Cabernet Sauvignon

• Vintage:  2007
• Appellation:  Maipo Valley, Chile
• Grape:  Cabernet Sauvignon
• Alcohol by volume:  13.9%

Taste: This 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Maipo Valley in Chile. Located south of Santiago and nestled between the Andes and the coastal mountains, this area experiences warm days and cool nights that provide the ideal conditions for making Cabernet. We blended the best fruit from several vineyards and aged the wine for 10 months in French oak barrels. The result: A luscious, stunning Cabernet with hints of eucalyptus and coconut on the finish.

Region: Maipo is Chile's oldest wine region, and here Cabernet Sauvignon is king. Chile's natural boundaries (Pacific Ocean, Andes mountains, Atacama desert to the north, and Antarctica to the south) have left it relatively isolated from other parts of the world and have proved beneficial in keeping phylloxera at bay. The expansive and varied Maipo Valley is nestled between two ranges, the Andes and the coastal mountains.

Although Chile's appellations of origin are defined from north to south, it is now generally agreed that conditions vary much more widely from east to west. Maipo is divided into three distinct sectors: Alto Maipo, closest to the Andes; Central Maipo, along the valley floor; and Pacific Maipo, the sector closest to the Pacific Ocean. All three enjoy an ideal Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. However, they vary with respect to the degree of influence received by the mountains or the sea. At more than 650 meters above sea level, the Alto Maipo sector rises ever higher into the foothills southeast of Santiago and is strongly influenced by the mountains. Vast differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures encourage complex, richly colored wines and firmly structured tannins. To the south and southeast of Santiago, Central Maipo ranges from 550 – 650 meters above sea level, while the easternmost Pacific Maipo sector nearest the coast comprises areas below 550 meters.

Cameron's Notes: All the stems of the grapes were removed with partial crushing of the berries. The must was cooled to reduce the temperature immediately after crushing to maintain flavors and aromas and reduce the level of SO2. This was followed by cool pre-fermentation maceration for 72 hour to extract primary flavors and color. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with jackets at 25°C. Total maceration period was between 20 to 35 days. Natural malolactic fermentation at 16°C. No fining and unfiltered wine. 80% of the wine was kept in 70% French oak barrels and 30% American oak barrels for a period of 10 months.