Vina Vik Milla Cala 2017
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James -
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Winemaker Notes
Milla Cala 2017 reflects Millahue Valley's pure terroir. Each variety dynamically contributes to the Bordeaux-style blend's complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon seduces with ripe dark berry fruit and supple velvet tannins. Merlot delivers plush stone fruit while Cabernet Franc elevates the blend with elegant minerality. Carmenere gives the blend its depth, body, and flavors of blackberries and plums, and Syrah finishes with floral notes of lavender and violets. Twenty months aging in French barrels impart final touches of spice and mocha.
Pair with foie gras agnolotti in veal consommé and mature cheeses.
Blend: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 13% Carmenere, 6% Merlot, 4% Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is really so delicious with spice, tile, light chocolate and juicy berries. Medium to full body. Wonderful intensity and brightness. Delicious with so much energy. No new wood here. All about balance and drinkability.
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Wine Enthusiast
Briary blackberry and cassis aromas include familiar Chilean notes of eucalyptus and juniper. This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend is ripe and creamy in feel, with generous flavors of brown sugar, herbs, blackberry, cassis, coffee and chocolate. The finish is chewy and rich. Editors' Choice
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In 2004, Alexander Vik, a Norwegian entrepreneur, proposed the creation of a world-class vineyard to produce a unique wine. A holistic vineyard creating world class wines, located on 11.000 acres of Chilean nature, and featuring an architecturally exceptional winery, restaurant and retreat. “Science and knowledge are our foundation, passion is our engine and the wine is the expression of our Art” The viti-vinicultural concept at VIK is based on the technique of optimizing each stage of grape growing and wine production, with an important focus on science and technology, all of which is adapted to each of our valleys in order to achieve the optimum maturity levels in our fruit and to create the best wine.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.