Colchagua Valley
The Colchagua Valley is located in Chile’s Central Valley and stretches from the coastal hills that run the entire length of Chile's Pacific coastline and to the foothills of the Andes in the east.
Each of these wines is a “Gran Reserva” which, in Chile, means that it is their highest quality wine containing a minimum of 12.5% alcohol and have oak treatment.
The Cabernet Sauvignon of the Colchagua Valley are some of the best wines of Chile’s Central Valley and are available at great values with many in the $20 price range.
Here are three fine examples of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley:
2018 Los Vascos Cromas Gran Reserva ($22)
Los Vascos is located in a closed valley, approximately 25 miles from the sea. The name, Cromas, was inspired by the colors of nature.
This wine is produced from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and 5% Carménère. After careful sorting and de-steming, grapes are placed in stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Regular pump-over ensure a gentle extraction of the tannins. After malolactic fermentation, 50% of the wine is transferred into French oak barrels for a period of 12 months.
This wine is medium ruby in color with delicate aromas of red cherry and herbal notes. On the palate it is medium bodied with moderate acidity, light tannin and a balanced finish.
2018 Maquis Gran Reserva ($20)
Viña Maquis is located in the heart of the Colchagua Valley between the Tinguiririca River and the Chimbarongo Creek. Both waterways act as pathways for cool coastal breezes that moderate the warm summer temperatures.
This wine is produced from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Carmnere and 1% Petit Verdot. The grapes are 100% hand-picked and sorted. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks for 21 days, Malolactic fermentation also occurred in stainless steel tanks. It was then aged for 12 months in French oak.
This Viña Maquis is medium ruby in color with aromas of red cherry and plums. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has red fruit flavors, medium-low acidity, light tannin and a light, easy finish.
2018 Terra Noble Gran Reserva ($20)
This Terra Noble Cabernet Sauvignon from Colchagua comes from two different terroirs in the valley: 70% of the grapes are from the Los Lingues DO in the Colchagua Andes while the remaining 30% hails from the “Between the Ranges” (Entre Cordilleras) Marchigüe DO. The Los Lingues vineyard is planted in deep colluvial soils with high percentages of clay and stone, while the Marchigüe vineyard is alluvial, sandy and clay-rich. The former is warmer than the latter, where the Pacific breeze lowers the temperature.
This Terra Noble wine is produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks for a cold maceration of 4 - 6 days. Alcoholic fermentation took place between 25º -26º C with soft extractions by manual punch-downs that were carried out for 8 to 12 days. Then, the wine underwent a post-fermentative maceration of about 2 weeks, depending on the lot. Once the vatting process was finished, 70% of the wine was racked directly into new and used French oak barrels while the remaining 30% was placed in un-toasted foudre (large wooden vats) where it completed the malolactic fermentation. Aging was for 12 months.
This Terra Noble Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color with aromas of red fruits with herbal hints. On the palate it is smooth with medium-low acidity, moderate tannin and a light finish.
Each of these Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Chile’s Colchagua Valley are affordable and attainable and fit right in as Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week.
Next time we’ll explore three Cabs from Chile’s Maipo Valley. Cheers!
Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Samples Provided by the featured wineries of Chile (via Creative Palate)