Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright dried berry with a pretty hint of fresh basil. Medium body, fine tannins and a crisp finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
This may be a good time to awake your palate to the joys of pure Cabernet Franc. The 2012 Calcu is simply what it is: ripe, earthy and very representative of the varietal. I can see this one with grilled beef. Medium to deep ruby in color; dried dust and black fruit in the nose with some alluring red fruits to keep it in focus, excellent depth; medium bodied, some tannins that nicely firm up the palate; dry, medium acidity, well balanced; plummy, dried earth and red fruits in the flavors; medium finish, smooth aftertaste. (Tasted: February 1, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.