Winemaker Notes
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Carmenere.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of bark, walnut, ripe fruit and chocolate follow through to a full body, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, carmenere and cabernet franc.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Moving to the high end blends, the 2011 Winemaker's Selection is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% each Cabernet Franc and Carménère, with a blend of origins from their vineyards in Agua Buena and Marchigüe, but also with some 25% of grapes from their other property Maquis (there is a separate entry for them in this same article). It has a subtle, harmonious nose mixing aromas of spices, noble woods, balsam and ripe berries in a restrained way, showing good integration. There is great intensity in the palate while the tannins are very fine and there is a thread of acidity going through the core of the wine and lifting it up, resulting in a fresh sensation. This is a very balanced, elegant Bordeaux blend, sleek and polished, faithful to the house style.
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Wine Enthusiast
Woodsy smoky lightly herbal berry and plum aromas nicely set up a flush chunky somewhat rough palate. Blackberry, herb and chocolate aromas are just right for this type of Cabernet blend. A lush long finish is blocky, broad and brusque. Drink through 2023.
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.
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.