Winemaker Notes
Beautiful, very deep red robe with cherry glints. Very aromatic nose, characterized by intense fruit, with fresh blackcurrants and complex notes of thyme and garrigue. Powerful on the palate, coated with concentrated tannins, that nevertheless show great finesse. The finish is very long, full-flavored and complex.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Red plums, blackberries, dried herbs, chocolate and toasted nuts on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm, dusty tannins. Structured with concentrated, ripe dark fruit and spice. Flavorful finish with length.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I was quite impressed by the nose of the 2018 Gran Araucano, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Colchagua, with a marked varietal and place character and quite restrained and balanced in this vintage. It has more balsamic flavors and plenty of tannins. It has stuffing to develop nicely in bottle.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose of this Cabernet gives way to red bell pepper, brick dust and baking spice aromas. A lush, deep and layered palate is jammy and thick, while flavors of peppery blackberry, fresh herbs and spicy oak arise. On the finish, coffee and mocha notes mix with ripe berry flavors. Drink through 2025.
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.