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Last Updated: 09/14/08
Viewed: 2563 times
Last Updated: 09/14/08
Viewed: 2563 times
The Best Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon for the Cellar
A wine list by Josh Raynolds, Wine Writer, IWC
Despite the current infatuation with Carmenere, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet-based blends remain the most successful red wines from Chile. They are age-worthy and offer the complexity of top Bordeaux and Napa bottlings at, usually, a fraction of the cost of wines from those more vaunted regions. The Chilean wines share similar characteristics to Bordeaux, especially, with sweet red and dark berry and cherry fruit, cedar, tobacco and supple textures. They are generally more complex at an earlier stage than the wines of Bordeaux, and are more soil-driven than most wines from Napa. The wines included here are worthy of any serious cellar.
2003 Vina Almaviva Proprietary Red Wine Puente Alto
93 points. Saturated ruby. Explosive, powerful aromas of creme de cassis, blackberry, cherry preserves and smoked meat, complicated further by notes of licorice, an almost iron-like peaty quality and espresso. Broad, dens... more
2004 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta Colchagua Valley
92 points. Deep ruby. Ripe and smoky on the nose, offering pungent cherry and dark berry scents, along with licorice and sexy oak spices. Mouthfilling cherry liqueur and dark chocolate flavors are impressively vibrant for... more
2004 Vina Almaviva Proprietary Red Wine Puente Alto
93 points. Ruby-red.Understated redcurrant and cherry aromas are complicated by smoky herbs, tobacco and minerals. Graceful red fruit flavors stain the palate, taking a bitter cherry turn on the firmly tannic but silky fi... more
Priced From: $94.16
Out of Stock
2004 Montes M Montes Alpha Colchagua Valley
92 points. Ruby-red. Exotic aromas of cassis, blackberry, incense and smoky minerals are admirably focused and expansive. Deep, velvety and sweet, with palate-staining dark berry liqueur flavors, supple tannins and a late... more
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Out of Stock
2004 Vina Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Casa Real Maipo Valley
92 points. Deep ruby. Pungent, smoky cherry and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by cured tobacco, cedar and dried rose. Following the nose's serious complexity, the palate follows up with sweet red and dark berry ... more
2004 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor Puente Alto
91 points. Deep ruby. Powerful blackberry, cassis and mocha aromas are enormously appealing and seem almost too big for the glass. Weighty dark berry flavors offer excellent palate coverage, with gentle tannins adding sh... more
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Out of Stock
2004 Altair Vineyards & Winery Altair Red Wine Cachapoal Valley
93 points. Deep red. Intensely perfumed nose offers a suave bouquet of spicy red berries, cherry and cassis; exotic floral and spice notes add complexity and build with air. Pliant raspberry and cherry flavors possess adm... more
2005 Montes Folly Syrah Colchagua Valley
92 points. Deep ruby. Powerful blackberry and cassis aromas are complicated by smoked meat, vanillin oak and candied licorice. Supple, sweet and broad, with luscious blackberry and cherry preserve flavors, velvety tannins... more
Priced From: $53.97
Out of Stock
2005 Antiyal Antiyal Maipo Valley
92 points. Deep red. Sexy blackberry, kirsch and floral aromas offer great breadth and clarity. Round and fleshy, with sweet dark berry preserve flavors, supple tannins and impressive mineral lift. Leaves an exotic floral... more
Priced From: $138.69
Out of Stock
2005 Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Vinedo Chadwick Maipo Valley
92 points. Medium red. Explosively perfumed bouquet of fresh raspberry, kirsch, cola, tobacco and mocha. Spicy red berry preserve flavors coat the palate, picking up sweet cherry-cola and licorice notes on the back. This actually seems to gain strength and depth after th... more
Average cost for wines on this list: $83.10