2019 Casa Real
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Tasting notes
It doesn't get much more classical than the 2019 Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon, a textbook example of a Maipo Cabernet with the list of classical descriptors: lead pencil, cedar wood, blackcurrants, mint, balsam, earth and spice. It's juicy and ripe without excess, with 14.5% alcohol, a soft palate and round tannins and a dry finish 14,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021 after 20 months in barrel, 82% of them new, but the oak is neatly integrated in the wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Second vintage on the Place de Bordeaux for this Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, loaded up with sweet black cherry and damson fruits, a thick coating of chocolate and smoked espresso beans, generous and joyful. Trace of heat on the finish but there is so much going on here that you barely notice, and this delivers impressive, well balanced pleasure, with a well-judged flick of bitter marzipan on the finish. Tasted twice, good quality.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Casa Real, from Alto Jahuel, spent 20 months in barrels, 83% of them new. Garnet red with a purple sheen. The nose presents black currant, blackberry, cedar, balsamic and ashy notes from the aging process, as well as orange peel, graphite and a minty backdrop. The best qualities are the broad, polished tannins and the silky feel. Lingers at length at the back of the mouth, leading to a fruity, complex finish followed by an aftertaste of sour cherry.
The winter preceding the growing season was relatively dry and was followed by a warmer-than-average spring. Summer was dry and slightly cooler than the historical average. Grapes were harvested between 20 March and 22 April. Alcoholic fermentation took place in small stainless-steel and concrete tanks at 24–26 °C. The extraction programme was decided daily by tasting, being more intensive at the beginning of fermentation and extremely delicate towards the end. Post-fermentation maceration for 4–6 days prior to draining. The skins were pressed using a vertical basket press, the press wines separated and matured and used as a component of the final blend. Ageing for 20 months in 82% new, 18% second-use French oak barrels. Bottled without filtration or clarification. Winemakers: Sebastián Labbé and Teresita Ovalle. TA 5.04 g/l (tartaric), pH 3.57, RS 2.19 g/l Ripe and attractive nose, red-fruit-led with some forest fruits and a graphite note. Very fine and detailed tannins, there is a saline twist and bright acidity with red fruits, star anise and a very long and elegant finish. Fine and firm with a nice tobacco note – very attractive in its youth. (AC)