Santa Rita : Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Characteristics and tasting tips for the Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 from Santa Rita

Tasting

Appearance
The appearance displays a deep ruby red color with dark nuances.

Nose
The bouquet reveals intense aromas of cassis and ripe cherries, accompanied by notes of tobacco and subtle spicy nuances that lend a beautiful olfactory complexity.

Palate
On the palate, this wine impresses with its complex structure and refined, powerful tannins. The silky texture reveals remarkable concentration and impressive finesse, continuing into an exceptional length. The overall impression expresses freshness, vibrancy, and elegance in perfect balance.

Food and wine pairing

This Cabernet Sauvignon pairs perfectly with grilled red meat dishes, slow-cooked meals with mild spices, and aged cheeses. It also enhances lamb dishes and game specialties.

Service and storage

The Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 can be enjoyed now but has exceptional cellaring potential until around 2044. It should be served at 16–18°C and decanted one hour before serving to fully reveal its aromatic complexity.

An exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from the Andean terroir of the Central Valley

The estate

Founded in 1880, Santa Rita was acquired by the Claro Group in 1980 and covers 4,000 hectares of vineyards in the Chilean Central Valley, mainly in the Maipo, Casablanca, and Apalta valleys. The estate stands out for exceptional terroirs like Alto Jahuel for its iconic Cabernet Sauvignons. Santa Rita cultivates ungrafted vines through massal selection planted in the 1970s and produces prestigious cuvées like Casa Real. The minimal intervention approach and ageing in French oak barrels allow the pure expression of the Andean Chilean terroir to shine through.

The vineyard

The Casa Real vineyard covers 20 hectares in the Carneros Viejo and Población sites in Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley, at an altitude of 565 meters and 30 kilometers from Santiago. Located at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the alluvial terraces of the Maipo River, this amphitheater-shaped site with western exposure benefits from deep, clay and stony soils that ensure excellent drainage. The vines, planted in the 1970s, come from a massal selection of ungrafted Cabernet Sauvignon and are divided into small plots to allow for low yields and precise terroir expression.

The vintage

The 2022 vintage is characterized by a moderately cool season with late winter rains and a cooler than usual summer. The region's Mediterranean climate, marked by cool winters and hot summers, benefits from a distinct temperature amplitude under the influence of the Andes. These particular conditions favored slow and even ripening, resulting in grapes with high concentration, ripe tannins, and vibrant acidity.

Winemaking and ageing

The harvest of the Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 was carried out manually in the early morning hours following a minimally invasive approach. After manual and optical sorting, vinification takes place in small batches with intense pump-overs at the beginning and gentler ones and rack-and-return towards the end. After pressing in a basket press, the wines age individually before being blended. Ageing takes place over 20 months in French oak barrels, of which 80% are new and 20% are second-fill. Bottling is followed by at least one year of bottle ageing before release.

Grape variety

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from massal selection on ungrafted vines.