Winemaker Notes
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from a block located at the foothills of the Andes at an altitude of 500 meters–one of the highest in altitude and closest in proximity to the Andes in the Colchagua Valley. The soil is deep, alluvial and well drained because of the stoney and gravelly composition. The Carménère and Petit Verdot come from the Maquis estate in the central part of Colchagua Valley. Twenty percent of the blend was aged for 9 months in third-use French oak barrels while the rest remains in stainless steel tanks.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A juicy and fruity cabernet sauvignon with dark cherries, fresh currants and dark spices. A touch of grilled herbs and strawberries, too. Tannins are chewy and dense on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Give it a year to let the tannins soften more.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.