Winemaker Notes
The nose is perfumed and complex with outstanding aromas of ripe red and black fruits over subtle notes of crème de cassis, tobacco, and leather. Spicy aromas of red and black pepper mingle with cinnamon and dark chocolate notes. On the palate, it is smooth but structured, with silky tannins.
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Classic cabernet nose with olives and red peppers. Sweet tobacco and milk chocolate with a meaty edge. Juicy and full-bodied but quite fit, with bright acidity and some densely packed tannins. Grippy but really well-honed with an extremely long finish. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Give it two years to let the oak settle in.
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Wine Spectator
This understated version wows with finesse, displaying an entry with fresh tobacco and cigar box details that reveal a smooth-textured frame. Shows a sneaky concentration of blackberry and cassis, offering excellent length, with iron twinges to the finish and round, polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2036.
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.