" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Chakana Estate Torrontes 2019
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Chakana Estate Red Mendoza is made from 70% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Deep red color with violet hints. Dark fruits and exotic spices with tobacco and mocha hints. Elegant, well balanced, harmonious, long persistence with chocolate flavors.
Vineyard: Gualtallary in Valle de Uco.
2 days maceration on skins in temperature controlled steel vats; 12 days fermentation with selected yeasts allowed to rise to a maximum of 28°C.
Review:
"Notes of fresh blackcurrants and dark cherries with subtle hints of nutshells, cocoa and spice box. Rich and flavorful on the palate with a medium to full body and ripe, glossy tannins. Succulent, lightly spicy finish. Malbec, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Vegan. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (February 2024), 91 pts
Chakana is the name of the Southern Cross constellation. Its rotation in the sky throughout the year made it an effective agricultural calendar for the ancient Andean people.
Estate Chardonnay is from Chakana's Altamira vineyard (3,200 ft elevation).
Yellow color with green hints. Deep and clean aromas of pineapple, toasty notes and a fresh mineral character and finish. A good body, dense and lively on the palate.
It is hard to imagine with the Lithology range receiving 298 points out of 300 for the three single-vineyard wines, that there could possibly be a wine above them. But there is, and it is our Estate wine. Blended several times very intently by masters of their craft Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, this is the ultimate expression of our house’s work. Positive, full-bodied, and quite powerful, there’s the expected crème de cassis and blackberry from St. Helena Cabernets, with mineral, herb, subtle tobacco and vanilla, plum skins, and pie crust, purple flowers, forest-conifer notes, and very fine tannic structure. It is a magnificent, and magnificently elegant expression of this house, and when asked recently, Monsieur Rolland stated plainly to me, “oh yes indeed – this is the best one, the best yet…”
Review:
Pure perfection in Cabernet, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Alejandro Bulgheroni is all varietal and comes two-thirds from Oakville with the balance from sites in St. Helena and Rutherford. Aged 20 months in 70% new French oak and put together by Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, it has an incredibly pure, full-bodied, massive yet weightless style that I suspect couldn’t be achieved anywhere outside of Napa Valley. Cassis, blackberries, leafy herbs, lead pencil shavings, and tobacco leaf are just some of the nuances here, and it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate while maintaining an ethereal, seamless, utterly perfect balance between its fruit, alcohol, tannins, and acidity. As good as it gets, it needs just 2-4 years in the cellar and will evolve gracefully for at least 20-25 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 100 Points
Charles Smith K Vintners Powerline Estate Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Friendly, approachable and vivacious, yet also dark and mysterious. Black cherry, allspice, black ash, and orange blossom. Thyme and flint with ark fruit, cedar, kelp, black pepper, juniper, crushed rock, and tons of complex floral notes. Fear not, embrace it.
While just bottled a week before this tasting, the 2019 Syrah Powerline Vineyard certainly wasn't showing any worse for it, offering a stunning bouquet of ripe red and black fruits as well as white pepper, sandalwood, tobacco, and new leather. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and vibrant, with supple, polished tannins, this brilliant Syrah is going to keep for 10-12 years, if not longer.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Halter Ranch Vineyard Ancestor Estate Reserve is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Malbec, 17% Petit Verdot,
Their flagship wine, Ancestor is their Bordeaux-style reserve blend, and an homage to the Ancestor Tree, the largest Coast Live Oak on record. The 2019 Ancestor showcases aromas of red currant and dark chocolate along with subtle hints of cinnamon and clove. The entry is soft and rich with layered flavors of blueberry, blackberry, and dark cherry. The mid- palate is thick and mouth coating with balanced acid. The finish is framed by integrated tannins and delicate flavors of caramel and truffle.
Pair with roasted meats, reduction sauces, and hearty stews.
Review:
Baked blackberry, leather, cocoa and espresso-bean aromas show on the nose of this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Malbec and 17% Petit Verdot. The palate is generous in fruit, tense in tannins and very approachable, showing creamy blueberry, pepper and wild-herb flavors.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Robert Mondavi Winery The Estates Red Blend is made from 49% Cabernet Franc, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot.
