Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Family Collection is a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah and 8% Petit Verdot from old vines aged separately in oak barrels for one year, blended and put back in barrels for a further six months. It has a balsamic nose, quite showy, with bright fruit and a sense of light. The palate is a lot less oaky than in previous occasions. It's powerful and well-oaked but with stuffing and balance, in an XL style. Quite a surprise. 16,000 bottles produced.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Bordering the Coastal Range in the west, and stretching as far east as the foothills of the Andes, the Curicó Valley has two major mesoclimates that allow it the potential to offer a great diversity of high quality wines. In the east around Molina and north of the Claro River, the chilling winds coming off of the Andes make this part of the valley cooler. In the west, the Coastal Range protects inland wine growing areas from the Pacific Ocean, making it hotter and drier. The valley can support a large range of grape varieties within these climatic variations.
In 1979 Miguel Torres, Spain’s largest family-owned producer of premium wine based in Penedès in northeastern Spain, invested heavily in the area. By introducing many modern technologies, Torres put the Curicó Valley on the international wine map and strengthened Chile's presence in the global wine market.
Curicó is one of the southern appellations of the greater Central Valley wine growing region, which includes from north to south: Maipo, Rapel, Curicó and Maule.