The label depicts a turtle and two birds, drawn in hauntingly simplicity. Above the drawing sits, in bold and heavy letters, the name of the winery Chono, named after an extinct Chilean tribe.
The Bio Bio valley lies south of Santiago and gets more rain than the hot and arid northern part of Chile. Aptly Chono's Reserve Riesling smells of tropical fruit. It is dry on the palate and also slightly bitter, which is actually quite attractive - not too much, just a touch, like the bitterness of an olive.
The acidity is high and gives this Riesling a much needed freshness because the alcohol level of 14% is at least as high and quite noticable, almost dwarfing the medium intensity of tropical fruit and grapefruit flavors.
The back label says that the Chono Reserve complements Thai and Indian cuisine. I haven't tried it, but with 14% of alcohol I would consider spicy Indian food a rather desastrous combination.
The 2006 Riesling Reserve has a lot to be said for, particularly at this price level, but the level of alcohol unfortunately is high enough to incapacitate a whole tribe.