Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with all meats, tomato-based pasta sauces, flavorful and hearty dishes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of currants and blackberries plus hints of mint and spearmint. Full body, fine and silky tannins, and a fresh, clean finish. Pure cabernet that's harmonious and delicious now
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Primus Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from 30-year-old vines in Puente Alto in Maipo, the classical zone for Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile. This is the only wine they produce from purchased grapes, in this case from a producer called Mariscal who has 30-year-old vines on the alluvial terrace of the Maipo River. This is fermented in open-top tanks with indigenous yeasts. They want softer and more drinkable wines in the Primus series than what the line used to be in the past. This has all the classical descriptors of Maipo Cabernet, but in a subtle way, none of the aromas sing in a higher voice and there is good balance and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied, with very good balance, drinkable and approachable.
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.
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.