Errazuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Aconcagua valley, Chile
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Natalie's Score: 87/100 Community Score: 4.4/5 Community Reviews: 3 Add My Review Product #: 262717 Wine Type: Red Wine	Price: $12.95 Alcohol: 14% Drink: 2010-2014 Sweetness: Extra Dry Bottle size: 750 ml Winery: Errazuriz Agent: Philippe Dandurand Wines Ltd.
More Vintages: 2008

Note: I publish batches of reviews that I call Good Values Wine Picks. These are from the regular section of the liquor store rather than the Vintages section, and tend to be lower priced and the most widely available of all wines. The last four reviews I did were: May 22, March 7, January 4 and December 16.

Tasting note:

A terrific value for this full-bodied, well-structured red! Aromas of dark berries and smoke make it an ideal companion for hearty meat dishes.

Reviewed July 20, 2010 by Natalie MacLean

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Opinions about wine differ greatly as the experience is subjective. You may find it helpful to compare this critical evaluation of the wine with mine as well as your own:

Geoff rated this wine as 90/100

Vineyard
The grapes for our 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon came from our Max Vineyards in the Valle de Aconcagua, a region that features a Mediterranean climate where moderately warm summer days and cooling afternoon breezes. This condition results in a high diurnal temperature oscillation (20°C/36°F) in the weeks prior to harvest that encourages high concentrations of polyphenols (anthocyanins) and creates wines with great colour intensity. The vineyards soils are from alluvial origin and have very good drainage conditions. This alluvial base is topped with varying depths of colluvial deposits with low to medium vigour potentials. This combination encourages balanced vine growth and good maturation in the grapes. Vineyard management includes drip irrigation and cane pruning. Vertical shoot positioning provides the vines with longer solar exposure throughout the season and encourages the development of high quality fruit.

Vintage Notes
The essentially rain-free weather conditions during the 2008–2009 winegrowing season were particularly amenable to producing healthy fruit. The first half of the season (October–December) showed a decrease in the mean temperatures with respect to those registered during the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons, primarily due to a drop in average temperatures. The second half of the season (January–April), on the other hand, presented higher than usual average monthly high temperatures. The month of March was particularly warm, with several spikes in temperature that topped 32ºC (90ºF). As a result of these conditions, the Viña Errázuriz harvest took place just 4 to 7 days earlier than in an average year. Water management was essential for keeping the canopies active, especially in varieties that are sensitive to water stress and high temperatures such as Cabernet Sauvignon, so we increased irrigation by 20% with respect to an average year. The season’s heat summations were moderate and registered just 1,668 degree days in the Max Vineyards.

Winemaking
The grapes were hand-picked during the last week of April and transported to the winery in bins. The fruit was crushed into stainless steel tanks and fermented immediately at 26°C - 30°C (79°- 86°F) with 2 pumpovers per day. Because the grapes for this wine come from different vineyards, post-fermentation maceration time of the lots varied from 12 to 20 days of extended skin contact. 33% of the wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for 6 to 8 months, depending of the development of individual lots to help round out the wine and contribute to a sweet mouthfeel. After the final blend was made, the wine was cold settled and lightly filtered before bottling.

Winemaker's Comments
Our 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has a classic ruby-red colour, with a nose that shows aromas of red fruit such as sour cherries and strawberries intermingled with spicy flavours along with black pepper and tobacco. The medium-bodied palate is juicy with a good level of acidity and friendly tannins that lead to a pleasant finish.

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