Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Lot 28 Cabernet Franc comes from 25+-year-old vines at 800 meters altitude and spends two winters in oak. It has a very convincing, fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled soil. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit on the entry. The tannins are fine and edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux-like femininity. This is extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, surfeit with personality.
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.
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.