I was so stoked about trying this wine that I went out with my husband in search of the perfect steak to pair with it. It was noted that this wine was practically made for steak. Since we are a steak-loving household, I just knew this would be the wine for us and that it would round out one of the first great meals in our new house. We procured a couple of well-marbled ribeyes and once I had the sides in the oven and my husband was working with the steaks, I sat down for some research.
Most Cabernet Sauvignons that I have tried have been from the US, so I knew we would be in for something a little different and maybe somewhat of a treat since this one was from Chile. Specifically, the grapes for this wine were grown in the Maule Valley, which is part of the Central Valley. The Central Valley is the largest wine-producing region in all of Chile. The Maule Valley makes up the southernmost portion of the Central Valley. It is blessed with lower temperatures, which leads to a better-balanced wine than some of the northern varietals. *
This wine was from Maule Valley, Chile and sampled on February 16, 2019. The lovely, deep ruby color of this wine really drew me in. I took a whiff and smelled mixed berry jam. It complimented the color so well. I was listening to “As Long As We’re Together” by The Lemon Twigs. The first sip hit me like a punch in the face. Woah! Very cherry! It was almost as if the cherry flavor was pumped into the glass. There was a little spice underneath, but it was very difficult to distinguish. At first, it seemed to pair so well with the ribeye. There was too much cherry to enjoy the wine on it’s own, but with food it seemed to mellow out. However, the more I ate and drank, the more everything started to taste like cherry. It was just too much. It was too overpowering to enjoy.
I gave this wine a rating of 1.5. By the end of the glass, I was just glad it was over. I don’t really enjoy cherry flavors very much and this wine just seemed like a cherry bomb. I can’t imagine ever being able to enjoy it on it’s own. With food, it just added a difficult flavor for me.
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