Errázuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Aconcagua, Chile 75cl

Vina Errázuriz was founded in 1870 when Don Maximiano Errázuriz planted French vine cuttings in the Aconcagua Valley, roughly 100 kilometres north of Santiago. Today it ranks among Chile’s most respected wineries, with a reputation built at the very top end, and its Estate range is the accessible, everyday face of that pedigree.

Cabernet Sauvignon has been central to Errázuriz from the beginning, and this bottling is entirely Cabernet. The fruit is drawn from the Aconcagua and Maipo valleys, warm inland sites where the grape ripens fully while keeping the fresh, leafy edge that marks good Chilean Cabernet.

The 2018 season is widely regarded as one of the stronger, more balanced recent vintages across central Chile, with an even, unhurried ripening period that favoured fresh, well-defined reds. It shows here in bright fruit and tidy, unforced structure.

The nose leads with cassis and blackberry, lifted by a gentle herbal, leafy note. Medium-bodied and supple, it has soft, approachable tannins and a clean, moreish finish. This is Cabernet made for pleasure rather than contemplation, and it is ready to enjoy straight away, best served lightly cool at around 17 degrees.

As an introduction to Chilean Cabernet, or a reliable house red, it is hard to fault. Serve it with burgers, pizza, grilled sausages or a midweek roast. If you enjoy easy-going Cabernet, this delivers plenty for the money and carries a genuinely respected name. Chile has long offered some of the wine world’s best value in Cabernet Sauvignon, and this is a clear example of why.