Vina Perez Cruz

Have you ever tasted a wine that was so good you couldn't shake it from your memory?  I know some of you have because you bring in your often old and tattered notes from some bygone time and place where the stuff was so great you simply must have it again.  This is where some sober figure is supposed to step in and remind you that that was then and this is now...so just grow up!

Well, I'm with you on this one because when I tasted the 2012 Vina Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva from Chile I didn't just write it down, I kept the bottle behind the counter here to make sure I eventually got the wine.  That was over a year ago when the vendor convinced me that, as good as it was, Perez Cruz wouldn't sell and I'd be better off with the well known brand.  And I let him!

Now a year and a half later I'm in the Perez Cruz business, albeit with the current 2013 vintage.  So because this is an unknown brand with an exceedingly plain white label, I did some much needed homework and here are the selling points:

     1.  Perez Cruz is a Paul Hobbs import which means a lot to many of us.
     2.  It is a family-owned, single vineyard, estate bottled effort, which means quality control.
     3.  The grapes are hand harvested from low yielding vines, again, quality control.
     4.  The property exhibits the diurnal effect of contrasting temperatures (Mediterranean Climate) meaning ripe fruit.
     5.  The vineyards are sustainably farmed in stony soils poor in nutrients, just what you want.
     6.  The vineyards are situated in the Andean foothills of Maipo Alta at 1,400-1,700 feet altitude.
     7.  The estate's thoroughly modern, gravity-fed winery is an architectural masterpiece which may not have a bearing on the wine quality but impressive none the less!
     8.  German Lyon is the French winemaker who probably knows what he's doing.

Now here are the adjectives culled from several reviews: fresh, soft (tannins), well-balanced, bright acidity, smoky oak, red fruits, black cherry, cassis, herbs, and mint.

Instead of doing the same with food affinities, let's just say burgers and any other red meat off the grill.

Now, buy it here for under twenty dollars!