Haras de Pirque Albis 2016
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James
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Albis is an elegant and captivating blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère. Albis is the first wine produced by the Antinori family in Chile and its name celebrates the dawn of a new day in viticulture. It represents the unification of two hemispheres, the Old and New Worlds, with the specific aim of crafting a great wine in the heart of the Maipo Valley. It is a rich, well-balanced organic wine with a long persistent finish.
This wine is ideal with slow-cooked lamb and beef, hearty pasta dishes or aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Powerful and pure-tasting, with plush dark plum, cherry tart and dark currant flavors. Refined and minerally on the finish, with dried mint accents and plenty of chocolaty richness. Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère. Drink now through 2025.
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James Suckling
This has good depth, the tannins and ripe flavors building nicely on the palate with a ton of fresh-blackberry and floral character. Good length for a 2016. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Carmenere.
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Wine Enthusiast
Tightly focused aromas of berry fruits, leather, wild herbs and oak lead to a full-bodied palate that draws inward. Well-applied toasty oak results in flavors of chocolate, baking spices and black fruits. On the finish, this Cabernet-heavy blend is warming and lightly herbal. Drink through 2023. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
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Decanter
Classy, gently perfumed with aromas of ripe blackberries, cassis, earth and fresh herbs. Some incipient complexity and will improve over time
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Haras de Pirque is located in the easternmost part of the Maipo Province, at the foothills of central Chile’s mountain range. This area enjoys extremely favorable climatic and geographic conditions and is well-known for producing high quality wines. The vineyards that surround the estate are bordered by a thoroughbred racetrack and the winery was built in the shape of a traditional horseshoe. The vineyards grow at an altitude of 550 to 650 meters (1804-2132 feet) above sea level, south of the Maipo River on the lower slopes of the Andes’ foothills. In the lower area, the soil is rich in clay while the upper area is rocky. The Andes Mountains and its vicinity to the Pacific Ocean influence the region’s climate: summers are hot and dry but are mitigated by humid ocean air and cool nights. The estate’s vineyards are planted to international varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) that are able to find a new expression in this territory, as well as to local varieties such as Carménère – one of the most authentic Chilean grape varieties. Haras de Pirque represents Marchesi Antinori’s desire to produce high quality organic wines that express Chile’s winemaking potential while promoting the Maipo Valley’s extraordinary terroir.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.