Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva
2018
With over 60 years of professional experience, Santa Ema are pioneers in the Maipo Valley where they are always searching for the best expressions of terroir, from the mountains to the coast. The beginnings of Santa Ema date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when don Pedro Pavone Voglino, an Italian immigrant, sportsperson, and businessman, discovered a great terroir in Isla de Maipo, where the head offices still operate today. The founder and his son, Félix Pavone Arbea, an...
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High-altitude vineyards planted at the foot of the Andes in Chile’s most prestigious and emblematic zone for Cabernet Sauvignon: the Maipo Valley. The 2018 harvest began a little later than normal due to a cold and rainy spring followed by a temperate summer. High temperatures in March and April allowed the fruit to finish ripening and also helped compensate for the late start on the harvest, which ended in early May.
The grapes were crushed and fermented in stainless steel tanks for 7 days at 30ºC followed by another 6 days of post-fermentation maceration. Upon completion of the malolactic fermentation the wine was barrel aged in French and American oak barrels for 8–10 months.
Elegant, sophisticated and complex, its fruit expression is of black cherries and plums, with tobacco and roasted coffee. Well-rounded and structured, with ripe tannins, a great texture and a persistent finish. Pair with grilled meats, spicy dishes, stews and ripe cheeses.
This year’s Gran Reserva still has a base of fruit from Isla de Maipo, but it also includes 35% from Cerro Blanco, one of the highest zones of Pirque, which is much cooler. That seems to have provided more vibrant red fruit here, along with intense acidity that makes this a deliciously thirst-quenching cabernet.
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Ripe-blackberry, dried-spice, chocolate-orange and walnut-husk aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with sleek, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Polished and creamy.
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With fruit from Isla de Maipo, along with 25% cabernet from Pirque in Maipo’s Andean zone, this wine offers fruit and herbs in addition to smoky and toasted notes from the eight months of barrel aging. The texture is nervy and tense, with lots of tart red fruit flavors on the palate. A good example of the variety, especially when it’s grown on the Maipo’s alluvial soils.
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A minty aroma accents the concentrated red fruit and spice flavors, flanked by dried green herbal notes. Minerally midpalate, with a crunchy, fresh-tasting finish. –KM
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A good expression of a fresh cabernet focused on ripe red fruits and herbal notes that comes from estate-owned vineyards in Isla de Maipo and Pirque, the latter near the foothills of the Andes. It was aged in barrels for eight months. The tannic sensation is sharp, fruity notes monopolize the palate, and the acidity helps the wine continue to refresh to the end. A perfect barbecue wine.
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Dark berry and hints of lemon and rose petal. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish.
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Offers pure and refreshing richness, with crunchy acidity backing the dark berry and currant flavors that show lively floral accents. Ends with notes of mineral and Asian spice on the finish, with green olive accents.
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You can often judge the quality of a winemaker by the quality of his or her cheaper wines, so hats off to Andrés Sanhueza here. Balanced, nuanced and refreshing, this is a polished, detailed Alto Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon at a very approachable price.
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This has an earthy character with notes of black cherries, cassis, blue flowers, raw mushroom and asphalt. Medium-bodied with chalky tannins and juicy, mouthwatering acidity. Lightly spiced with a mineral finish. Drink or hold.
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