Santa Rita Triple C – A Home Run

65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Carménère from Maipo Valley, Chile.

SRP of $40 and available normally for as low as $33 (Saturday Splurge). Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Santa Rita is broadly recognized as an international ambassador for world class Chilean wines. Since our foundation in 1880, Santa Rita has focused on crafting superb quality wines becoming one of Chile’s most admired, traditional and innovative wine estates.

Our Alto Jahuel Estate occupies a unique location being both in the heart of the Maipo Valley and besides the foothills of the Andes Mountains. It is regarded as one of the finest vineyards in Chile and produces this exceptional wine, which reveals the extraordinary terroir of the area. Triple C takes its name from the three varieties used in the blend: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. All three varieties originated in Bordeaux and are estate grown with great care. Therefore, it benefits from the best of both the Old and New World, combining the elegance of traditional grape varieties with the most modern New World techniques. To allow it to reveal its full expression, the wine was not filtered and therefore, decanting is recommended.

14.5% Alcohol”

We’ve long been fans of wine from Chile here at The Reverse Wine Snob and today’s Bordeaux-style blend is a great example of just what this under-appreciated region is capable of — making delicious wine.

The 2007 Santa Rita Triple C begins with a really lovely aroma of black cherry, smoked meat, plum, licorice, wonderful baking spice and even a little cinnamon. You will; however, want to give this wine some to breathe to get the best experience. We were impatient so we put our new Soiree In-Bottle Wine Aerator to good use which you’ll hear more about in tomorrow’s post. Tasting the wine revealed a full, smooth, mouth-coating texture with prominent tannins and strong acidity. This wine is loaded with dark fruit like blackcurrant, plum, blackberry and even a little raisin. Add in some toasty oak, licorice, black pepper, spice and a little vanilla and you’ve got a home run. And it was even better on day 2!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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