Winemaker Notes
This elegant, well-structured wine reveals the influence of the Andes mountains and the Maipo River and displays a fascinating aromatic complexity. This blend offers layers of flavors, thanks to the components which give it good ageing potential.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Carménère, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Meaty spices, pine cones, white pepper, blackberries on the nose with a fine twist of cedar and balsamic character. This is rich and full-bodied with fine-grained, creamy tannins wrapping the opulent blackberries in the middle. Lengthy and bright. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I tasted two vintages of the top Cabernet Sauvignon from Pirque, starting with the 2018 Enclave Cabernet Sauvignon that I compared with the 2019 (but the 2019 was off...). This contains around 4% each of Petit Verdot, Carmenere and Cabernet Franc from two vineyards—San Juan and El Principa—from vines that are now 40 years old and are only irrigated once per year. The grapes underwent a classic fermentation followed by malolactic in barrel and an élevage of 18 months in 50% new barrels. This is a very good vintage for this wine, with contained ripeness and better integration of the oak than previous years. Quite classical Pirque Cabernet.
Rating: 93+ -
Vinous
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Enclave also contains dashes of Cabernet Franc, Carménère and Petit Verdot from Maipo Alto. Vivid garnet in color. The expressive nose offers black currant and plum and hints of herb and pepper. A flavorful red with refined, reactive tannins; the flow is juicy before black currant flavors develop at the back of the mouth. A classic Maipo Alto wine.
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.