Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Perfumed and fragrant nose of blackberries, dark plums, cherries, bay leaves, cedar and baking spices. Medium-bodied with firm tannins. Compact, with a dark and spicy core of fruit. Some black-olive notes on the long, chewy and flavorful finish. Lingering spice notes.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a full-bodied and flavorful red that opens with peppercorn, aniseed and thyme. Oak flavors are well-integrated on the dense palate. Notes of berries, spices, thyme and coffee are supported by firm tannins and enough acidity to freshen the smooth finish. Baking spices in the aftertaste make this wine a great match for your favorite dark chocolate.
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.