Viu Manent Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva "Rayuela"

Viu Manent Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva “Rayuela”

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • The grapes for this wine come from the winery’s San Carlos Vineyard, located near Cunaco in the Colchagua Valley. The blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon were planted nearly 100 years ago.
  • Rayuela means hopscotch in Spanish.

Varietal Composition: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, and 3% Syrah.

Elaboration: The grapes were destemmed and crushed into a tank. Alcoholic fermentation took place with native yeasts at 25º–27ºC and very gently to avoid over-extraction to ensure a more elegant, friendly, and balanced wine. The new wine remained on its skins for approximately 7–10 days, and malolactic fermentation took place naturally. The wine was aged in French oak barrels and was delicately filtered before bottling. Oak: 72% of the wine spent 12 months in French oak barrels. The remaining 28% was aged in concrete tanks.nless steel tanks, concrete eggs, and foudres, all with the goal of contributing greater freshness and volumen to the final blend.

Tasting Notes:  Deep and intense ruby red in color. The nose is complex and intense with notes that recall fresh red fruits such as sour cherries, blackcurrants, and black cherries. The palate is smooth, lush, fresh, and vibrant with a pleasing, delicate finish.

PRESS

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PRODUCER BACKGROUND

After working as a wine merchant alongside his father and brother since the 1930’s, Miguel Viu Manent made the decision to branch out on his own in 1965, purchasing a historic vineyard and winery in Chile’s Colchagua Valley.  The estate was and still is one of the most well-exposed sites in the region, and it included 150 hectares of pre-phylloxera massal selections from France.

This company provides us with wines we consider the best value wines in the country (see “Reserva line), forward/experimental options (see “Secreto” line), some of the most solid “under $20” varietal wines you’ll find anywhere in the world (see “Gran Reserva” line), site specific/terroir driven releases (see “Single Vineyard” wines), and most famously the iconic “Viu 1.”  Malbec is clearly the house specialty here – Viu Manent was the first Chilean winery to bottle, label, and market Malbec, and they’ve for years been Chile’s Malbec leaders both in terms of accolades and quantity produced.

After nearly 100 years this firm is still family owned and operated (a rarity in Chile, especially for a winery of this size), all farming is certified sustainable, and two of Chile’s top names consult with the winery on a permanent basis – Roberto Pizarro (vineyard management) and Paul Hobbs (winemaking).

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