Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape(s): 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Marselan
Localization: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Tasting Notes: A different take on Chilean Cabernet, with grapes from a high-alitude vineyard in the foothills of the Andes, where Summer temperatures never exceed 30C/85F. The grapes ripen over a longer growing season and the higher levels of UV help fix color and flavor profile. This is a fresher take on Cabernet Sauvignon when compared to the typical highly concentrated Cabs that are considered the standard from Chile. The Marselan (from our own vineyard in Santa Ana) adds structure and tension to the wine and also an even more intense color. Expect fresh and recently ripened blackberries and red currants.
Food pairing: Wine goes well with grilled vegetables (eggplants for instance) as well as pork chops.
Also delicious with mild cheeses.
Notes: All grapes are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard early in the morning. Grapes were harvested on May 5th. They are then destemmed by our bin-top destemmer with the roller removed (so grapes come out whole without being crushed). Fermentation took place in bins and on native yeasts. Punchdows were done 2-4 times per day, depending at which stage in the fermentation the grapes were in. Grapes were gently pressed, and the wine was barrelled- MLF took place over Winter. Wines were racked once post MLF. The wine was filtered and bottled after 10 months of barrel aging in 5th use+ neutral barrels.
The Domain: At La Despensa, the team is proudly Colchagüino. All the wines are produced from grapes grown in the Colchagua Valley. They say they'll never make wines from another valley!
They get their classic Rhône-blend grapes from their organic vineyard in Santa Ana.
- 2013 they planted the Rhône varieties of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. They always (and always will) co-ferment grapes when making old-school wine.
- In 2016 they planted a small vineyard with Marselan grapes, which is part of the 2019 Field Blend.
- In 2017 they planted some Roussanne (white) and Cinsault (they are the only producers of Cinsault in Colchagua!), both of which are part of the 2020 Field Blend.
- They also grow Marsanne and Viognier - two other classic white Rhône varietals - that started producing in 2021. They harvested Sangiovese for the 1st time in 2021, and it turned out amazing!!
- Cabernet Sauvignon comes from grapes in the foothills of the Andes, from a friend's biodynamic vineyard where altitude (800m) plays an important role in producing high quality grapes. They get more freshness and elegance than the typical Cabernet Sauvignon from Central Valley.
- The Pais (Mission) grapes come from a historic vineyard in Pumanque. It's truly amazing - a real piece of history with vines of around 150 years of age. There are very few hectares of Pais left in Colchagua ... in fact, according to SAG, Pais does not exist in Colchagua, and that is why La Dispensa is not allowed to mention 'Pais' and 'Colchagua' on their wine label!
Buy 6 bottles of regularly priced (not on sale) wines and receive 5% off.
Buy 12 and receive 10% off.
Email sale wines do not combine nor count towards the above discount.