Robert Mondavi’s vision was to elevate Napa to the world stage. In celebration of his achievement, our Napa Tier wines are sourced from distinctive vineyards throughout the Napa Valley and truly emulate a classic Napa Valley style.
Aromas of blackberry, cherry, toasted almond, bay leaf and mocha. Luscious ripe cherry and cassis, with savory notes of dried herbs and toast. Rich, weighty, and mouth-coating, with classic fine To Kalon tannins.
Review:
This has a pretty fragrance of violets, green peppercorns, salted olives, blackcurrants and black raspberries. Creamy, salted dark chocolate and praline to follow. Medium-to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Delicious and superbly balanced. 50% cabernet franc, 47% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot.
-James Sucking 94 Points
The 2019 Red Blend Estate comes all from the To Kalon Vineyard and is close to an even split of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a clear step up over the base Red Blend and offers terrific, full-bodied aromas and flavors of darker fruits, dark chocolate, violets, and a kiss of spring flowers. With silky tannins, terrific balance, and outstanding length, it's going to evolve for 15 years or so.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Product Description
The "yaguarete" (jaguar) on the label was known by the ancient Andean people as the "lord of the starred night"; the wildest known animal.
Chakana is the name of the Southern Cross constellation. Its rotation in the sky throughout the year made it an effective agricultural calendar for the ancient Andean people.
Estate Torrontes is from Chakana's Gualtallary vineyard (5,300 ft elevation).
The wine shows the typical aromas of Torrontes (white flowers, lychee, peach) balanced by a refreshing acidity. Mineral texture due do the rocky soil of the vineyard. Elegant, dry and clean finish.
Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels. Aged 4 months. Pairs with crab cakes and seafood pasta.
Review:
Right up there with my favourite orange wines in Argentina, this is a Torrontés that spent eight months on its skins but is so well made that it didn’t extract excessive bitterness from a grape that has tannin to spare. Egg-fermented and aged in old wood, it’s a salty, assertive, grippy white with quince and orange zest flavours and a refreshing, low-alcohol finish. 2020-24 94 pts
- Tim Atkin MW (March 2020), 94 pts
Winery: Chakana
The Chakana Estate
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Malbec, Bonarda Argentina, Cabernet Sauvignon
Elegant and mature wines with 12 months of oak aging, produced
only with grapes grown in our own estates.
Ayni is our icon wine. It is the result of our permanent quest
for the best Malbec terroirs that Mendoza can offer. This wine
comes from the gravely limestone soils of Altamira: powerful
but fresh and lively, this 100% Malbec has been aged in
French oak barrels for 18 months. It is presented in 6-bottle
wooden cases.
Chakana Estate Selection is a line of wines which represent the
best terroirs of each of our estates. Aged in French oak barrels
for 12 months these wines give pre-eminence to the expression
of terroir rather than oak. In every wine we try to craft a drinkable
and seductive style through the careful management of our
soils and grapes and in accordance with our consumers’ taste.
Chakana winery was founded by Juan Pelizzatti on May 2nd, 2002. Juan was driven to enter the wine industry first and foremost by his passion for wine, and also by the desire to invest his time and money on a product of agriculture. Although Juan did not know it at the time, the company was founded on the same day the Chakana was celebrated on the Andes highlands: on that same day, the Southern Cross (the Chakana for the Inca people) becomes vertical in the night Andean sky.
Juan's mission is to create an integral experience to introduce world consumers to the taste and culture of the Andes. His vision is to become one of the top 20 exporters of wine from Argentina, by consistently offering outstanding value for money.
"An incredible discovery for me, this winery was founded a decade ago and named after the Southern Cross ("Chakana" is the local Indian dialect for that constellation). It is located approximately 20 miles south of Mendoza in Agrelo. All three of these wines are highly recommended, and all are fabulous bargains in Malbec." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (June 2012)
Wine is currently produced in four different levels at Chakana, by winemaker Gabriel Bloise:
Entry Level: Maipe
Reserve Level: Maipe Reserve, Cueva de las Manos, Nuna
Estate Selection
Ayni
The Chakana Estate Vineyards
Our grapes are grown in our own estates located in diverse premium micro-regions of Mendoza.
Each of them contributes its character to the final blend of our top quality wines.
