Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia, Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine makes me a fan of Chilean cabernet sauvignon again. A number of years ago I was nuts over Chilean cabernet sauvignon, but then I started to avoid it after encountering a number of them with a funky mint aroma that was distracting. A slight mint aroma can be a good thing, but too often I found it to be too strong in the cabs I was tasting from Chile.

But this one doesn’t have any of that funky mint. What it does have is plenty of the delicious aromas and flavors I want from a cabernet sauvignon.

Coffee, chocolate, black currant, toasted oak and red raspberry aromas give this wine a rich and luxurious nose. This is a big wine with a lot going on in it. The palate is also rich, offering currant, raspberry, cherry, plum and chocolate flavors, all with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s complex and balanced. The acidity is good and the finish is relatively long. This cabernet is a great value.

It comes from Santa Carolina winery in Chile and it’s one of at least five different cabernet sauvignons they produce. Specifically, this one is in their “Reserva de Familia” line. It’s made from grapes from the Maipo Valley region.

Wine: Santa Carolina, Reserva de Familia, Cabernet Sauvignon
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol: 13.8%
Rating: 88
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Find Santa Carolina, Reserva de Familia, Cabernet Sauvignon with Snooth