Santa Rita : Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 from Santa Rita

Tasting

Color
The color reveals a deep ruby red hue with dark highlights.

Nose
The nose reveals intense aromas of blackcurrant and ripe cherries, accompanied by notes of tobacco and subtle spicy nuances that provide a beautiful olfactory complexity.

Palate
On the palate, this wine is captivating with its complex structure and refined, expansive tannins. The silky texture reveals remarkable concentration and impressive finesse, lingering with exceptional length. Overall, it expresses freshness, liveliness and elegance in perfect balance.

Food and Wine Pairings

This Cabernet Sauvignon pairs perfectly with grilled red meats, mildly spiced stews and aged cheeses. It also elevates lamb dishes and game specialties.

Service and Aging

The Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 can be enjoyed now but has an exceptional cellaring potential until around 2044. It is recommended to serve it at a temperature of 16-18°C and to decant it one hour before serving to fully reveal its aromatic complexity.

An Exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from the Andean Terroir of the Central Valley

The Estate

Founded in 1880, Santa Rita was acquired in 1980 by the Claro group and extends over 4,000 hectares of vineyards in the Chilean Central Valley, primarily in the Maipo, Casablanca and Apalta valleys. The estate is distinguished by its exceptional terroirs such as Alto Jahuel, known for its iconic Cabernet Sauvignons. Santa Rita cultivates ungrafted, massal-selection vines planted in the 1970s, producing prestigious cuvées like Casa Real. The low-intervention approach and aging in French oak barrels reveal the pure expression of the Chilean Andean terroir.

The Vineyard

The Casa Real vineyard spans 20 hectares in the Carneros Viejo and Población blocks, located at Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley, at 565 meters above sea level and 30 kilometers from Santiago. Nestled at the foot of the Andes on alluvial terraces of the Maipo River, this west-facing amphitheater site benefits from deep, silty and stony soils that offer excellent drainage. The ungrafted, massal-selection Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in the 1970s are divided into small plots to encourage low yields and precise expression of the terroir.

The Vintage

The 2022 vintage was characterized by a moderately cool season with late winter rains and a cooler than average summer. The region’s Mediterranean climate, marked by cool winters and warm summers, benefits from pronounced temperature fluctuations under the influence of the Andes. These particular conditions promoted slow and even ripening, resulting in grapes with high concentration, ripe tannins and vibrant acidity.

Winemaking and Aging

The grapes for the Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 were hand-harvested in the early hours of the morning following a low-intervention approach. After manual and optical sorting, vinification is carried out in small lots with vigorous pump-overs and rack-and-return at the start of fermentation, followed by gentler techniques towards the end. After pressing in a basket press, the wines are aged separately before the Blend. The 20-month aging takes place in French oak barrels, 80% new and 20% second-use. Bottling is followed by a minimum of one year of bottle aging before release.

Grape Variety

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from massal selection on ungrafted vines.