terrace, light spritz, rationally oaked. Some orangey citrus, goes to buttery. Clean & juicy. Pretty solid. Used French & American barrels.

2009 Galan Carmenere 

Doing well in sunny neighborhood - intense, with spice, darker berry fruit. Some cigar box, figgy fruit on the finish. Round, ripe, & full version of the varietal. Lengthy finish. Curico valley. Estate fruit, this is their entry level. Aromas of ripe black plums, going into the dark fruit on the palate. Soft, ripe, moderate small grain tannins. This has been a popular example of this grape, at a great price. Plump, with herby, cedary notes. Knocked out of Bordeaux by phylloxera, to which it is particularly susceptible - does fine in the sandy soils in Chile. Bright fruit, less dusky & musty. Light bell pepper. Tasty goodness. A bargain.

Our Price: 9.97

2010 Doña Catalina Carmenere Reserve 2010 

Intense color, spicy dark berry character and complex aromas of sweet spice, fig and tobacco. On the palate the wine is full and round, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Carmenère requires more heat to ripen than the other varietals planted in Bordeaux. Carmenère was imported to South America in the 1850s, along with other Bordeaux varieties, prior to the European outbreak of Phylloxera. The largest established vineyards of this variety are in Chile, while it is virtually non-existent in France. Some green herb, bell pepper on the nose, but cleaner on the palate. Some more green pepper, sweet & clean ripe fruit.  

Our Price: 11.97

2008 Galan Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery - "This Cabernet Sauvignon is outstanding within its category, aged and bottled in our own cellar. A wine with body, which has an intense aroma of red fruits and tannins. In the mouth it leaves a delicate and elegance bouquet.  Exceptionally expressive aromatics consisting of smoke, black cherries, raspberries and a touch of blackberry.  The wine adapts perfectly to all types of red meats & cheeses. Serve at room temperature."

Our Price: 9.97 

Saturday's Tasting Lineup 

2009 Ken Forrester Sauvignon Blanc Stellenbosch 

Spritzy juicy grassy sweet, then mineral. Lengthy finish. Stephen Tanzer - "Pale bright yellow.  Aromas and flavors of lemon drop, honey and wild herbs, plus a whiff of green pepper.  Supple and dry, with a slightly exotic oily texture and very good depth.  Boasts sound acidity but not quite the precision for outstanding.  Finishes with a firm note of ginger.  This showed a denser, almost lanolin-like quality with aeration."

Our Price: 14.27

2009 Ken Forrester Family Chenin Blanc 

Tasty - Light spritz, mineral, hyper clean, lower still juicy acids. Winery - "Golden hued and full bodied, with melon and spicy baked apple aromas. Layered, with mineral notes enhanced by honeycomb and caramel flavours from lees contact. This wine is a great example of the harmonious balance which can be achieved between fruit and delicate oak/vanilla flavours, as they combine to form complex, soft flavours with sufficient body to enhance even spicy and full flavoured meals."

Our Price: 14.27

2008 Ken Forrester Petit Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 

Friendly, unassuming, cheap! Ken Forrester - "A youthful fresh Bordeaux-styled blend showing ripe mulberries and plums with spicy, cigar box, undertones. Very accessible with smooth and balanced tannins. All hand harvested to ensure a thorough quality cellar selection. Carefully blended to achieve a soft, rich fruit driven wine. The perfect all rounder and a must for every wine enthusiast."

Our Price: 9.77

2009 Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage 

More hyper-cleanliness. Perhaps this is why people in South Africa, and people who travel to South Africa, get excited about Pinotage, as opposed to the people who try it after it has been shipped in a non-refrigerated container and sat on a dock in Houston, TX for a bit. - International Wine Cellar - "Medium red-ruby. Candied aromas of cherry, flowers and spices. A lush, sweet fruit bomb with good length and immediate appeal, and none of the banana and burnt rubber qualities that put many tasters off pinotage, especially in this price range."  Winery - "Ken Forrester's "Petit" range offers friendly value wines, perfect for everyday drinking. Crafted in a soft, juicy, fruit-driven style, this easy-going red displays classic Pinotage aromas and flavors of spicy raspberries, plums and cherries, supported by smoky bacon nuances. Brambly with a slightly rustic edge, it's a delicious and accessible intro to South Africa's unique Pinotage grape, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault."

Our Price: 11.27