Cabernet Franc Gran Reserva
The vintage
The Los Vascos Cromas name inspired us with the colours of nature that reflect the terroir and the Los Vascos teams’ expertise.
With this new change, the drier-than-usual start to the season required early irrigation and meticulous monitoring of the vineyard. The major challenge for the 2019 vintage essentially resulted from the extremely high temperatures at the end of January and beginning of February (reaching 40.6°C). Fortunately, the much cooler nights, with a record low of 10.2°C, allowed high-quality grapes to be obtained with excellent ripeness and balance.
Location
Stretching from the Coastal range to the foothills of the Andes mountains, Colchagua’s Mediterranean climate and privileged terroirs have made it a place of choice to produce quality wines in Chile. Los Vascos estate lies at the foothills of the coastal range, 200km South West of Santiago, in the cooler part of Colchagua where the vines benefit from the natural cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean.
Terroir
With its strong personality, elegant structure and ageing potential, Cabernet Franc has always been one of our favourite varietals.
The idea to made a super premium Cabernet Franc came up after the terroir studies that were conducted at Los Vascos between 2009 and 2012. The first 2 ha were planted from 2013, reaching 18 ha today.
For this demanding grape variety we chose the hillsides of Santa Lucia where the soils made of altered granite with low argile content, and the south eastern exposition offers the optimal ripening conditions, whilst the gentle ocean breeze helps cooling the grapes at night.
The results didn’t disappoint us and as 2019 vintage we saw we had the grapes with the potential to make a great single varietal wine to join the Cromas range.
Winemaking
This grape variety calls for a very soft handling in the winery, with extreme caution and patience required during the extraction and maceration phases. Therefor the grapes are fermented in small stainless steel tanks, allowing to vinify the various plots separately. The wines are then aged in oak barrels for 80% and the remaining 20% in concrete tanks.
Grapes
Tasting
Bright ruby red color. Strawberry and blackberry-dominated nose that gradually reveals notes of gooseberries, black cherries, herbs, and roasted red peppers. Barrel-aging enhances the complexity of aromas and adds notes of tiramisu and dried fruits.
On the palate, it is unyielding, with forward tannins that boast its lively youth and attractive personality. An awe-inspiring wine. A silent pledge that more is yet to come.
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