2009 Los Vascos Grande Reserve

Lafite Rothschild’s Los Vascos Collection – A combination of French know how and Chilean Flair.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of the five Great Growths of Bordeaux, and amongst the world's most expensive bottles of wine. Not content with the success of just one vineyard, over the last 30 years, the owners of Chateau Lafite, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, have made strategic acquisitions around the globe, selecting specific sites that possess the terroir required to produce exciting New World wines with Lafite Rothschild's unique First Growth stamp. One of their first new world ventures was that of Los Vascos in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. With the rain soaked rout of Australia's South Eastern workhorse regions in 2011, quality, big reds from anywhere but Western Australia will be thin on the ground. The value end of the market will be a nightmare for lovers of the deep, red stuff. And this is where our Latin American friend's specialty comes in to play - robust, red wines where $10 will get you $20 in a tight market for quality. And one of the hallmarks of Chilean viticulture is its consistency. If you have not yet sampled the value available from this winning combination of Old and New World, the next 12 months may necessitate a timely introduction.
The Los Vascos vineyard is located 40 km from the Pacific Ocean, some 130m above sea level. The site has excellent exposure to sunlight as well as adequate water resources, semi arid soils and is frost free. No wash outs, mould fests or ice rinks here. Combine this with a tradition focused on quality and you have a relationship, that once begun, will continue to deliver year after year. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 10% Carmenère and 5% Malbec with maturation taking place in French oak barrels (30% new) for a period of 12 months. The 2009 vintage experienced favourable weather conditions suited to optimal production. The rains were concentrated in the autumn and winter and the heat in the early spring was conducive to the buds opening and the vines developing with controlled vigour. Temperature variations brought beautiful colour, intense fruit aromas and good quality tannins with the grapes ripening in ideal conditions through to the harvest. Opaque black crimson colour with dark crimson red hue. The nose shows good perfumed lift with some violet and blackcurrant top notes followed by a tobacco like overlay and some spicy cedar end notes. Medium bodied but possessing an abundance of rich Cabernet fruit the palate delivers flavours of blackcurrant and mulberry followed by some cedar, a touch of tobacco cigar box like characters and spicy back palate. Fine grained tannin structure. Excellent depth with long blackcurrant, mulberry, cedar and spice aftertaste.
Cellar 5-6 years (2017-2018)
Alc 14.0%