Our wines are made in a state-of-the-art 2 million liter facility located in our Agrelo estate.
The Three Chakana Vineyard Areas:
FINCA AGRELO
LOCATION: AGRELO, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza
Description: 120 ha. planted with different varieties between 2002 and 2010. Mainly Malbec,
Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Syrah.
Altitude: 960 meters above sea level.
TERROIR: Varied. Deep clay to loam. Gravel in some areas. Dry and cool climate with important
amplitude in temperature.
Wine Profile: Medium-bodied, elegant, fruity.
FINCA TERRADA
LOCATION: MAYOR DRUMMOND, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza.
Description: 21 ha. 100 year old Malbec.
Altitude: 919 metres above sea level.
TERROIR: Loam and clay with 70 cm deep gravel. Some limestone. Urban
influenced climate, relatively warm.
WINE PROFILE: Complex, ripe fruit.
FINCAS ALTAMIRA
LOCATION: ALTAMIRA, Valle de Uco, Mendoza
Altamira I |16 ha. Malbec. Altitude: 1,068 meters above sea level.
Altamira II |26 ha. Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, planted in 2006. Altitude: 1,097 meters above sea
level.
TERROIR: Sandy-loam with gravel at 50 cm depth. Dominated by limestone. Temperate climate.
WINE PROFILE: Full-bodied and mineral.
They also source wines from contract suppliers in Ugarteche and Medrano, for entry level wines, and in Vista Flores, for Estate Selection & Ayni levels.
The Wine Making Team:
WINEMAKING CONSULTANT: ALBERTO ANTONINI. Alberto is an Italian winemaker with a pioneering role in
the discovery and development of high quality Malbec. Alberto has brought to us his profound knowledge of
the wine industry, his uncompromising commitment to authenticity and the belief that Argentina will become
one of the leading winegrowing regions of the world.
VITICULTURE CONSULTANT: ALAN YORK. Alan is one of the world’s leading consultants on biodynamic
viticulture. He is also a permanent source of inspiration and insight into the relationship between man, spirit
and nature.
WINEMAKER: GABRIEL BLOISE. Gabriel is one of the stars of the younger generation of Mendoza’s winemakers.
30 years old, he has already made 15 vintages in top estates in some of the most important winegrowing
areas in the world: Tuscany, Priorat, Australia, California, North Carolina, Salta and Mendoza. He is a tireless
explorer of the relationship between nature and its effect on the aromas in wine.
TERROIR CONSULTANT: PEDRO PARRA. Pedro's expertise helps us to understand how to identify and
manage the soil in each plot of our vineyards. His palate is fine-tuned to understanding the impact of soil
structure on the taste of wine. This has made him one of the 50 most influential people in wine according to
Decanter Magazine.
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Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Shiraz.
Encompassing everything the Hill-Smith family stands for and the perfect representation of Yalumba’s history and ethos, The Signature is a sentimental favorite. A classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, the first vintage release of The Signature was in 1962. Since then, this outstanding wine has acknowledged more than 57 Signatories; people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba.
Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile.
Review:
The 2018 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (the 48th vintage) is named for Nick Waterman (managing director and CEO of Yalumba 2015 - 2022). The 2018 vintage in South Australia (and specifically here, Barossa) was an excellent one: ripe/warm, even and long and produced wines with density, energy and gravitas. This is exactly that: plush and powerful. The fruit forms a perfect dovetail: the enveloping, mouth-filling abundance of the Shiraz, neatly wedged into the folds of the structuring and shapely Cabernet. Very impressive. This is one of the more impressive Signatures in recent times. It will cellar with grace and ease.
-Robert Parker 96 Points
Since its first release in 1962, The Signature has been Yalumba's deep dive into the classic Australian blend from the Barossa and one that honors the people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba. There is a resonance and depth to this release that I really like. Wonderfully pure and concentrated blackberry and plum fruits, layered with spice, dark chocolate, earth, cedar and oak nuance. Succulent and sinewy in the mouth, it flexes considerable muscle, yet remains purely fruited and approachable even at this stage of its evolution. Rich and balanced with fine, ripe tannin and plenty of energy for such depth of fruit. Lovely.
- Australian Wine Companion 96 Points
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