Chile's Finest Gotta go with Ed, myself. The last Chilean wine I got excited about was a 1992 Santa Rita Reserve cab. I didn't know much about wine back then, but I knew it was better than the plonk I'd been drinking. And it was only $10 a bottle. Today the 2002 SR Maipo Reserve is selling for under eight bucks, and the '02 SR Medalla Reserva (WS-89) is $14. On the other end of the scale: One of my accomplices in wine crime was gifted a bottle of 2003 Montes Alpha 'M', and was airing it out when I arrived at his place. The Spectator gave 'M' 94 points and a "Highly Recommended" rating.(They did not, however, rate in their Top 100.) I gave it a C- and a "Save your money." Aside from some nice cherry overtones in the nose -- and that was only if you swirled the heck out of it in a very large glbutt -- it didn't do anything for me. I found the alcohol dominating (14.8%), and the rest of it flat and uninteresting. I've had one S. African wine I liked, but I'll be darned if I can recall the name. (I think it started with a K.) It was recommended by a staffer at Martin Wine Cellar in New Orleans four years ago. I raised my eyebrows at the $4.99 price tag, but it turned out to be rather decent. JJ On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 21:13:41 GMT, Ed Rasimus 
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