Calcu Winemaker’s Selection Blend 2018

This year, the heart of this blend is a co-fermentation of 38% cabernet franc and 15% malbec planted in a gobelet system (a kind of small bush) on the granitic and clay soils of Marchigüe, on the western side of the Colchagua Valley. The rest is 25% carmenere, 18% cabernet sauvignon, and a bit of petit verdot. This wine is all structure. Slightly austere on the nose, the palate is dominated by severe tannins that are piercing, as is usual in Marchigüe. The flavors are ripe, lush, and succulent in a wine that’s big and opulent enough to consider with pork ribs. Score – 93. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2022)