Varietal: Â 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Â Maipo Valley, Chile
Cost: Â $35 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Â Our Signature wine is ruby red in color and possesses red fruit flavors distinguished by cherries and strawberries with vanilla and tobacco notes. Its taste is fresh with a balanced, pleasant acidity. It has a very open structure of tannins delivering delicious fruit and chocolate blends. It can be drunk now or in a few years.
My Review: Â The final bottle of Chilean Cabernet that I had at the house has finally been consumed. A moment of silence….ok, enough of that, on to the wine. Another gorgeous day in Richmond, Virginia, another steak grilled and paired with some Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. I can think of worse ways to spend an evening.
Having marinated a steak for the better part of a day (a peppercorn and bourbon marinade that I found at the store and worked well enough), I decanted the bottle of 2010 Apaltagua Cabernet Sauvignon while grilling up the meat so that it could open up while dinner was cooking, giving it a good 30 minutes or so to open while I worked my magic on the grill. Once dinner was finished it was time to pour and check out this wine.
In the glass the wine was a dark red color, and on the nose I picked up cherry and strawberry. In the mouth the wine had good body, certainly enough to stand up to the steak, without being too big. It had a certain smoothness that I enjoyed even after the food was gone. Flavors of cherry and chocolate were most prominent to me, and paired well with the steak that I had prepared.
I certainly liked this wine, and I even think it drinks at its value, though my penchant for liking wines that drink above their value keeps me from loving this wine as much as I liked the 2010 Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon that I received at the same time as this bottle. That being said, you’ll certainly get your money’s worth when buying this bottle, and it’s a great pairing for red meat off the grill.
Editor’s Note: I received this bottle as a free sample for review.
