Winemaker Notes
Blend: 48% Carménère, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2020 Maquis Lien blends 48% Carménère, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, hailing from Palmilla in the Colchagua Valley. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, this purple wine reveals notes of blackberry and plum marmalade, accompanied by hints of balsamic and ash against a cedar backdrop. Dry, rich and juicy, it features plush tannins and a velvety flow that linger on the palate, creating an intensely savory and focused experience.
-
James Suckling
Fragrant red blend showing notes of chocolate, eucalyptus, roses, plums and charred rosemary. It’s compact, firm, and broad, with a full body and relatively muscular tannins. Excellent concentration and persistence. Carmenere, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 48% Carménère, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Lien handles the myriad challenges of this vintage admirably. It opens with powerful aromas of ripe red fruits and cured meats, transitioning to a texturally powerful palate that concludes with angular, focused tannins and a shorter finish than tasters will be accustomed to from Maquis. Despite the difficulties of this harvest, this is as refined as one can reasonably expect from such conditions and stays true to the balanced, classy nature of the house style.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.