Winemaker Notes
Particularly complementary to any red meat specially Wellington beef, pepper steak or barbecued loin. Ideal to end a dinner accompanying best quality cheeses, such as Blue and Brie. We recommend decanting this wine.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Finis Terrae is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot aged for 15 months in French oak. Now it is essentially the second wine of LOTA with lots not making the cut for the grand vin going into Finis Terrae. Dark ruby red in color, it offers up an inviting nose of balsam wood, spice box, rose petal, violets, blackcurrant, and blackberry. Medium-bodied on the palate, with some elegance, it displays excellent volume and intensity and enough structure to evolve for 3-4 years. Drink this classy effort from 2013 to 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
With dark aromas of tar, black pepper and blackberry, this presents itself well. The palate is creamy, smooth and ready, with baked, lightly raisiny flavors of black currant, blackberry and brown sugar. For sheer ripeness, this is at peak level, so drink this impressive Cabernet-Merlot blend now.
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.
Dramatic geographic and climatic changes from west to east make Chile an exciting frontier for wines of all styles. Chile’s entire western border is Pacific coastline, its center is composed of warm valleys and on its eastern border, are the soaring Andes Mountains.
Chile’s central valleys, sheltered by the costal ranges, and in some parts climbing the eastern slopes of the Andes, remain relatively warm and dry. The conditions are ideal for producing concentrated, full-bodied, aromatic reds rich in black and red fruits. The eponymous Aconcagua Valley—hot and dry—is home to intense red wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.
The Maipo, Rapel, Curicó and Maule Valleys specialize in Cabernet and Bordeaux Blends as well as Carmenère, Chile’s unofficial signature grape.
Chilly breezes from the Antarctic Humboldt Current allow the coastal regions of Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley to focus on the cool climate loving varieties, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Chile’s Coquimbo region in the far north, containing the Elqui and Limari Valleys, historically focused solely on Pisco production. But here the minimal rainfall, intense sunlight and chilly ocean breezes allow success with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The up-and-coming southern regions of Bio Bio and Itata in the south make excellent Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Spanish settlers, Juan Jufre and Diego Garcia de Cáceres, most likely brought Vitis vinifera (Europe’s wine producing vine species) to the Central Valley of Chile sometime in the 1550s. One fun fact about Chile is that its natural geographical borders have allowed it to avoid phylloxera and as a result, vines are often planted on their own rootstock rather than grafted.