Winemaker Notes
Blend: 76% Carmenere, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Rich nose with plenty of black cherries, tile, graphite and a touch of ginseng. Creamy, fine tannins aplenty on the palate with a full body and a flavorful and lengthy finish. Opulent but refined.
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Wine Spectator
A rich and generous red, with layers of toasty vanilla bean, chocolate and cordial up front, joining a ripe yet polished core of blackberry and black cherry, while hints of chicory, peppercorn and graphite add dimension, culminating with firm but well-integrated tannins. A rather flamboyant style, but should have its fans. Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2036.
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Vinous
The 2021 La Piu Belle is 76% Carménère, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, sourced from Millahue in the Cachapoal Valley. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels with 15% in clay amphorae, this purple wine offers fruit-forward aromas: blackberry and plum, along with a faintly ashy layer and a hint of pepper. Indulgent, juicy and clingy on the palate, the fine-grained tannins and grippy mouthfeel lead to an intense, savory finale.
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Wine Enthusiast
An attractive label isn't all this wine has to offer. This Carmenere-based blend has an enchanting nose, with subtle toasted oak and blueberry aromas. Black-fruit flavors in the form of plums and mulberries are at the core of this juicy and full-bodied wine. The finish exhibits light notes of herbs and espresso.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.