For those of you who invested early you are going to be thrilled about this wine [please forgive my excessive modesty for now until you try the wine and understand]. This is the same fruit from the Upper Maipo, that we picked six days earlier this year.

#16 Mountain Cab was made from fruit from just about as high in the Andes on the Maipo river foothills as one can get. It was farmed for low-yields with purpose to make high-calibre Cab by a small grower who makes some brilliant wines of his own.
This is our 2008 Mountain Cabernet farmed near the banks of the Rio Claro (tributary of the Maipo). It was harvested in very early May, was cold macerated for 8 days on its skins, fermented in 500 L bins with punch down or pistonage. It was post macerated 12 days and it grew into a bigger beast than last year. If it has more wood it is only because there was more fruit to be married with it. It is deep garnet in colour, big on fruit (the touch of jamminess has firmed up this year) yet with an elegance and robustness that seem to defy co-existence.

Most of this wine is allocated early on, but we shall make and effort if you do! Get in touch very soon or forever hold your peace– bueno for another year.

#16 has the same plenty of old Cabernet cherries, dried cherries, plums, a spicey middle-eight, a soft note of honey and chestnut, and long brooding finish.

This wine is perhaps a little less approachable upon release than last year’s but should cellar significantly longer. (#18 Cabernet-Carignan is our most approachable wine upon release this year.)

There is no precise way of knowing what the field blend contained exactly as the mix in the field and not made in the winery. We picked what was ripe and so “al ojo” this wine is Carignan 75%, + Cabernet 15%, Malbec 7%, and Petite Verdot 3%. Try this wine without any preconceptions — try and try it for the first time blind and you will be surprised indeed.

Every year we have tried to push the envelope of quality and new terroirs. We had an expert opinion form the south of France (the cradle of Carignan) and he is happy with the results, but make up your own mind– trust your own palate.

The base or core of the wine is Carignan from two different tanks one hotter (31) for the spice and better extraction and the second for fruit aromas. An official tasting note will follow soon but look out for different red fruits than you are used to even some blueberry and red currants.

The Carignan is fruit from Old-Bush Vines (aprox 80 years) whose age-old balance deep in the Maule lends complexity, spiceness, and a natural freshness and acidity that make this wine rock.

This is an easy quoffing wine today would be cellarable for a few years. We would like to thank a pair of French hands for guidance with the Carignan and a pair of organics hands for their opinions in the blending– both of them know who they are.

Final Note : Carignan is not very popular in Chile. There is relatively little and it makes a wine of European type acidity– higher than Chileans are accustomed. This is not very much like other Carignan we have tried. Perhaps over the next few years a clearer style will develop. Perhaps it will be a component in blends lending freshness, spiceness and finesse as it does in this wine.

Cabernet The sequel to last year’s #14

Two mountain Cabs big and burly with bigger rounder shoulders than last year, terrific natural acidity, huge berry fruit and bigger concentration. More tannic structure should make this wine better than last year’s rendition. We are thrilled to be working with this fruit again.

Old-Vine Carignan

New this year are two barrels of Carignan from the deep south. The 80+ year old vielles vignes vineyard lent surprising natural acidity that promises to make this wine a treat for a long time to come. The combination of this acidity, bug red berry fruit and the sweetness of the American Oak is fast becoming a tour de force in the making. Malolactic has begin despite chilly winter.

Dry-farmed Cab and Cab Field Blend

Lastly, but certainly not leastly,  the Cab and Cab Field Blend from the dry-farmed Maipo property are both showing well in their barrels and should become very interesting new elements to the lineup indeed. Be prepared for two very different new contenders, the blend [perhaps is this year's big surprise] that no one was waiting for +/- Cabernet 50%, Carmenere 25%, Malbec 18%, Petite Verdot 7%.

Note : futures are available for the modest price of $ 84,000 a case of twelve. Those of you who bought early last year please help the newbies to get enthused and get involved early. The tendency based upon the barrel samples we are tasting is bullish to say the least.