Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Well developed nose with plenty of tertiary complexity here. Palate is fleshy and juicy with creamy tannins and a supple mouthfeel. Pretty long and mellow. Tobacco and dried earth. 87% carmenere and 13% cabernet franc. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I retasted a few back vintages next to the 2019 to check the evolution of the wine, and the 2015 Viola, which is 87% Carmenere and 13% Cabernet Franc, slightly higher in Cabernet Franc to provide some extra freshness in a warm year, kept 13.5% alcohol and has good freshness. The wine is generous from the first moment, but surprisingly, the oak is a little more noticeable, the fruit seems to be fading a little faster and the tannins are still a little bumpy. A second bottle was marginally better. Best after 2020
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.
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.