Flaherty Aconcagua Red 2011
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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James Suckling
One of the former winemakers of Seña makes this wine that shows beautiful aromas of walnuts, berries and hints of shaved chocolate. Full body with fine tannins and a delicious finish. Spicy. A blend of syrah with tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Flaherty is an unusual blend with a base of Syrah complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo fermented in small bins that aged in barrel for 19 months in his garage in Aconcagua. It has sweet aromas of ripe fruits and flowery notes that make it quite showy, very clean and pure, elegant and complex. The palate is velvety with polished tannins and good acidity. The floral notes return in the aftertaste, but with a restrained feeling. 10,479 bottles were filled. Drink now-2020.
Originally trained at U.C. Davis, Ed has worked with some of the top wineries in the Chilean industry, including Cono Sur, Errazuriz, and most recently Viña Tarapacá. As chief winemaker of a large winery, Ed tended to spend more time in the office and tasting lab than in the winery. He started Flaherty in 2004 so that he could get his hands dirty again. Vinification takes place inside the garage of their Aconcagua Valley home. Flaherty is a founding member of M.O.V.I., Chile's exciting, fast-growing association of independent vintners.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The Aconcagua River runs east from the charming costal town of Valparaiso and bisects the land creating the valley after which it was named. While alluvial soils predominate the Aconcagua Valey along its river throughout, its east-west flow creates drastically different conditions on each of its ends. Its western, seaside vineyards, with clay and stony soils upon gently rolling hills, produce cool-climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its inner region is one of Chile’s hottest and produces some of its best red wines. Panquehue in the inner Aconcagua is the site of Chile’s first Syrah vines, planted in 1993.