Rafael Tirado Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc 2020
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Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This hand harvested, single vineyard, 100% estate Sauvignon Blanc is from vines that Rafael Tirado planted himself in 1998.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2020 was a cool vintage in Colbun, and the 2020 Cenizas de Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc shows it with vibrant acidity and flavors, a very young white with electric minerality and a dry finish. This is still extremely young, and my experience with older vintage tells me the wine is going to develop magnificently in bottle. This fermented at low temperature in stainless steel, where the wine was kept with the lees for eight months. Right now it's sharp and pungent and should get more polished with time in bottle.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Light straw color; ripe melon, some tropical fruit and herbs in the aroma, attractive, nice richness; medium bodied, juicy and bright on the palate; dry, medium acidity, very good balance; ripe melon, savory spices, ripe citrus flavors, very good intensity; medium finish.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
As one of ten children, Rafael Tirado has long been prepared to navigate his way through life. Over the course of his decades long career, he has made wine around the world, managed several mid-sized Chilean wineries, many of which are exported to the USA, and has become one of the most sought after wine consultants in Chile. Rafa purchased land in the Eastern Maule Valley in the front range of the Chilean Andes and planted his first estate vines in 1993 on volcanic ash over granite. He currently has six parcels totaling 23ha of vines. His vineyards are legally recognized to be located within the Colbun D.O. and he is currently the only producer in the D.O. Many of his vines are planted in various orientations, some of which are planted in the shape of a labyrinth. Rafael built a small gravity fed winery and geothermal barrel and bottle room on the property, and currently produces estate wines under the Laberinto and Vistalago labels. We believe these wines to be some of the most classic expressions of terroir in all of Chile, and Rafael Tirado to be a beacon of Artisanal Chilean Wine.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Maule is the Central Valley’s most southern and coolest zone, reaching a southern latitude of 35°S, yet it is still warmer and drier than Bío-Bío to its south. The Maule Valley enjoys success with a unique set of grapes.
It lays claim to the local variety, Pais (synonymous with Tinta Pais, which is actually Tempranillo), which has dominated much of the region’s area under vine until the recent past. Now many growers, not confined by the tradition and regulations of the Old World, also successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon.
While Maule’s total area under vine remains relatively static, its old Carignan vineyards are undergoing a great revival. The VIGNO (Vignadores del Carignan Vintners) group, an association in charge of promoting this long-forgotten variety, is getting fantastic results from the old vines in its dry-farmed coastal zones.
The Maule includes the subregions of Talca, San Clemente, San Javier, Parral, Linares and Cauquenes.