Carmen Gran Reserva

Carmen Gran Reserva 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon
Maipo Alto, Chili
$14.59 - Superstore

What a beautiful wine this was!  Bright ruby red in colour, with a watery edge.  And as you can see by my plate below, I experimented with a variety of flavours.  Yes, it's interesting that I would've chosen a chicken to pair with this wine (I didn't consciously, it just kinda happened that way!) but the pairing was not too bad, EXCEPT for the tomatoes.  More on that a little later...

Because it's a Gran Reserva, this would be considered a "best expression from every top Chilean valley". One step up from Reserva, and if in Spain, another step up from Crianza, which would be like an "entry" level wine.

So this was my meal with this wine:  Shells stuffed with sauteed spinach, yellow peppers, sweet onions and ricotta cheeses, ceasar herbed chicken, fresh tomatoes and fresh blackberries.  The tomatoes dulled the flavour of the wine, so I hastily consumed those before I took another cleansing palate taste of my wine..  Onto the pasta...  After the pasta and chicken, the wine tasted almost.....creamy, with nutty flavours.  And the blackberries?  Because the wine imparted flavours of blackberries in it, the fruit really enhanced the blackberry flavour.  The chicken also created a increased "alcohol" effect.  What I mean by that, is more nose and throat burning sensations.

Every wine has it's "typicity" of food(s) that it is likely to pair with....I encourage you to experiment and think about the flavours in the wine you are pouring, and compare them to the food you are tasting.