Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva (Lafite)

Description

Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva (Lafite) is the new name for the old Los Vascos Grande Reserve. This is a red wine blend made by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in Chile. The wine has been given a new name and the label has had a facelift. Whilst the wine is similar there is a move to a slightly richer and juicier style. There is also a Los Vascos Cromas Carmenere Gran Reserva.

Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) took over the Los Vascos estate (Los Vascos meaning The Basque , in honour of its Basque origins) in 1988. At the time, the property extended to some 2,200 hectares, of which 220 hectares were under vine. The new Los Vascos project included major investment under the direction of the Technical Director at Château Lafite Rothschild from 1983 to 1994. The vineyard was restructured, a replanting programme was put in place and yields were reduced. Drilling provided a plentiful source of water and a weather monitoring station was installed in the vineyards. The bodega itself was enlarged and modernised step by step to cope with the new requirements in winemaking and ageing. The refurbishment included the installation of stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses and improvement to the barrel cellar.

Los Vascos is now a single plot, 580-ha vineyard in the heart of a 3,600 hectare hacienda. The knowledge of the terroirs accumulated over 20 years has been used to refine the qualitative approach in the vineyard and in the winemaking. The decision to adopt large-scale drip irrigation and to grow more grape varieties have also brought new possibilities to the expression, balance and complexity of all the wines in the range.

The grapes for the Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva (Lafite) come from selected plots at the foothills of Santa Lucia, where they benefit from an optimal exposure and light intensity. The contrast between daytime and night time temperature is particularly extreme in these vineyards which means that the conditions are particularly favourable for the grapes to slowly mature.

Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva (Lafite) is a blend comprised principally of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Syrah and Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (50% of which are new).

The 2018 is a blend of Cabernet sauvignon 85%, Syrah 10% and Carmenere 5%.