2012 Liguai

Sourced from their best Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère plots, the 2012 Liguai was first produced in 2002, and in 2012 was (the blend varies with the year) 40% Syrah and 30% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère were used; it aged for 16 months in French oak barrels. As in the other blended wines, the varieties were vinified and aged separately for six months, then blended together and put back into barrel to complete the élevage. Somehow, the grape mix seems to have rendered the wine slightly anonymous, and none of the varieties seem to take the leading role. It's balsamic, somewhat aromatic with ripe fruit and hints of oak, with plenty of spices. The palate shows more influence from the oak, riper fruit with abundant, dusty tannins and soft with moderate acidity. This is a wine that has not changed its style in the last ten years -- a style that has its public and very much in the end-of-the-1990s fashion. 18,600 bottles were produced.