2016 Cousiño-Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Dama De Plata Maipo Valley 750 ml

When the 2016 Viña Cousiño-Macul Dama de Plata Cabernet Sauvignon wound up as a ringer in our blind lineup of $30-$40 Napa Cabernets at a recent Friday tasting, we all assumed it must be the priciest wine on the table by far.

Sure, this mystery Cabernet had all the plummy, cassis-drenched, dark cherry fruit character we’d expect of a wine in that price range, but its complexity went even deeper into savory territory, with succulent herbs, soy, licorice, and a level of minerality that we tend to associate with the great collectible Cabs of Napa and Bordeaux. The angular tannins even suggested this would age well in the cellar for a few years.

So you can imagine our surprise when it turned out to be a $17 wine from Maipo Valley, Chile. This 91-point 2016 Dama de Plata Cabernet is from none other than Chile’s legendary Viña Cousiño-Macul—one of the rare new world wine estates that likely has a longer history that most of its peers across the Atlantic.

The oldest vines of Viña Cousiño-Macul are rooted on land that, since the 16th century, has been used for wine production for Chile’s churches and high society. Located on calcareous soils on the outskirts of Santiago, the precious mineral-rich water these own-rooted vines receive from the Andes Mountains is credited for the distinct mineral character and tension of wines like today’s 2016 Dama de Plata (which translates to “Silver Lady”)

Inspired by the great wines of the world, even Cousiño-Macul’s value bottlings continue to show sophistication, precision, and mastery. The estate was formally established in 1856 by Matias Cousiño, but it was his daughter-in-law Isidora Goyenechea who turned Cousiño-Macul into a household wine name—think of Robert Mondavi in this country. Considered one of the first female entrepreneurs in South America, it was Isidora who traveled to France to select the heritage grape varieties that can now (clearly) compete with the best of their Bordelaise counterparts.

Isidora’s powerful energy continues seven generations later under winemaker Veronica Cousiño, whose broody, complex, 100%-estate Dama De Plata Cabernet is named for her elegant ancestor who essentially introduced quality wine to Chile.

James Suckling called it “fleshy” and “succulent,” awarding it 91 points, while renowned wine critic and British Master of Wine Tim Atkin called this 2016 Dama De Plata “spicy, smooth and sumptuous.”

We're grateful Chilean economics works in our favor and we can present this to Wine Access members for a song. While we love our Napa Cabernets and California reds, they’re incredibly rare to find at this price. With all the layers of a traditional Claret, yet with the juicy ripeness of a New World bottle, this is an under-$20 must-have.