Winemaker Notes
Cousiño Macul Lota is a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend with aromas of dark fruit, cassis, and hints of cedar and spice. It is full bodied with concentrated flavors of luscious blackberry, currant, elegant cocoa, soft oak, and warm spice. The ripe tannins linger in the ultra-smooth finish.
Enjoy Cousiño Macul Lota Red Blend with filet with gorgonzola sauce, mushroom risotto, or spiced eggplant lasagna.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Lota is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot from Alto Maipo. This aged for 18 months in new French barrels. Ripe black fruit aromas are joined by camphor, menthol and jam. Oak leads the aromatic profile and carries through on the palate. Firm tannins and moderate freshness reflect the warm vintage, resulting in a dark, extracted style.
Dark, full-bodied and herbaceous with a spicy kick, Carménère found great success with its move to Chile in the mid-19th century. However, the variety went a bit undercover until 1994 when many plantings previously thought to be Merlot, were profiled as Carménère. Somm Secret— Carménère is both a progeny and a great-grandchild of the similarly flavored Cabernet Franc.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.