Fair play to Mr Wine Geek for choosing Chilean Merlot this week-any Merlot would’ve been good with me to be honest as I love the stuff!

I discovered the joys of this velvety beauty in the same place as most people probably do-the Bordeaux right bank. You really understand the importance of it within the Bordeaux blend when you make a visit. The left bank landscape is all flat and monotonous, matching their cab sav’s tight and austere characteristics. The Merlot landscape over the river however, is all soft lines and lush rolling hills- the mirror image of its mellow, smooth grape variety.

So a great chance this week to discover if the Chilean versions follow this Bordeaux stereotype and show similar characteristics.
I was due a trip up to the Wine Society in Stevenage anyway so figured that I’d find a decent version up there.

For those who aren’t already members of the Wine Society, join now!! It’s the world’s oldest and arguably one of the best wine clubs around. I’ve persuaded several of my uninitiated mates to join and none regret it. It’s run as a co-operative model so the profits are all re-invested so being a member gives you a real sense of fraternal loyalty.

Blissfully wandering around their ‘Member’s Showroom’ for a few hours is a rare joy that must be the equivalent of a scatter-cushion crazed housewife (my wife) wandering around Ikea for an afternoon-they have every style for every taste at exceptional prices. They even have an 8 bottle enomatic machine dispensing for free!! I’ve gotta start getting a lift up there.

They stock their own label wine for pretty much every major region, and use some serious producers to make their stuff. They’ve been around since 1874 so you’d guess they must have built up some good relationships by now. They also do a ‘finest’ type range for several regions, called The Exhibition range.
I went for their 2011 Exhibition Merlot from Peumo Valley for £9.50

The producer responsible for making this for The Wine Society is the largest in the country; Concha Y Toro. They’re kind of like the Chapoutier of Chile, in that they make some really serious high end wine in small numbers but also knock out big volumes of decent everyday stuff as well.

In the glass, the wine’s a deep ruby colour with big gloopy tears that sit on the glass like candle wax-a whopping 14.5% on the label explains why!

The nose is relatively restrained but does show tart plummy aromas, but no sign of the promised smoky oak.

It all kicks off on the palate though-it’s got a deep, rich big body with a proper mouth coating syrupy sensation. The balance is a bit skewed with the tannins not quite extinguished by enough acidity, but the bold blackberry flavour is all encompassing and lasts for a good while. Also, the expected heat of a 14.5%’er isn’t there which is a bonus!

I reckon I should’ve left this in a decanter for more than an hour though as the edges needed a bit more softening. It started to mellow out a bit in the glass towards the end but by that time the bottle was nearly gone and so was I, so too late!

I really love and crave this style of wine so don’t want to be too critical, but while this was a cracking good bottle, I think you’d need to go up the pay scale a few notches to get anything near to the Bordeaux versions-but who says they even want to be like that anyway!!

A very leggy 7.5/10