Verum is a new winery located in the Rio Negro wine region of Patagonia in southern Argentina. Rio Negro is one of the newest regions being developed in Argentina and is very cool climate. I have read that it is the new promise land for growing grapes. I'm not convinced of that yet but these three wines were really good.
Verum is a small winery that only produced 400 cases of wine in 2007: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. The vineyards are only five years old and the 2007 vintage was the first to go into production. I was very excited about these wines and the prices were unbelievable.
Chardonnay, Rio Negro 2007
I was struck by the color, it was golden yellow color and twinkled like a star in my glass. The first aromas were exotic and lush. There were hints of mango, papaya, baked apples, lemon curd, and a bit of banana. I thought the palate was going to be big and flabby after smelling the plush and dense fruit on the nose, but the moment I took a sip it was magic. The palate is bright, clean and crisp. The tropical fruits are present but are closer to pineapple than to mango and banana. The was also a faint hint of chalk that really surprised me. A wine to be on its 5th leaf and have some semblance of terroir was amazing. The kicker is this would retail at about $15, a steal for the quality.
Pinot Noir, Rio Negro 2007
The moment the wine was poured in the glass I was relieved. Many new world Pinot Noirs are dense and dark in color (not like real Pinot Noir). Verum Pinot Noir was a vibrant and translucent red. The nose was beautiful, elegant and very true to the character of Pinot Noir. Aromas of strawberries, raspberries, cranberry jam, dried leafs, dried herbs and wet stone were all packed inside this wine. That palate followed along with the nose and had a silky texture that stopped all the tasters in our "tracks". This is a fantastic wine that will retail for under $20!
Merlot, Rio Negro 2007
First, if you automatically turn your head up to Merlot, slap yourself. Merlot is a great grape, it is just that most of the Merlot found in grocery stores are crap. Merlot makes some of the best wines in the world and Verum shows us that it can too. I really liked this wine. At every step the wine was balanced. The color was a regal red and purple with a slight staining in the tears (this means that the grapes have been extracted of a lot of color...this is not a good or a bad thing...it just is). The nose was filled with cherries, strawberry jam, plums, tea, fresh savory herbs, and cedar. The palate was rich and lush with many of the same flavors as found in the nose. The tannins were similar to black tea tannins and gave the wine structure and body. This is a really good wine for only $15
These sound great, Jeff. I really look forward to trying them.
Posted by: Kim | 11 February 2009 at 09:27 AM