2009 Los Vascos Le Dix

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 superb Cabernet.
The 2009 Le Dix is produced from a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere and 5% Syrah with maturation taking place in new French oak for 18 months. Under the strict supervision of the Chateau Lafite wine making team this wine has been produced in the same fashion as Chateau Lafite’s Bordeaux Grand Cru wines. Opaque, dark crimson red black colour with deep, dark crimson red hue. The nose presents a very refined Bordeaux inspired sniff with an intriguing array of blackcurrant, dark mulberry and tobacco aromas emerging as top notes followed by some cedar, earth and spice. The palate is a near perfect amalgam of classical Bordeaux refinement and Chile’s new world richness. Medium to full bodied the palate is filled with ripe blackcurrant and dark mulberry fruit flavours with some underlying tobacco, cigar box like characters followed by some cedar and spice. Beautifully balanced and perfectly integrated tannin structure. Exceptionally long and persistent blackcurrant, dark mulberry, cigar box, earthy cedar and spice aftertaste.
Cellar 5-8 years plus (2017-2020)
Alc 14.0%