Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020. Rio Baker

In 1998, brothers Martin and Eduardo Silva, together with Aurelio Montes planted the vineyard which would become the Ventisquero Estate in Chile's Patagonian region. In 2000 they hired Filipe Tosso as winemaker. His experience in creating exceptional wine in Bordeaux and Chateauneuf-du- Pape as well as Australia's Barossa Valley was no less than a dream resume.

While in Australia, Filipe met winemaker John Duval who crafted one of the most famous wines in the world, Penfolds Grange. That friendship continued until Duval left his famous position to become co-winemaker with Tosso and began a path crafting his own wine. It sounds and tastes like a match made in heaven. Cabernet Sauvignon is still king in Chile. As well as it does in so many other places, it seems to love the warm, dry conditions in the Maipo Valley. Here it ripens to its maximum, producing perfect grapes every vintage. This makes the winemaker's job easier, which also makes it better.

What is interesting to note with our Rio Baker is that the grapes were harvested over a six week period. This necessitates the vines being picked several times with each worker making sure that only the ripest clusters are used. This time consuming task is what accounts for the incredible depth of our selection. The awesome display of raspberries, blueberries, and currants mixed with earth tones and licorice is almost dizzying. These powerful attributes coalesce into a cohesive whole to form one perfect impression. Pairing with chicken diablo or pork tenderloin is all that is left.

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